Dental Event Planning

Organizing this event was a lot of fun, and much less stressful than I imagined it to be. My main concern was attendance, as this was my first time putting on an event this size. I was hoping that 50 people would show up and was very pleasantly surprised when I saw students and faculty  piling in, until we had over 100 people. Some could not find seats and were forced to stand against the sides of the room.

I can’t take all the credit for this. My wonderful group really helped tackle the promotion, and Dr. Dorfman’s credentials kind of sold themselves. That was the key to making the event successful – finding the right speaker. Last year’s Aesthetics club did such a great job delivering top-notch speakers, that I knew we had some work cut out for us this year.

Dr. Jeffrey Dorfman

Dr. Dorfman, as a speaker, was very punctual, outgoing, and captivating – if I was hosting a paid event and needed a speaker I would be confident that he could deliver the goods. In fact, with 20 combined years teaching experience at NYU Dental School and Columbia University College of Dentistry, having given tons of lectures, television, and radio appearances over the years, his experience speaks for itself.

We started off with a Q&A session. Dr. Dorfman is not only a top aesthetic dentist in NYC, but also a very shrewd businessman, running a beautiful practice and employing a large staff with a variety of specialties.

Many students wanted to know what it takes to get a dental-associateship job in this market, and the best time to start looking for such a job. Not the type to beat around the bush, Dr. Dorfman’s response was grim and hopeful at the same time.  The dentists graduating now are graduating into deep-shit, but we’re all hopeful of better days ahead. The best time to start looking for a future job? Now.

He mentioned that when applying for a job, it’s important to find out as much information about the potential employer as possible. Look them up, study their past, know who else is working in that office; the more you know about them, the more they’ll feel like you really care and consider you a serious candidate.

It’s also important to be unique and stand out from the crowd. When it comes to hiring, it’s less important to focus on what grade point average a dentist has, and more important to know about their hand skills and their ability to work with people. It’s a relationship business and a hands-on medical profession, so once you reach a certain level of competency academically, your status as a top student becomes less important.

We then proceeded to discuss one of Dr. Dorfman’s cases. If you’re not squeamish, you can click through and see this case on his site. He took a Wall Street executive with a serious life-long dental phobia and horribly destroyed teeth, and did a full mouth rehabilitation within one business week – that was two visits and 9 total treatment hours. We were all extremely impressed.

That’s basically how Dr. Dorfman positions himself in the dental industry. His niche is comprehensive dental care for phobic patients, and while he does everything else too, his genuine and inviting personality helps these people overcome their fears.

You can find out more about Dr. Dorfman at NYCDentist.com.

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Dr. Dorfman noticed that when I first e-mailed him, visited his office to meet him, and then followed up with him that, there was a recurring theme – I was different. That’s not unusual. I seem to get along best with motivated, ambitious, and kind people who are into personal development – those are the kind of people I feel most comfortable around, and I find that they’re comfortable around me as well.

I definitely recommend him for both his speaking and dental services, and I’m very happy to have him as both a colleague and a friend.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

Throughout this time, this blog has given me the opportunity to meet thousands of wonderful people. Sharing and connecting with others has become one of my favorite hobbies, and I intend to keep doing this indefinitely. I would like to share with you some great opportunities for you to meet like-minded people as well.

Facebook: Personal Development Group

If you’re a Facebook user like the hundreds of millions of other people online, then you’re aware of its tremendous presence, and its power to connect with people from all over the world in an instant. Image having a separate little world within Facebook, where the conversation is all about personal development.

People sharing personal development articles, inspirational videos, favorite quotes, motivational books, mastermind ideas and much much more.

This group is starting to pick up in the double digits, and has earned it’s very first media coverage by Monica Rozenfeld on BustedHalo.

When I share a link, I personally like to talk about how it impacted me, what I got out of it, or what distinctions I made from this information. People comment and add their own point of view. Others just observe, occasionally express interest by ‘liking’ the status updates, and that’s okay too.

Join: Personal Development on Facebook

LinkedIn: Personal Development Group

This personal development group connects users in more of a professional setting, based on the nature and user-base of LinkedIn. This group has over 700 members, and it hosts a large number of discussions daily.

I find that most of the people in this group are financially invested in personal development. Many of them share their own articles, in hopes of attracting people to their products or services, including books, informational products, and coaching.

Join: Personal Development on LinkedIn

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If you love to learn, share, and engage with great company, then join these groups today. We look forward to getting to know you better.

Photo by linhngan

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

So as you can see in the graph, my weight loss slowed down over the past 21 days, as expected. Looking at the full 42 days though, the results are very significant, and one day when I post before and after picture from when I was 197, you’ll see the big image change.

• Total Inches Loss – 14 inches – via Myotape
• Total Weight Loss – 16.4 lbs – via Digital Scale
• Total Bodyfat Loss – 5.3% – via Omron

The way I approached these 21 days was exactly the same as I did the previous 21 days. The only thing I noticed, since I post pictures of 90% of what I eat to facebook, is that I consumed a bit more dairy. Regardless, I’m pretty happy with my progression.

I honestly can’t say that I have a very clear goal of where I want to get to. I have a clear goal for how I like to eat healthy, I have a clear goal of losing bodyfat (and I know my weight will drop with it for awhile).

One good side effect of eating Primal is that I’ve been whipping up some cool dishes. So not only have we made infinitely better food choices when eating out, but also choosing grassfed meat when possible and cooking at home when time allows.

Food Porn

Big Tim's Grok Pot Orange-Garlic Chicken

Cage free eggs, turkey bacon, and a bigass tomato covered in garlic.

Curry chicken, carrots, broccoli, artichoke, beats, and salad - Corbet & Conley.

22 ounce ribeye, mixed veggies, and salad, all smothered in Chipotle Butter

Thoughts

The biggest side effect of eating Primal is having everyone ask about it. On one hand, everyone wants to know how you got your results, on the other hand many people want to argue that meals should be balanced out with grains. There are 10 or so frequently asked questions and arguments that people throw my way.

Most of the time it’s not a problem to show them some scientific research to point them in the right direction. However, sometimes I get challenged, and I really don’t have a good answer, which is probably the best side effect, because it forces me to go out there, ask my own questions, find more research, and be able to give an intelligent answer the next time around.

Again, huge thanks to Mark Sisson, he has been the biggest influence in me learning and doing the Primal Lifestyle, providing amazing research to bring to life all his principles, and for being a genuine non-judgmental person that’s changed countless people’s lives. Big thanks to Tim Ferriss, since he has inspired me to keep better metrics and self-experiment. Also big thanks to Martin Berkhan, for having the most comprehensive articles on intermittent fasting, and spitting out the best research articles on facebook and twitter.

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So what am I working on next? I’m going to continue eating with no grains, no sugar, no alcohol. I want to see how lean I can get by August 26th, the day after my boards, and the day Marina and I leave for our 10 day trip to Paris. I’m also in the process of doing a 6 week 100 pushup challenge – I don’t know if it will get done in 6 weeks, or maybe a couple more, but I’ll post a video of me doing the 100 pushups on here, with a graph of my weekly pushup to show how I did it.

If you’re curious about my results in the next 21 days, or my pushup challenge, and want to see some more things I cook up, then add yourself to the mailing list, and I’ll see you soon.

Comment on this post, I’d like to know what kind of things motivate you to be healthy.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated with any other means. ~Maimonides

During the past semester of dental school (or more accurately, the past 2 years of it), I spent a lot of time eating shit. Many 16-hour study days, fueled by barrels of coffee filled with sugar, and layers upon layers of fast food.

Amongst those long days were a few streaks of eating well, but never sustainably. I got the results that I wanted in school, but I got fat – a side effect I was willing to deal with in the semi-short term.

When summer started, I started using my free time to cook a bit more, and started eating about 70% healthy primal food. However, three weeks ago, when I met Mark Sisson, he said something that inspired to me gear up my diet to 100% primal.

Mark pointed out that while people are on Industrial diets, they’re on a perpetual downward spiral of eating sugar to sustain themselves, exercising heavily to burn off the sugar, depleting all their glycogen and thus needing more sugar, just to burn it off again. He said that it takes 2-3 weeks of being on a high protein, high fat, and low carb diet of natural foods in order to switch our metabolic programming from that of a sugar burner to that of a fat burner. I highly suggest reading his article The Metabolic Paradigm Shift, as it was a big catalyst for me in the past 21 days.

So here is a graph of my results:

As you can see from the graph, I experienced a significant change overall:

• Total Inches Loss – 10.5 inches – via Myotape
• Total Weight Loss – 11.6 lbs – via Digital Scale
• Total Bodyfat Loss – 3% – via Omron

The Method to My Madness

Over the past 21 days, I found that there were a bunch of naysayers, but overall most people were actually pretty receptive to my food habits. Especially friends on facebook, since I started a new photo album, and posted 47 photos so far of the delicious-yumminess that I had been consuming. The best part of that? I felt like people were really inspired, they were giving me positive feedback, and they were reporting back to me about their positive food choices and also when they tried my recipes.

In his book Four Hour Body, Tim Ferriss stated that one of the best things you can do for weight-loss is to take a picture of every meal (and I have taken a picture of most). The reasoning is that if you’re going to be taking a pic, and especially if you’re posting them publicly, you’re very unlikely to pig out on a big bag of potato chips or candy. You know what, I agree.

Intermittent Fasting – for most of the 21 days I did my own version of intermittent fasting (IF). Researchers at Columbia and Rockefeller Universities have shown that our hunger cycles on a circadian rhythm. My take away from this is that our bodies learn to anticipate meal times, and so the more meals we have, the more we’ll be hungry between them. By having only one or two meals a day, you’ll be less hungry leading up to those meals.

I said that I did ‘my version’ of IF. On average I would go to sleep at 10pm, and wake up at 6am. I would have a protein shake (30 g protein to 3.5 g carb) within 30 minutes of waking up, then my next meal would be around noon-1pm and my last meal would be at 8-9pm (basically an 8 hour feeding window). So while my fast wasn’t exactly that long, I didn’t consider the protein shake as a meal, so about a 16 hour daily fast. The reason for having such a small ‘breakfast’? Research shows that counter-intuitively to conventional wisdom, having a large breakfast can cannibalize lean muscle mass.

Update: While I read about IF in many places over the years, I recently got a lot of information and inspiration over at LeanGains.com – another highly recommended site by European nutrition author Martin Berkhan. I was using referencing some research above that I found solely via Martin, and accidently forgot to source him. My apologies.

Eating Primally – I’ve been living and breathing the Primal (aka Paleo or Hunter-gather) lifestyle. In short, that means eating lots of meat and vegetables, and occasionally (for me it was once or twice a week) snacking on nuts or a small amount very dark chocolate. Since I’m trying to get lean, I stayed away from fruit, and limited my dairy intake to about two slices of cheese per week.

I ate absolutely no bread, rice, nor consumed any sugar. I incorporated sweet potato into only a couple of meals. My beverages consisted of straight up water (sometimes with a twist of lime), non-flavored seltzer, and coffee/tea with no added sugar.

Did I mention zero alcohol?

Let’s take a look at 4 example meals:

Broiled Steak over Organic Mixed Greens w/ Cherry Tomatoes (Balsamic & Evoo dressing)

Scrambled Eggs, Swiss Cheese, Turkey Bacon, Homemade Tomato Sauce

Raw Sashimi Grade Tuna and Sauteed Bok Choy

Meatza with homemade tomato sauce and broiled veggie topping.

My meals ranged from simple things like throwing a few eggs into a pan and seasoning, to more complicated time consuming dishes like making a Meatza with homemade tomato sauce and broiled veggie toppings. I really looked around the recipes on Mark’s Daily Apple, Primal Quick and Easy Meals Book (highly recommended), and various Primal/Paleo recipe blogs.

Knowing what fits into the eating style and what doesn’t allowed me to make things up as I went along, and to make smart choices at restaurants and family gatherings.

Exercise – I really could have done more exercise. During the last semester I got less than zero exercise. All I did was sit in the library. Sure I had a few bouts of exercise, but then went back into my hibernation state. Lately I haven’t been exercising either. My back has been really sore, some muscle spasms, so I’ve been letting that rest up.

However, what I have been doing a lot of is walking. I’ve been walking everywhere. Sure, I only live 2 blocks away from school, but besides that I’ve been walking around all the Manhattan neighborhoods, and rarely using the train. Finally getting to enjoy some of the city, and feeling good in the process.

What Not To Do

Since posting about my winter morning routine back in January, not everything has gone as planned – I’m not perfect. When school got beyond tough, I diverted all energy and time to one thing – studying. One thing that I did back then, that I didn’t do during the past 21 days, was measure myself daily.

Daily measurements of weight, bodyfat, and inches is not only time consuming, but it’s totally absurd. Your weight fluctuates daily, so being hung up over not moving an inch or a pound is counter-productive. This time around I checked my inches weekly, because I knew they wouldn’t lie to me, and I saved the before and after weight for a one-shot deal, in order to build anticipation, not get hung up in details, and really have something huge to celebrate.

Don’t buy new clothes before starting this lifestyle choice. You will lose weight rapidly and not fit into your clothes anymore, so buy new clothes only after you lose the weight, or you’ll have wasted a lot of money like I did. Yes, it was worth it!

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The best part of this experience was partnering up with my girlfriend. She also ate 100% primal, exercised regularly (even with the 16kg kettlebell I purchased recently). Today after our measurement we’ve recommitted to another 21 days of 100%. We’re going to Paris together at the end of August, and I have some very big goals for how I want to look when that day comes, so I’m positively looking forward to that trip.

If you’re curious about my results in the next 21 days, and want to see some more things I cook up, then add yourself to the mailing list, and I’ll see you soon.

Comment on this post, I’d like to know what kind of things motivate you to be healthy.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” ~Mark Twain

Now that the second year is behind me I get about a minute to breathe as I transition into clinic and start studying for the board exam.

My idea of using that minute is spending time with good friends, having laughs, eating really healthy food, learning, and meeting interesting people.

This past Thursday I decided to go out and meet two more interesting people, Tim Ferris and Ramit Sethi, who were doing a ‘Meet the Authors’ event at the SOHO Apple Store in NYC. They’re both really smart guys, produced very useful best-selling books, are entrepreneurial as hell, and really pride themselves on putting out high quality value.

For me going to the speech wasn’t about capturing every single word that was said. Although, Jim Rohn would say ‘bring a journal, and get all the stuff!’ I feel pretty comfortable with what I already learned from Tim’s book, so what I really wanted was to get one great piece of information, and just meet the boys face to face.

On Protein

So the gem that I took away was about protein consumption. I’ve had success following Tim’s protocol in the 4 hour body, as it pertains to weight-loss, while slighting modifying it to be more primal. Tim encourages the consumption of 30g of protein within 30 minutes of waking up.

This is the same advice I passed on to a few friends as well. However, when they began protein consumption, their weight-loss slowed down, they became discouraged, and stopped the protein intake.

Due to a great question from an audience member, Tim put this problem in very simple terms. Most people are walking around being protein deficient. When they start protein consumption, their muscles finally get enough, and they start to grow. So while they’re losing weight, they’re gaining muscle, their body composition is changing, but their weight is not going down all that quickly.

This is why in my current 21 day challenge I’m running for myself, I’m only weighing myself when I start and on the last day, same with body fat, while keeping track of my inch measurements weekly.

On Guilt

When I spoke to Ramit, I told him that I’ll be coming out of school with about 400k in loans. My 4 year dental school program costs 65k a year. Then there’s the living expenses. It adds up real quick.

Ramit told me what he tells all his friends. There is such a thing as good debt, and paying for a dental degree definitely fall into that category. Sure, it’s different from car debt, gambling debt, or even mortgage debt.

I agree with Ramit on this. That’s why I took it on!

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To learn more, you can check out Tim Ferriss at FourHourBlog.com and Ramit Sethi at IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com

What do you guys consider to be good debt? Which author that you read would you like to meet?

“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” ~William Butler Yeats

Last night I had the honor of meeting one of my long time heros Mark Sisson. I think of this man every time I eat, literally, and he’s responsible for lightning a fire for me, many of my friends and family, and many of you guys as well.

Since Mark is in town for Book Expo America (BEA), to promote a new cookbook (which I use several times a week – spaghetti squash omelet is heaven!) to go with his brilliant book Primal Blueprint, he decided to meet up with a few locals to chat about Primal health and answer some of our questions.

Thanks to the help of John Durant for organizing the event at Black Box crossfit gym and Mark drawing crowds from as far as Boston and Philadelphia, there were 175 or so people in attendance.

There were several things that really impressed me about Mark:

Walk the Walk

Looking back at pictures from a few years ago, Mark Sisson at age 56, had a six-pack and overall muscle tone. In person the man looks even more chiseled and healthy, and the same could be said about pictures of his wife and kids, who also follow the Primal lifestyle.

While this blog is mostly about my growth experiences, and what I’m trying to do next, or learn now, I’d hardly consider myself more expert in growth than the average person that focuses on this part of their lives.

In fact, during the past year of school, my time management might have been enough to succeed in school, but definitely fell short of allowing any life balance. On a scale of 1-10, my life balance has been a 3. School took precedence over health, most of my relationships, and writing on this site, as I gave 100% to just one area of my life.

With Mark you can really see that he is the epitome of health. I think this is really important. You know the stuff works.

Eloquent Articulation

I’m always impressed with great speakers. Mostly because it’s something I aspire to be better at — and realize how difficult it can be.

Mark Sisson’s talk was titled The Metabolic Paradigm Shift, based on a long time of information brewing in his mind as well as a more recent blog post. What I like is that his speech was captivating, interesting, and informative, without alienating his audience.

Since what Mark focused on is evidence-based science, it would have been easy for him to spew out so much jargon that the average person’s eyes glaze over as they fall into a coma. That’s not what Mark did though. His goal of making this healthy lifestyle as mainstream as possible shows, because he’s able to tell his story in a way that a person with a lower health-literacy can keep up, yet he’ll incorporate scientific terms as an aside to let others that have a higher health-literacy keep engaged as well (take note my medical and dental colleagues!)

It makes sense. Knowing about the SERC1 gene and it’s anti-aging effects, for most people, is less important than knowing the general concept that eating a grain based diet will make you fat. That grain based diets gives you insulin spikes that make you fat, so you have to run more on the treadmill, but then you deplete your glycogen storage and eat more grains to replenish them – but then have to run more – so on and so forth.

Judgement Free

A lot of experts out there are very judgmental:

• If you don’t save money the way they want – you’re a loser.
• If you’re not hitting the gym as hard as they say -  you’re a loser.
• If you haven’t found your motivation to go through with something, yet – you’re a loser.
• If you don’t observe religion as closely as them – you’re a loser.
• If you don’t know as much about politics as them, you’re ignorant, and – you’re a loser.

I disagree with this approach. In many ways, and for most people, it’s counter-productive, and  it speaks so much to said experts insecurity.

During the Q&A session, with a big grin on his face, Mark responded to someone that if they eat grains he’ll still be their friend. To me that was very genuine, touching, and should really be an example for us to learn from and apply to our own relationships with people.

I’m probably one of the most judgmental people that I know. It’s my defense mechanism to avoid being around people that hurt me, disappoint me, or make me feel bad in some way or another. In many ways it works, it keeps me away from those people, but it does come at a price. Sometimes I get carried away, and so my heart is filled with negativity, and that’s really not who I am as a core person.

With Mark, you can tell that you’re in the judgment free zone. It makes you feel comfortable. That’s what a true leader should look like, and someone we can model ourselves after.

At the end Mark quoted The Breakup when Jennifer Aniston said, “I don’t want you to do the dishes, I want you to want to do the dishes.” It’s not about having expectations of someone, it’s not about dropping information on people and expecting them to catch it like a bucket. It is about walking the walk, being able to eloquently articulate your ideas, and without judgment, being able to light a fire in a person that will inspire them to get out there, think for themselves, and change their lives!

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Dennis Charles recently pointed out that “All top performers have a teacher/coach or mentor. The notion of doing things on your own is seen as ludicrous from the perspective of a top performer.” I have to say that I strongly agree with this statement.

If you’re looking for a mentor on health and nutrition, evidence based research that strives to disprove conventional wisdom, as well as a community of great people, I recommend checking out MarksDailyApple.com.

Also as a side note – my second year of dental school has come and gone – and now in just a couple of days I will start seeing patients at NYU Dental School. It’s not only an opportunity to practice dentistry, but to very thoroughly help people. That’s because NYU Dental School has us do a very comprehensive health check, has systems in place to refer patients to get further care, assist patients with smoking cessation (the #1 changeable cause of major diseases), as well as nutritional counseling for those patients that need it. I’m excited!

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

Knowing this, it’s just a matter of really deciding what our values are, and then basing our decisions based on these core values. The quality of our life from day to day, as well as where we end up in a year, five years, or even ten is going to be greatly altered. The satisfaction that we have with our life will also greatly increase if we’re acting from our core values.

The Academic Dean of NYU Dental School, Dr. Andrew Spielman, one of my mentors, suggested a topic for our mentee group to discuss at our next meeting. Think big, think about the reasons, no BS, just total honesty, were the instructions. Knowing my love of personal development and introspection, you can only imagine the glow in my eyes when I heard this question.

There are so many things I hope to accomplish in life, and I’m frequently adding and subtracting from that list as I learn more about myself, what I value, what I respect, and how I envision the design of my life.

At the present time, the most meaningful thing I hope to accomplish for myself is not a thing. Having the right car and house seem rather insignificant to me in the grand scheme of the way I look at life. I’m not saying I won’t have these things in the future, just that they’re not the MOST important.

Being with the person I love, having a loving family and children, and a career I’m totally engaged with are way up there, but still not the MOST important thing… I mean, if I had to pick. They’re a bi-product of the most important thing though; a lovely side effect if you will.

The most important thing I hope to accomplish in life is to be the person that I set out to be. I know that if I am that person, then everything else I desire in my life will be within my reach, and I’ll create the energy, courage, and resources to get the rest. The person that I’m talking about, the one that I want to grow into, is the one I’ve written my mission statement for.

Mission Statement

A mission statement is less about where we were, and more about who we’re becoming, based on where we’re striving to be. It’s a moral backbone that will give us integrity, guide us, and allow us to draw wisdom towards every decision that we make. Here’s mine:

1. I am an outstanding human being in every respect
2. I am honest, kind, loving, loyal and true – to my family, friends and everyone who knows me
3. I am a positive, optimistic, confident, warm, friendly person who is admired and respected by everyone
4. I am an excellent parent, a fine employer and I do my work in an upstanding fashion every time
5. I uplift, encourage and inspire everyone I meet – everywhere I go

This list makes me uncomfortable, because it’s a stretch and a growth from where I am right now. Some days I’m some of these things, some of them I haven’t been able to achieve yet, but all of the things on this list are pointing me into a certain direction. In a way, they color my perceptions of people, places, and things. They skew my decision making mechanism every day. They’re bringing me a step closer to MY most important thing.

I believe it’s very important to earn the greatest things in life. To become the type of person that can acquire them, and handle them, without letting them go sour or slip through our fingers. It’s like people that win a tremendous sum of money, or become overnight celebrities, but then encounter a downward spiral and end up broke and addicted. We hear this all the time, and it’s because they weren’t prepared for it, they did not build themselves up as a person to control such a situation. To me it seems that becoming an outstanding human being is the foundation for the other great things in life.

You have to remember, this is my opinion, and it happens to be right for me. For you, according to your core values, something else might feel right and is totally and equally just as acceptable. What’s the most important thing you hope to accomplish in life? (I promise to respond to all comments ASAP)

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Photo by Alicepopkorn

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

That really takes a toll on a person, but at the same time it’s made me capable of accomplishing things I wouldn’t be able to before. It’s given me tremendous focus, much more patience, and the absolute do-or-die need to become even more efficient.

So one of my adaptation strategies for about a month has been to create a new routine through out my day. As opposed to staying up studying until 4am some nights, and then getting up at 7am for lab, and then taking random naps in the day. This unhealthy trend made me crave too many cups of coffee each day (which I usually had with milk and sugar). All of this led me to gaining a bunch of bodyfat, and walking around like a zombie for weeks on end. Not a bad temporary state to be in considering this is me grinding towards my life goals.

However, I’m trying to see if there’s a healthier way. A way to get even more focus and more efficiency out of my days, keeping my body healthy and regular, increasing my daily energy. This seems like a mirage in a great big desert of what some say is the hardest semester of dental school.

The Routine

For about a month I had been going to sleep at 10pm and waking up at 6am, so that I get 8 hours of sleep. This has been working out great, and it’s not just the fact that it’s 8 hours, but the same 8 hours. There have of course been nights where I’ve stayed up a bit later, but rarely, which leaves me with a good reserve of energy to not get tired throughout the day, as long as I get it right the following night.

In order to make 6am mean something to me, I’ve had to look at all my school schedules. Most of the time I either have lab or lecture at 8am, but if I don’t, I know that no matter what, by 8am I am to be studying (either home or library).

The first 30 minutes. Within 30 minutes of waking up, I’m on a schedule. I know I have to weigh myself, check my bodyfat, enter it into an excel, do a quick burst of exercises, and drink a 30g protein shake. For me this is time sensitive, so I don’t have the luxury of hitting the snooze (not that I need to, I feel energized). I believe that it’s good to get that food in within 30 minutes, but even if it’s not as time sensitive as I think, it’s awesome for starting the morning with a rapid pace.

After that I have to go through the process of getting ready to go somewhere, which means I hop in the shower, shave, put on my clothes, and be ready to get out there door by 7 if I needed to be.

The Turkey Agreement. My girlfriend and I have an agreement that whoever gets out of bed last is the Turkey, and has to make the bed. For weeks she was the turkey, now she jumps up same time as me, so we had ‘double turkey’ and made the bed together. I know it’s corny, but, it’s a hack that really works. This one action has served to obliterate any afterthought of wanting to hit the snooze. I realize that this might not be for everyone, but I hope it shows you the type of creative problem solving one can take to hack their mornings.

By the way, I really had to explain this one to Marina, and get her to agree to it in order for it to work. You can’t force someone to be a part of your crazy little plans, but many times when you explain the benefits, make it fair and fun, and give them a tincture of time, they’ll come around.

Getting good sleep. There’s a number of things that you can do to get better sleep. Better sleep means you’ll be better rested and have higher energy. Being regular in your sleep schedule is one thing, keeping your room on the cooler side is another, and just making sure you’re hydrated is yet another. I’m sure you can think of a few more, just make sure your sleep counts.

There’s even a little device called the Zeo that monitors your sleep patterns for you and helps you figure out what’s going on with your cycles. I’m actually a bit curious about it, so if anyone has had experience with it, please share.

You can also take a look at the latest post on Life Optimizer 25 Ways to Wake Up Earlier, which has some tips for getting better sleep. I was actually just commenting there, and because I left a rather long comment, I decided to turn it into a post of it’s own here. Also I wrote the Ultimate Guide to Getting Great Sleep in 2008.

Eating well, and regularly. Aside from being regular, it’s my diet that’s keeping my energy levels up these days. I eat by a very similar mesh of Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint Diet in combination with some hack’s from Tim Ferris Four Hour Body, Slow-carb diet (which btw is mostly Mark Sisson’s Primal/Paleo principles and recipes, with a few differences in principle). I eat between 10am-11am, then again between 4pm-5pm, then again if I’m really hungry or just need a healthy snack between 8pm-10pm. The reason I pick these times is that it makes sense for me with my schedule, and keeps me from being hungry throughout the day.

In my opinion, it’s all about the morning routine, if you’re interested in having a great day and working toward your bigger life goals. It helps if you have a schedule like work or school to be at, and if not, create a ‘fake’ starting time to your day, that you can duplicate each day. Then see what you can get done in an hour, or two hours, that will take you closer to your life goals. BTW, I wrote about my morning routine for 2008. In some ways it’s very similar to what it is now, except now I wake up earlier.

It’s helps to record and keep track of the morning routine. There will be days when you won’t be able to help but be thrown off (like today, because I got really into writing this article that I wanted to see it through), but don’t let that be an excuse to stop it all together. Just get back to your routine the very next day, and automate your success.

Perhaps you want to be in better shape, well then do some exercise and get a high protein healthy meal in first thing (try for within 30 minutes). Do you want to become knowledgeable in something? With just 10 pages a day, you’ll read about 1 book a month, and 12 in a year, which will get you a SIGNIFICANT amount of knowledge about a subject.

What else can you get done? Just automate it and make it your reason for living.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

I was riding the bus from New York to New Jersey to visit my parents, so I had plenty of time to just sit around and think about this. I pondered, churned out, wrote down, and then ultimately deleted several sets of words.

Eventually I came up with three words that really resonate with me. Responsibility, integrity, and civility. Not sure why these words came up. Whether it’s something that I felt I wasn’t 100% on, or just wanted more of, but whatever the reason, I think they’ll serve me well moving forward. So, what do they mean to me?

Responsibility: Owning up for all my actions and all that is within my power, jurisdiction, and scope.

Integrity: I say what I mean and I do what I say.

Civility: To consider how my words and actions, and those of the people in my influence, affect others. Being a gentleman, and making sure the people around me are as well.

There you have it. Nothing overly complicated. The only New Year’s resolution I made for 2011 is to not go to any night clubs. I find them stuffy, aggressive, and pretentious, so I’m going to avoid them. However, I’ll use my three guiding words to live life, and we’ll see how it serves me… as an experiment if nothing else.

What are your three words?

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

“Charity is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.”

~Jane Panitch

Last night I decided to watch a little bit of Hulu. The movie Homeless for the Holidays, starring Matt Moore as Jack Baker (who IMHO resembles Adam Sandler), was up on the popular list, so I went for it.

Spoiler alert:

The Baker family was in trouble financially, and Jack went to the minister to ask for a loan so that his house would not get repossessed by the bank. He mentions the Feed the Needy fund that their local church has every year as a way to dip into some money for the time being.

The minister said:

“We continue to do that year after year more as a way of teaching our children how to give than making an impact in the community. This year, we only raised $72.00″

Throughout my life I always wandered why people stand outside supermarkets and collect money for their causes. To me it seemed counterintuitive to raise money in such an inefficient way, when they could have just gone to work and donated a part of their salary.

However, this movie made me think differently. People might be out there for different reasons, such as raising awareness for the cause, connecting with people in their community, and giving people the opportunity to feel good about giving back.

Selfless Giving

I have to admit that I don’t believe there is such a thing as selfless giving. I think @JoeWaters of SelfishGiving.com would agree with me, when I say that all people contribute and give for their own selfish reasons, and that’s a good thing.

Selfish is not the opposite of Good. In fact, in my opinion, as long as good is coming out of contribution and charity, that it doesn’t matter that people are all doing it for selfish reasons. I should note, that I define selfish as doing something in a way that will somehow benefit oneself.

That doesn’t just include doing something because you’ll profit from in monetarily or because it brings you fame. It can simply mean that it gives you a good feeling, that it helps you fulfill a promise, that it aligns with your values, thoughts about religion or humanity. Even if you do something you don’t want to, it probably means you’re doing it to avoid the feeling of guilt, which is another positive motivator.

Group Giving

Another form of giving that resonates with me, is when go-getters put together events that are fun for the participants. I’ll actually be going to one such event later tonight, which is being put up by my old friend Jane Panitch.

This is what she had to say:

“My goal is to do something really fun, and really different, to bring out people from different crowds and different areas, who are from the same heritage but scattered because they stay away from the negative stereotypes of cultural events. I try to come up with something that is interesting and unique that will make it almost impossible to not come out, and the extra push of feeling that you’re giving back at the same time, makes them feel like they’re a part of something that can be a huge help. The goal is not only to raise the money, but of giving back, and not thinking that giving back is some kind of awful unpleasant labor. As long as everyone is on the same page it can be amazing and very effective.”

I think she’s doing a great thing, and I’m very proud of her. She had a touching moment when visiting a woman’s shelter in Israel, that made her realize that people out there need help, and that her unique set of talents can be used to help people. Now she is known for giving back and putting on great events amongst our community. I can’t wait to see all that she’s going to accomplish through her life.

Not everyone has to be a leader, or take massive action, in order to contribute. That’s because there are already a lot of great organizations out there, to serve different needs throughout the world. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a competition, one could join an already existing effort, or contribute some of their time and resources.

One site that I admire is VolunteerMatch.org which allows you to find a nearby location to volunteer, based on your interests.

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Image by BlatantNews

I’m always inspired to write, but as you guys know, when it comes to school, I put 150% of my focus there. Finally, during winter break, inspiration hit me at the same time as availability, and it feels nice!

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

Right after the first semester of dental school, in December of 2009, Marina and I were at the airport on our way to a cruise in the Caribbean. A little getaway after what was undisputedly the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life. At the airport I was perusing one of the bookstores/magazine shops, and to both my shock and amazement I discovered SUCCESS magazine sitting there on the shelf.

As an avid enthusiast and promotor of personal development I heard of most the big name authors and speakers in the field, so I was shocked at myself for not learning about this magazine earlier… newbie mistake. However, I was still amazed at the style and content of the magazine, a gem in a world of negative news and sensationalism.

I read the thing over on the plane as if I was going to be given an oral exam on it when we landed. Seriously, I really wore the thing out. I remember turning to Marina and saying “This is great! I want to be in SUCCESS magazine one day!” Being my number one advocate, she said “you will be.”

The actual story about how it happened is simple. I started following the magazine on Facebook. They often post up their articles, and inspirational messages. I started taking the time to read them, and because I really enjoyed them and found them thought provoking, I left comments that I put some time into. I guess enough people hit the ‘like’ button on the comments that an editor who was writing a related piece decided to interview me about what I said for an article she way writing.

Could this all be coincidence, law of attraction in action, or benefit of leaving detailed thoughts as feedback? I don’t now, but I like it. Makes you think, what can happen to you in just one year if you put some positive energy into it.

Now mind you, I thought I’d be on the cover with Oprah and the Queen, but I guess I’ll just have to wait until I do something a bit more world shaking with my life, lol!

Anyway, don’t try to find the magazine in local stores, chances are I’ve been there, bought up all the copies so that I can display it in my dental office, for the next 45 years. Just kidding, go out there a get a copy!?

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

Imagine someone who lives an awesome life. A rock star, a millionaire, a professional surfer, a monk, a bestselling author — whatever comes to mind.

Photo by TravOC

What do they have that you don’t? More importantly, how did they get it?

All the awesome people I know got there by following these 4 steps.

The bad news: They’re not easy.

The good news: They’re doable. They’re skills you can practice and master.

Step 1: Know Yourself

Awesome people have lives full of what they want, and devoid of what they don’t want. The first step to getting there is to know yourself, so you can figure out what you truly want, and how to get it in a way that works for you.

Accept yourself as you are. This allows you to know yourself as you truly are instead of as how you wish you were.

Learn how to access your subconscious desires and fears, so you can know your whole mind, not just your conscious mind.

Start to notice repeating patterns in your life. The first step to changing something is to become aware of it.

Practice choosing your reaction to events instead of simply letting them happen to you. Focus your awareness on the point where you choose your reaction — make it conscious instead of subconscious.

Forgive grudges that you’re hanging on to. Not for others’ sake, but for your own. Let go of the weight you carry.

Step 2: Trust Yourself

Awesome people, once they know what they want, act boldly on it. They don’t constantly second-guess themselves. Most of us haven’t had a lot of practice at trusting ourselves, but it’s something we can all improve at if we try.

When you’re afraid, ask yourself “How will this hurt me?” until you get to the bottom of your fear. This can turn a huge-feeling fear into a manageable one.

Make up a random opinion instead of saying “I don’t care, we can do whatever you want.” This sounds silly, but it really does help build your self-confidence muscles.

Ask for what you need, and say no to what you don’t want in your life.

Practice handling criticism from a place of self-confidence instead of insecurity. Even if you’re not a self-confident person, you can borrow that feeling of self-confidence and paste it on to the criticism. Confidence is a learnable skill, not a personality trait.

Step 3: Communicate

No one, no matter how awesome, is an island. Everyone achieves their goals with a little help from their friends. Communication is the bridge between yourself and others.

Realize that everyone is acting from their own reality, and that their assumptions might not match up with yours. This is the root of most miscommunications, and knowing it gives you the ability to fix things when they go wrong.

Learn the two reasons people communicate, and how to tell them apart. If you try to help someone solve a problem when they just want to feel heard, you’ll both end up frustrated.

Find common ground, even with someone you view as an adversary. Starting from common ground can turn a fight into a win/win situation.

Rephrase your vocabulary to practice being happier and more empowered every day.

Step 4: Take Meaningful Action

Many productivity gurus make the mistake of helping people get to where they’re going faster without helping them figure out where they want to go in the first place.

Illustration by onlypencil

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
-The Cheshire Cat, in Alice in Wonderland

After practicing knowing yourself, trusting yourself, and communicating with others, you’re ready to take meaningful action in the direction that’s right for you.

Arrange your environment in a way that helps you achieve your goals, so you don’t have to motivate yourself every single day.

Create systems that help you remember things, so you can stop worrying about them and focus on what’s most important to you.

Learn about the 80/20 rule, and apply it in all aspects of your life.

Find your best creative time, and honor it. Block it off and keep it sacred; keep your commitments to yourself just like you would keep your commitments to someone else.

That’s it!

4 steps. Simple but not easy. If it sounds like a lot, you’re not alone. You can’t just read a blog post and suddenly start living an awesome life. (If you disagree, please comment with a link; I want to read that blog post!)

But the good news is that there’s no gaping chasm between you and that awesome life you imagined. Just 4 steps.

It’s up to you to take the first one.

Pace Smith is the co-leader of the Connection Revolution, teaching people how to change the world through connection. She and her partner Kyeli created the 52 Weeks to Awesome e-course for people who want to live an awesome life, and are willing to take 52 baby steps to get there.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

Just as all the ideas of volunteering and social entrepreneurship have been bouncing around in my brain, I got an offer for a guest post from Elysabeth Teeko on this topic. Elysabeth loves everything that has to do with technology and frequently blogs about it. She’s a homebody who enjoys the finer things…like electronics and interior decorating.

Enter Elysabeth

When you think about volunteering you probably think about how this benefits society. However, it can also help the actual volunteer physically, mentally, and in relationships. A good title for the advantages would be “Volunteering: hot chocolate for the blue soul.”

Health Benefits
The Corporation for National and Community Service published a study called the “The Health Benefits of Volunteering.” The study develops a phrase called the “volunteer threshold.” This is the level at which volunteering becomes beneficial. The study finds that it took over 100 hours a year to make a significant difference in both mortality and heart disease. The good news is that this comes out to around two hours a week which isn’t as overwhelming as it sounds at first.

“Beneficial than Receiving It: Results from a Prospective Study of Mortality” by SN Brown found that volunteers get more long-term benefits than the people they help. There was no change in the receiver’s health but there was in the volunteer’s.

Mental Health
Older adults over age 65 seem to get the most mental health benefits from volunteering according to a study at the University of Texas called “Volunteering and Depression: the Role of Psychological and Social Resources in Different Age Groups.” Volunteering gives a purpose and provides interaction which can counteract depression.

Job Benefits
According to the Peace Corps you can learn a new language and job skills. It can also help you out with eligibility for federal government careers. The Peace Corps also has systems in place to help you find a job when you finish your service.

Even if you just volunteer on a local level this gives you the chance to network and make contacts. When facing periods of unemployment you can call on your support network for job leads or references. It also helps you develop new skills that you can add to a resume. Prospective employers might look at how current your experience is and volunteering allows you to stay sharp in your field. One of the most important benefits of volunteering is helping unsure students decide on a career path to follow by exposing them to a variety of fields.

Hobbies
There are a lot of different methods of volunteering. Finding the right fit for you ensures that it’s fun. You can reap all of the health and job benefits while enjoying it. You can find an opportunity to serve that corresponds with whatever is important to you such as:

• If you love to read then contact your local library. You could shelve books or run a story hour for kids.
• Pass on knowledge of sports to younger generations by coaching a soccer team.
• Use your sewing knowledge to create or tailor costumes for a theater group or school play. Artists can help paint scenery.

Relationship Value
Serving others can help you in your relationships. It gives you perspective and insight into your own problems. It’s also a chance to teach your own children about the importance of building a community and giving. Try a family outing to a soup kitchen where you can serve meals.

Volunteering can help with depression in older adults. There are also studies that show it reduces the risk of heart disease and increases longevity.

There are endless benefits of volunteering – from health to work to just doing something new with your free time – plus, a chance to serve can be fun too. Lift your spirits, and give your time.

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You can follow Elysabeth on Twitter.

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Odds and Ends:

If you’re interested in doing some volunteering as well, I also recommend VolunteerMatch.org

I’m very humbled to have been featured in the December 2010 edition of SUCCESS magazine. If you don’t already subscribe to it, it’s an excellent magazine, I recommend it. I’ll be writing a story in the near future about how that feature came to be.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

After watching The Social Network, and just recently reading Ronn Torossian‘s take on “Is The Internet Written in Ink?” it got me thinking about what this means for future generations.

Unfortunately I don’t have answers, but a few interesting scenarios are bouncing around in my brain. Particularly, how will the perceived notion of permanent reputation damage be viewed by children in their experimental stages of life.

As kids it was our job to make stupid mistakes as a way of experimentation, learning, and growth. At times we were mean and teased, but then we learned to be caring. We were insecure and fought, until we became brave. We were complete jackasses, until we learned to be sophisticated enough to be civil.

That’s fine, that’s what kids do, that’s how we all learned. However, what if there was a strict realistic expectation that whatever dumb thing came out of your mouth in 5th grade, would be blogged by Johnny when he got home, and thus your permanent reputation would be ingrained in internet history.

Three of several scenarios that I see:

The Silent Devil

A child grows up in fear of making the wrong moves. This child does not learn the lessons that come with the mistakes. The one skill that they master is how to hide their thoughts and actions from their family and friends, for fear of being written up on the net. They grow through life silently nurturing their inner daemons, while putting out a front that’s not really themselves.

The Ruined Rep

The other child dismisses the notion of public relations and goes on as children always have. Has a lot of good days and bad days, plays hard, speaks what is on his mind, and doesn’t worry about being written into internet history. He says a lot of things he regrets, learns from his mistakes, becomes an excellent guy, but unfortunately is scarred by past experiences and can never get a job because everyone of his potential employers always googles his name with the word asshole beside it to see just how many people he pissed off.

The Super Generation

Perhaps it doesn’t really take stupid mistakes to know and do the right thing. Perhaps the watchful eye will induce some sort of Hawthorne effect, where children are happy doing the right thing under a watchful eye. They’re able to document their progress, make incremental improvements, and take themselves to a level that even the most fanatical journal keeper of our generation is not able to harness of themselves.

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So what will become of these future generations? The ones without the luxury to make mistakes in private? What’s your opinion? What other scenarios can you think of?

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

In this life I am free. How is that possible? How can that be when the laws of government and gravity, and the need for food, love, and oxygen bind me? The freedom lives in a place called my mind – boy doesn’t that sound weird?

“Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.”
~Stephen R. Covey

Free Yourself In Seven Ways

1. Freedom from food. Delectable pastries, succulent flavors, and savory foods of all kinds keep us at their mercy. Even the ones that don’t taste so good, but are necessary for our survival induce us into a slave-like dependence. It doesn’t have to be so.

Solution: Great men by the likes of Gandhi and Buddha were masters of the fast. They would be able to go days, weeks, and even months without food. One time, Gandhi changed the course of peace in India, and the history of the world as we know it, because his mind allowed his body to endure a fast. He was free.

2. Freedom from money. Clothes, cars, houses, jewelry, and gadgets are all interesting little items that people are willing to directly exchange for their freedom. Credit cards expedite this process by holding us accountable, and thus slaves, to the money that we’ve spend before we had.

Solution: Buy only that which is essential. Better yet, live off of the land. When you stop desiring and consuming, and you start living and producing, you quickly lose money as a personal oppressor and begin to use it, instead of it using you. Being a valuable person, and creating value for the world will take you far.

3. Freedom from government. They can control our education system, our taxes, and our economy, but it is our choice if we hand our freedom over to them – our government.

Solution: One solution would be not to vote, but it would be more useful if it were a unanimous decision. One in which each person decided to do what’s right, live in harmony, peace, and use their natural-born-morals to govern themselves.

4. Freedom from love. Love can really put a choke-hold on an individual. Most people have experienced, or have seen a clingy relationship in their life. One where one person “cannot live” without the other. Bards have sung songs as such, and epic battles have been fought for such love.

Solution: Freedom from love comes when we let ourselves truly experience and accept it. It is as natural as drinking water, and when we allow ourselves to love another human being, truly, and to love ourselves, truly, we disregard our capability to be a slave to love. Instead, we become a vehicle of love, and love itself.

5. Freedom from guilt. This powerful emotion can lead us to do just about anything. Guilt has been known to create marriages and break them. Seen to make people overeat, do drugs, and become violent. In the worst of times man has taken his own life due to feelings of guilt.

Solution: It’s going to take you feeling the pain of the guilt, fully embracing it, and then letting it go in order to rip of the shackles of this emotion. It’s helpful to concentrate on what you can do right now, versus what has happened and what is not an option for you.

6. Freedom from oxygen. The need for oxygen, and our subsequent lack of freedom due to our dependence on it, is based on the concept that we are afraid to die. Death is an integral, unavoidable, and lasting part of our life cycle.

Solution: Freedom comes when we embrace that death will come, accept it, and live our life to the fullest while it is still within our ability to do so.

7. Freedom from ignorance. Perhaps the worst restraints that we can experience in life are those imposed on us by our own mind. The only thing holding us back in life, really, is that which we know. Those opinions and viewpoints that we have established at some moment define how we think and the methods that we use to interpret what we experience.

Solution: Educate yourself. Pick up as many books as you can, read them all, and don’t believe a word of it.

“Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.”
~Voltaire

Freedom: Is it practical?

Is freedom practical? No, not if we’re looking through the eyes of society, our consumerist group-think collective. Society would have trained you to think that what I am saying is wrong, ludicrous, or even disgusting.

Such is expected. By being a mindless drone of the collective, one is suppressing their ability to think freely, consciously, and individually. That’s fine, I accept that for you, and you can too. However, if you choose to be a proactive person of freedom, liberty, and justice – both for yourself and for all – than perhaps putting your self-thinking-cap on will be the greatest gift you can ever give yourself.

“To know how to free oneself is nothing; the arduous thing is to know what to do with one’s freedom”
~Andre Gide

If you enjoyed this article, please share it on StumbleUpon or bookmark it on del.icio.us. I appreciate your support, and would love to hear your thoughts.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

“Never go to excess, but let moderation be your guide.”
~Marcus Tullius Cicero

The above quote, from our beloved Ancient Roman Lawyer, Writer, Scholar, Orator and Statesman, is great for certain situations. However, I’m a firm believer that even moderation should be taken in moderation, meaning that sometimes life calls for extremes.

When does life call for extremes?

When You’re CEO of a Firm (or own your business)

Awhile back I started interviewing highly successful people on my Podcast show, and I’ve been poking and prodding them about their very own success secrets. Although there are many similarities, everyone that I’ve interviewed has their own unique style.

The interview with Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5WPR (a leading NYC/LA based Public Relations firm), revealed a bit about his work mantra “work hard, work hard, work hard.” He gets up at 5:00am for an hour and a half of exercise, and then does approximately 12 hours of work between clients, public speaking, and managing his employees.

Needless to say, even in this economy, Ronn is coming up cash positive, and looking to acquire smaller firms to fuel the fire under his public relations tank. It is due to the fact that he takes his work home with him, both in the evenings and the weekends, that he is able to excel and prosper where others are doomed to fail.

When You’re an Intern

Let’s take an example from one of my favorite books, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. One of the most powerful, and indisputably richest characters, is Mr. Gale Wynand. This point is about interns, not CEOs, so why use a man that has a media empire with companies all over the country? He wasn’t always a CEO, in fact, he started in poverty.

As a young guy, subjected to extreme poverty, foster homes, and gang violence, Gale Wynand began to study rich people, in rich neighborhoods. He quickly realized that they all read, took on reading himself, and set out to get a job.

He sat in front of the newspaper building for days, rejected time and time again for even the lowest level of employment. His persistence, and the fact that he sat on the steps for days, finally got him an errand to deliver a package. He did this with great care and precision, and repeated this with the next task, until he finally got into the company, and eventually took it over.

When You’re a Parent

I think this is something you really feel in your bones when you’re a parent, which I’m not, so the rest of us can only take in theory for now. I recently heard Leo Babauta interview Merlin Mann on The Power of Less site.

Merlin pointed out how his priorities shifted after acquiring his new baby girl. There are now two things in his life: 1) her, and then 2) everything else. Whatever she needs, from a poopy diaper change, to some love, comes as a priority before anything else.

There is no moderation in the love that a parent has for their child. There’s no saying, “let me hold back the love I feel for a bit, so I can conveniently get more important things done”, because there aren’t more important things to be done.

When You’re Chronically Sick

Joe, one of the readers of this site, has been diagnosed with a severe chronic illness. It’s gotten to the point where gathering energy to walk is no longer an option. With the lose of energy, and clarity, sitting in front of the computer to create one of his written masterpieces is no longer an option either.

All moderation of lifestyle is out the window, and the only option is extreme treatment. He’ll be flying out to Europe, to receive a new experimental treatment, that shows much promise. Remaining in bed, eating healthy, drinking plenty of fluids, and everything else that comes with extreme rest and recovery is not an act of moderation, it’s an act of survival.

Sometimes we have to throw moderation out the window in order to survive. Whether it be physically, emotionally, or dealing with our families and careers, moderation can’t always solve the extreme issues that require immediate attention.

When You’re Getting Over a Breakup

Ending a long-term intimate relationship is usually not an easy thing. I’ve been there before, and can attest that for a short time afterwards it’s hard to concentrate on everyday tasks, running the scenarios of what could have been through my mind.

There is no real moderation in dealing with situations like this, and no immediate cure either. What’s worked for me is being extremely occupied. I would do this by spending extra time at the gym, each and every day — without fail. There’s nothing quite like doing 60 minutes of elliptical, full force, to get happy chemicals flowing through your blood stream.

Another extreme solution is not being alone, by staying on the phone when on the road, and studying around other people at the library rather than home alone. Whatever it takes in order to deal with the aftermath and move on with your life.

When do you find yourself not practicing any moderation?

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

Entrepreneur’s are a rare breed, often misunderstood and coined crazy for their spontaneous ideas, non-stop schedule and lack of rest. It takes a special person to go against the fold, and create their own job, career and life path. Some people try their whole life, and fail. But others, with some creativity and a little bit of luck, make it happen. I have that someone in my family to serve as a role model on how to be an entrepreneur, follow through and gain the success and life one dreams. That person is my uncle, Peter Glazman, founder of USPack Courier Service.

Now that I am at an age where I am deciding between taking the 9-5 job or carving out my own path, I have reflected on what it is that made my uncle the success he is today. If you are like me, debating between starting your own company or taking the unconventional route, here are some things I have learned from the man himself.

No Excuses

My uncle emigrated from the Ukraine in ‘79 determined to “make it.” He started as a driver, delivering packages here and there. But when he saw how the courier company he worked for was treating their clients, he thought he could build something better. And so he did. Despite the language barrier, my uncle approached one of the top banks in the country to open a same-day delivery account with his new business, relying solely on his honesty and personality. He managed to land that account over other big-name delivery companies and never looked back.

See Something, Do Something

A real entrepreneur is someone who believes in the spirit of capitalism, and competition. When we have an idea, as my uncle did to start a courier company with unprecedented customer service, we have an obligation as an entrepreneur to follow through. This country was built on companies going above and beyond the next in order for us today to have great service, and great product. The idea that something has already been done is false. There is always a way to do something bigger, better and smarter. Seizing the opportunity to go above and beyond the company and customer service of his original employer is what made my uncle the success he is today, giving him the edge over the other drivers who were once in his seat.

Never forget who you work for

We’ve seen it time and time again, the bigger the entrepreneur or the company, the less the client matters. No matter how much success was gained in my uncle’s company over the 25+ years it has been around, my uncle has never forgotten a single client, even if it was one person delivering one letter one time only. He responds to every email he receives, every phone call he gets, and never forgets to thank his clients with notes and small gifts. That personal touch is what separates USPack Courier Service from the “big” guys.

Give back

Even in the worst of times, especially in our current recession, my uncle is always on the lookout for opportunity to give back and help others in need. Today, USPack is delivering artifacts to the World Trade Center site, and always seeking opportunities to deliver for food drives and charities in need. My uncle does not make his company solely a source of income, but a resource in helping and making a difference where he can.

Always grow and seek new opportunity

Twenty-five years is a long time for many things (that’s my whole life), and maintaining and growing a small business is definitely one of them. But, he has managed to do it. With new technologies, needs, clientele, my uncle never stays stagnant in old ways of thinking, but is always looking outside of himself to what the market needs. Today, they company is ahead of the curve with new tracking technologies so that no important package gets lost. Plus, they are on the verge of growing a green fleet of vehicles for eco-conscious deliveries. An entrepreneur knows that the world is always changing and that they always need to stay one step ahead of the game, not behind.

Follow your spirit

Lastly, the biggest lesson of all I’ve learned from watching my uncle is to follow your spirit. My mom always told me these stories of how my uncle would go around as a kid in Ukraine and find ways to make money. Whether it’s recycling (yes, he was ahead of the times), paper routes, or selling his only pair of boots so he can make a few rubles, he never missed an opportunity to make money if he could. And then when he did, he would come back and buy something for the family.

I’ve heard a saying once that money doesn’t change you, but makes you more of who you already are. That is definitely true in my uncle’s case, as with more success, he has found more opportunity to give back and provide an amazing home for his family. He is an inspiration to me as I move forward in whatever it is I decide to pursue to not make excuses for myself, to follow through with my ideas, to give back and never forget those who have given me the opportunity to make my dreams happen and, of course, to follow my spirit.

I believe if one is a true entrepreneur, they will change the world by carving out their visions into reality, even if it’s just making a small mark on the world. My uncle has done so, and I encourage others who have the personality for it to go for it too.

If you’re interested in learning more about Monica’s uncle’s company, visit www.GoUSPack.com or follow the company on twitter @USPack. For more on Monica, visit www.SweetHeartJournalist.com

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

Whether you are a newly appointed boss or you have been in this position for a long time, it is important for you to aspire to be better at what you do. People think that being at the helm is a glamorous job. Well, there is no doubt about that. However, it can also be stressful and very difficult.

In fact, quite a number of people cannot handle the stress and the demands of being a boss. They end up losing good employees and a huge chunk of their customers mainly because of their inefficiencies and lack of management skills.

Here is a list of effective ways to help you become better in being a boss:

1. Improve your Skills

In order to be a great boss, you need to equip yourself with appropriate skills. If you do not have supervisory experience, you may want to attend management seminars and other training programs that will help you become an effective manager, supervisor or boss.

2. Study the Company’s Vision and Mission

You do not want to end up scratching your head when some new employee asks you about the company’s background, mission and vision. If you want to contribute to the achievement of that vision and mission, you have to know them first.

3. Educate Your People about Company Policies and Goals

You should also remember to know the goals and policies of your organization. Once you have learned these things, impart them to your subordinates so that they will be on the same page as you.

4. Lead by Example

You cannot expect people to follow and respect you if you do not lead by example. If you want your team to be active and hardworking, you need to show them that you are also doing your share in making your team or department achieve its objectives. It is embarrassing to reprimand someone for sleeping on the job if you are also seen by your subordinates doing the same thing.

5. Make Your Expectations Clear

In order to minimize confusions and misunderstanding, be clear with what you expect from your employees. If you have to meet each member of the team to send the message across, do not hesitate to do so.

6. Set High Standards

A lot of bosses are afraid to set high standards for their employees because they actually do not have confidence in their subordinates. Do not be like these bosses. From the beginning, impress upon your team that you will accept nothing but the best.

7. Set Goals That Are Achievable

It is all right to expect the best from your employees, but be sure to make realistic goals. For example, a 30% to 50% increase in sales may be reasonable. Unless you came from a 70% slump, asking for a 100% turnaround in a month may be unachievable.

8. Spend Some Time to Listen

Be sure to take some time to listen to your subordinates. They too can come up with great ideas and solutions. Do not shut other people out even if they may give weird suggestions. If you really think that the ideas and suggestions are far out and impossible, take some time to think about them. You can never tell if a proposal will not have any merit.

9. Don’t Keep Your Employees in the Dark

It is worth stressing that it is important for your subordinates to have idea on the state of the company and other things that you think they need to know to help them perform their job well.

10. Don’t Forget the ABCs of Supervision

Mentoring, checking up on your employees, asking your subordinates about their expectations are just some of the basics of supervision that you should never forget, even if you are already at the helm.

11. Regularly Check Performance and Expectations

Employees sometime slack off when they realize that the management does not check their performance or if their boss is not really good at making evaluations. To prevent this, make sure that you keep a regular performance and expectation evaluation.

12. Be Sure to Offer Positive Feedback

There will surely be instances when your subordinates or team members will commit mistakes or submit work that does not meet your expectation. Instead of scolding and reprimanding your subordinate in front of other people, do it inside your office or room. Also, make sure that you provide positive feedback instead of negative criticisms.

13. Stress the Importance of Meeting the Company Goals

You need to let your people know the importance of meeting or even surpassing company goals and objectives. Let them know how their work affects the overall productivity and revenue of the company. This will surely give them a sense of ownership in their work.

14. Learn To Strategically Use Positive Reinforcement

Try to avoid showering employees with praise to the point of being excessive.  For one thing, it can come as a shock should you have to impart criticism at some point if your workers have become “spoiled.” Make it so your positive reinforcement is heard, appreciated and is motivation for greater productivity.

15. Include Your Team When Making Plans

Brainstorming and regular team meetings are good because these allow everyone to be involved in planning and setting of company goals and programs.

16. Be Firm and Consistent

In order to make your subordinates know that you are serious, you should be firm and consistent with applying policies, especially when reprimanding negative behavior.

17. Encourage Your People to be the Best They Can Be

Motivate employees to do their best. Do not be afraid or feel threatened if someone in your group performs better than other members of the team.

18. Offer Ways for Skill Enhancements

To equip your subordinates with what they need to do their job well, give them ample skills training to make them good at what they do.

19. Give Your Employees Something to Look Forward To

Lunch outs, parties, out-of-town team building activities, and other non-office related activities can surely make a ho-hum work environment more exciting.

20. Learn to Trust Your People’s Abilities

Do not spoon feed your subordinates. Let them approach things and problems in their own way. Trust them to perform their jobs effectively and creatively.

21. Delegate Responsibilities

Again, you are not the only person who can do the job. Learn to delegate responsibilities to others. Delegation will also help you focus more on managerial stuff.

22. Provide Self Development Training Courses

Training programs that are not necessarily connected to the job, such as time management, stress management, and writing business letters effectively are essential in making your team members better skilled.

23. Manage Your Time and Resources Carefully

A good manager knows how to spend time and resources wisely.

24. Hire the Best

Don’t be afraid to hire people smarter than you. They are assets to your team and company.

25. Teach Team Members How to Manage Stress Well

Stress can affect the efficiency and performance of each employee. As a good boss, you need to help your subordinates manage stress well.

26. Be Involved

Do not stay in your ivory tower. Get involved with your team, even if you have to get your hands dirty.

27. Socialize with Your Team

Learn to socialize, talk, exchange news and ask about the personal lives of your team members. It would also be a good idea to know the birthdays of each of them so that you can greet them on their special days.

28. Be Sensitive to Other People’s Needs

Employees are not usually vocal and open about their needs. As a good leader, you should be able to anticipate what your team might need to do the job well.

29. Encourage Your Team to Be Creative

Open your mind and encourage other people to provide creative inputs and suggestions.

30. Apply Other People’s Inputs

Getting the suggestions of others is one thing, but applying them to the operations of the company or your team can really motivate your people.

31. Be Available

Don’t hide inside your office. Open your door and make yourself available to your team.

32. Learn From Others

You don’t know everything, so be willing to learn from other people too, even if they are your subordinates.

33. Learn From History

Don’t commit the same mistakes twice. Learn to make the most of your past mistakes.

34. Respect Other People’s Beliefs and Ideas

Do not judge other people based on their personalities. Be open-minded.

35. Don’t Breathe On Other People’s Necks

If there is one thing that employees hate, it is a boss who does not give his subordinates the free hand to perform their jobs. The members of your team are not robots, so don’t expect them to do things the way that you do.

36. Don’t Get Involved With Gossips

Believe it or not, men also love gossips. But if you are a boss, do not participate in gossiping. In fact, these things should be discouraged in the office altogether.

37. Learn New Skills

You also need to improve your skills. If you still do not know how to use the Internet, it is high time that you start learning.

38. Encourage Other People to Learn New Skills

Making training programs available is one thing. You should also encourage your subordinates to learn new skills.

39. Show Genuine Concern for Your Employees

Know how to sympathize and show concern for others.

40. Keep Positive Attitude

Positive attitude is infectious, so try to spread it to your team.

41. Maintain Good Working Environment

Based on surveys, employees value safe and good working conditions. In fact, many say that their top reason for staying with a company is the work environment.

42. Be Accountable

Do not blame others for your mistakes. Take responsibility for your actions and decisions.

43. Learn to Say No

You should not be a people pleaser to be a good boss. In fact, you need to learn how to say no too.

44. Promote Other People’s Ideas

Not all good ideas should come from you. It would really be a good thing to market and promote other people’s ideas as well.

45. Be Open to Change

Change is inevitable so you need to be open-minded when it comes to new technology and ways of doing things.

46. Ensure Good Working Relationships Within Your Team

Encourage your team members to respect each other and maintain a good working relationship with everyone. Resolve problems and bickering quickly and fairly.

47. Know When to Have Fun and When to be Serious

Strike a balance between being a fun loving boss and a serious one. Being serious all the time can dampen spirits, while always having fun and lax on policies can make your team slack and ineffective.

48. Don’t Be a Parasite

Do not do things that can taint your reputation. Be wary of accepting gifts from suppliers or favors from customers.

49. Be Ready To Help

A good boss knows when to offer a helping hand to his subordinates.

50. Value Time

If you want your employees to value your time, be sure to value theirs as well. Don’t keep them waiting for hours during meetings.

Author’s Bio:

Discover how you can achieve all that you want in life in The 77 Traits of Highly Successful People. Mark Foo has brought together 48 personal development bloggers and writers to co-author this success eBook that spells out all the success secrets. Claim your FREE copy of the eBook now at http://www.77SuccessTraits.com.

Photo is courtesy of Kumar Appaiah

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

Sometime in August of 2009 I got a crazy idea for a WordPress Plugin. It was born out of my frustration that great people stopped by to comment on the site, but sometimes I’d lose touch with them and wonder where they went.

Having no programming experience, I tracked down the best plugin developer in the western hemisphere and partnered up with Jeff Rose. Over the past months he has been great in taking my vision and turning it into a reality.

Seeing how 110% of my time has been focused on dental school, I knew that I needed a better means of promoting the plugin, which is why I recruited my good friend and number one internet marketer in the world, John Chow. Actually, it wasn’t much recruitment, once I showed him the finished site and a beta copy of the plugin, he fell in love and offered me his services.

Speaking of the website, I’m not really a designer, but I did have a vision, and once again I found a masterful team to take my vision and turn it into reality. The team at Pixelmobb are a very talented group of designers, developers, movie and commercial developers that do a lot of great website and advertisement work for big time musicians, restaurants, and even small businesses. We’ll be doing business again, that’s for sure!

Standout Comments Plugin

So what is this plugin that I speak of, and what does it do? Well, here’s the features breakdown right from the site.

As you can see, a core feature of the plugin is to allow wordpress users to create a hassle-free way for people to subscribe to both to their newsletter and feedburner RSS feed. However, that’s only part of it, because we’ve built in integration with twitter, an easy way to display advertisements, social bookmarking sharing options, and it’s all easy to control from the following admin panel:

As you can see, you have very convenient access to everything from one location.  So that’s just about all that I have for you right now. The going price is $67, which if you look at a plugin like this as an investment in your future, and a way to build up your lists to stay in touch with fans and potential customers, I know you’ll find it worth it.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

One must live life to the fullest, rather than spend it drifting into obscurity. So, unless you savor every minute that you use up sitting in your office chair or counting the moments that go by while you settle down on your couch, you really need to go out there and find some action that will add more essence to help you live a full life. I was also

Fortunately, your life’s fulfillment depends solely on the choices that you make. Your power to select determines how exciting and rewarding your life will be. So don’t waste your ability to choose. To help you reach your true potentials and live a life that’s full, here are 9 essential things that must be on your to-do list.

1. Live Life with a Purpose

Just like a ship, you need direction in life. Without a fixed direction to follow, your life is lost. Finding your own unique bearings requires purpose. This is not the same as the typical goal-setting sessions that you do at work. When I say finding purpose in life, it means discovering the real reason for your existence.

Always keep in mind that your life did not happen by accident. In other words, the things in your life occurred because you allowed them. Thus, you might as well find your purpose and train all your actions and your choices to achieve your goals. Discovering your purpose will give you the motivation to achieve all things in life.

2. Live With Passion. Do What You Love

Your life purpose and passion are what make your life more meaningful and enjoyable. They are the spark and fuel of what drive you in life. While a purpose sets your direction in life, your passion will ignite and fuel your purpose.

If you allow your life to simply drift into the daily routines that you have now, then you are simply existing rather than living. You are not some turnkey robot that can be easily turned on or off by your boss, your family, or other people around you. So seek to take back your life. Live with passion so that you can turn your everyday experiences into extraordinary, life-changing events.

3. Work Hard, Play Hard

We often hear this saying in the corporate world. It simply means balancing intense long work hours with equally intense leisurely activities like parties, sports, or just spending time with your loved ones. If you want to live life to the fullest, you need to balance your life. If you only focus on your work life, you will surely feel burned out and your passion in life will be extinguished before you even know it. So, after closing that million-dollar deal, consider partying in the Bahamas or go bungee jumping.

4. Personal Growth

If you really want to master your life, you need to grow and aspire to become the person you have always dreamed of becoming. Personal growth will equip you not just with skills, but also the proper mindset to take full charge of your life.

You see, nobody is perfect. Sure enough, there are some aspects in your life that you have always considered to be your weaknesses. If you want to conquer those weaknesses, you need to develop those areas. By enhancing your competencies in life, you are a step closer to your dream of living a full life.

5. Find Your True Love

You may not believe it, but one of the most important goals in life is to find a loyal and worthy partner in life. Finding your true love gives you that other person whom you can share your dreams with. This person will save you from depression and help you keep your head up high.

Well, your true love may not always be another person. Some men consider wealth and other things as their true love. Whatever your reason is for choosing a thing or a person, always remember that your true love will be that one part of your life that will inspire you to achieve your dreams.

6. Develop Great Friendships

Very often, we stray away from our goals in life. The fact is we need some kind of support system to bring us back in line with our purpose in life. And that support can come largely from our friends. Developing great friendships gives you invaluable inputs which you can use in life. Friends can give you a different perspective on things and they can surely fill in any emptiness inside you. Come to think of it, how will you ever enjoy your beer or weekend barbecues without your friends?

7. Stay Healthy

All the things that you do to live your life to the fullest will be for naught if you do not take good care of your health, both mentally and physically. Your ability to reach for your goals relies heavily on your ability to wake up in the morning, thoroughly think about what needs to be done, and act on your objectives or goals. If you suffer from any disease or you are in pain, you become less creative and less productive, which can ultimately drag your life down.

8. Be Financially Free

To live life to the fullest, you need to be able to do what you want, when you want. In other words, it means to have the power to choose to head down to the beach with your mates to ride the waves rather than spend your day at the desk waiting for the minutes to drag by.

However, you can’t be 100 per cent free to live exactly the kind of lifestyle you want unless you have achieved financial freedom. While money is not everything, everything is money. Being financially free gives you the power to:

• work by choice and not by necessity
• stop being held hostage by a boss
• provide your family with more security and a better life
• help more people
• live anywhere you want

To learn more about achieving financial freedom, check out my article How To Achieve Financial Freedom.

9. Help People Who Are Less Fortunate

“To give is more fortunate than to receive.” – Chinese Proverb

Finally, if you want to live life to the fullest, you need to give other people a helping hand, especially the less fortunate ones. By helping others, you experience something that goes way beyond material things. In fact, psychologists have proven that one can get more out of helping others compared to getting help from others. Studies show that by extending a helping hand, you get a totally exhilarating feeling that you can’t encounter anywhere. Now, that’s a really priceless way to live a life that’s full.

I know I may have missed out a few other things here such as ‘Believe in God’ and ‘Have Kids’. This is intentional because I’m not a religious person and having kids is not one of my priorities in life. I don’t mind having kids, but it’s just not a must for me. So if you’re religious and you want kids, you may include them to make your life more fulfilled.

Author’s Bio:

Discover how you can achieve all that you want in life in The 77 Traits of Highly Successful People. Mark Foo has brought together 48 personal development bloggers and writers to co-author this success eBook that spells out all the success secrets. Claim your FREE copy of the eBook now at http://www.77SuccessTraits.com.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

Humans evolved in motion; hunting, fighting, and surviving. Since starting NYUCD in September, I’ve lost track of how many 16 hour days were spent sitting in the same spot (my version of surviving tigers like Dr. Baker and Dr. Roy )

This isn’t a complaint, but my current grind is that of sitting and studying, and my future profession is that of sitting and grinding. Dentistry is up there on the list of professions with most work related injuries, so I think now is the best time as ever to get physically fit for life.

For the month of February I decided to do whatever I had to do in order to make time for exercise. I have been exercising before, but now I wanted to take it to the next level, with more commitment, and most importantly for me, with more structure.

My friend recommended a workout routine from Flex Magazine, which is designed to build huge guns (arms!). What I like about this plan is that it covers in great detail exactly when and how to weight lift, as well as a nutritional plan that accompanies the workouts.

That plan covered 3 days a week, and for the other days I did either moderate intensity cardio, high intensity interval training cardio, various chest exercises, or a strength training routine from Strong Lifts. So while I had the Flex routine, which was my go-to exercise that gave my workout-week structure, I also experimented with other things in an effort to find out what works for me.

There were a couple of days when I was so busy that at the end of the day the gym was already closed, and I had to get some exercises done right in the apartment. I just did basic Calisthenics, and one time I actually did sets of squats with Marina on my shoulders. Pretty funny, with the added bonus of her cheering me on from up by the ceiling!

Here’s the point. Dental students are as busy as people can get in my opinion. Onslaughts of examinations, studying, and hours of lab work occupy all of our time. I haven’t even seen my family in two months. If I can find the time to exercise with our schedules, I am sure that you can find some time to exercise.

Overcoming ‘Not Enough Time To Exercise’

If it weren’t for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn’t get any exercise at all. ~Joey Adams

I’m not going to make a top 100 list here. There are only so many fundamentals, and I believe that anyone can find one that works for them in the simple list of three below.

1. Time Journal. For 2-3 days keep a detailed journal of everything you do throughout the day. Do this with a simple pad and paper, and you will soon discover exactly where your time sinks are. You can then choose to be more efficient on tasks, cut others out, and ultimately rescue a half an hour to an hour of time per day to exercise.

2. Wake Up Early. You can work waking up earlier into your schedule. The thought of this might seem inhumane, but the reality is that you get used to everything, even this. Once you’ve done it enough times, you’ll wake up with more energy, and have more energy throughout your day.

3. High Intensity Workouts. Research shows that high intensity workouts in short bursts are more effective than long exercises. So if you’re physically capable, and your manage your time so well that you don’t have any free time as it is, then consider how a 10-15 minute high intensity workout can be worked in right before your shower time.

The ‘not enough time to exercise’ excuse was one that my mom has used for years. After all, she’s a dentist, a business owner, a mother, a grandmother (by way of my older sister), a wife, a friend to many, and a million other things. I literally begged her everyday for a period of 6 months to get a personal trainer to help her get started. She simply woke up earlier 4 times a week to workout with a trainer, stopped eating after 6pm, and cut out her evening TV session to speed-walk an hour outside. The result is that she currently lost 85 pounds (38.5 kg), while her schedule is still as busy as can ever.

Forming the Exercise Habit

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~Aristotle

I’ve gone in and out of periods in my life when I went to the gym often, and when I pretty much did nothing. There were different factors involved, and a lot of lessons learned, but once again let’s look at the fundamentals:

1. Structure. When it comes to exercise, I find that it helps when I work hard physically, but not mentally. I want to wake up and know exactly what it is that I’m responsible for doing on this given day. Right now my arms routine gives me structure, but I remember when I earned my black belt in Taekwondo, my instructors gave me all the structure I could ask for on a daily basis. The point is, you want to research, pick something, and then stick to it so you have nothing left to think about — just do it.

2. Friends. One of the most important things you can do is approach your most in shape friend. Even if working out with them is not an option, they can teach you more in a 30 minute conversation than you can learn in a long time of searching the advertisement-riddled internet. Research proves that you’re going to assimilate to the people you surround yourself with, so surround yourself with people you respect and admire.

3. Metrics. Keeping track of your progress is very motivating and helps you by striving for higher goals. Whether you keep track of how long and fast you can run, how much weight you can lift, how many inches are on your waste, or your body fat percentage, you will see that when you’re keeping track, you want to stay on track. Forget BMI and your weight, these are not helpful because they do not distinguish between the muscle and fat in your body composition. You could easily start gaining weight while your physique becomes more sculpted since muscle weighs more than fat.

4. Give the 30 day trial method a try. Last month I did a 30 day trial with perfect class attendance. I did it, and then I quit it because it did not resonate with me. I decided that it was more important to manage my energy, and study at times that I am feeling focused. The commitment was just for 30 days, followed by an evaluation, and then either a drop or a re-commitment. This time, I’m going to continue with the habit I have formed in my 30 day trial, and continue to exercise daily.

My Next 30 Days

We want to remove negative habits, replace them with positive habits, and build upon positive habits with more positive habits. I’m going to continue my habit of daily exercise, and add a new 30 day trial of writing a very detailed list of tasks to accomplish for tomorrow.

Each day, by the time I’m ready to hit the sack, I will have written everything I need to accomplish based on my life goals and my most important priorities. The point is not necessarily to work myself to exhaustion, but to remove any confusion or hesitation about what I should be doing, based on no ones values other than my own.

How do you feel about exercise? What 30 day challenge will you work on? If you like this article, please Stumble it and share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter, I’d appreciate it.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

It can be tough when you feel that your life sucks. Not only will your daily grind become boring, but your overall existence will be just that – existence. Fortunately, there is much room for improvement even if you consider your life to be totally depressing. But before you set out to make your life better, here are 50 signs that your life is in the doldrums and you need a life makeover.

1. Life has Become One Big Routine

If you think that your life is defined by routines and you actually feel comfortable about it, then it’s a good bet that your life sucks.

2. You Are Horrified About Going to the Office Every Day

If you are dreadful about going to work every single day, you could be among countless men who think that their careers or lives suck.

3. You Can’t Bring Yourself to Focus at Work

Remember your first day on the job? Most likely, you were so inspired that you actually shined your shoes and pressed your coat and tie. But now, you just can’t seem to put any ounce of energy or creativity in your work. You are stuck.

4. You Have Never Been Promoted in Your Job

Your work or career is one big factor in determining if you are living an exhausted life. If you have worked for the same company for 25 years, jumping from one department to the next, without getting promoted, then your life sucks.

5. You Talk About Your Boss Even During Lunch Breaks

If you and your colleagues spend half of your working hours discussing how your boss is such a moron, it is very much likely that you hate your job. Working for a bad boss is like working in hell.

6. Your Paycheck Has the Same Figure for Over Five Years Now

If you have been working for years and your paycheck still has the same amount as when you started, then your company does not value your work.

7. Work Hours Become More Difficult to Predict

So, you signed up for 8-hour workdays. But now, you do not even have any idea how many hours you spend in the office. If your workday stretches beyond normal hours, you no longer have control of your time and it sucks.

8. You’re Not Given the Benefits Promised to You

When you signed your work contract, you were particularly interested in the medical and pension benefits that have been explicitly included in the agreement. But if the benefits that have been promised to you never materialized, you are not being given what is rightfully yours.

9. Everyone Seems to Pull a Fast One on You – Easily

In relation to the above, your work is not the only place where you can be bamboozled. The world is rife with swindlers and scammers. If you have been victimized by shady characters for ten times out of ten, then your life definitely sucks.

10. You Pay for Things That Are Supposed to be Free

If you have been paying for stuffs that are legally given away for free, then you have been fooled and you have not enjoyed life the way others do.

11. You Still Live in Your Parents’ Basement

OK, a friend of mine from the States contributed this one when I was asking around for ideas to create this post. I’m from Singapore, a little tropical country in South-East Asia, so I never understood this western ethos. Anyhow, I’ll just include it here since it is commonly regarded as sucky in the western culture.

12. The First Thing You Do in the Morning is Check Your Social Media Profiles

Your only means of socializing is through your Facebook or other social media profiles. Honestly, you’re not human anymore.

13. Your Idea of a Perfect Getaway is to Watch Videos

Well, now you are not only living off on your parents’ money. You also have lost touch on how it’s like to be human. I’m talking about the fact that your idea of having a perfect night out is to watch old movies or sitcom reruns instead of inviting a girl to a date.

14. Your Idea of Fun is to Use Drugs or Get Wasted

If you can’t be happy without these substances, your life is in the ropes.

15. Being Witty for You Means Passing Chain Letters and Jokes

You can’t even make up your own jokes or sayings. You have to pass on other people’s jokes and stuffs to feel intelligent. Well, you’re not.

16. You See Your Life Crumble Every Time Your Team Loses

Okay, your team lost. Drink a couple of beers, don’t sleep for the night, but please snap out of it. Your life does not depend on your team.

17. You Always Believe That Underdogs Win in the End

With a little cheering from the audience and a truly moving music, you believe that underdogs always win. Well, wake up to reality, man!

18. You Experience Hazing and Bullying Even in Your Flamingo Class

If bullies still pick on you even in your adult years, you have been living a lowly existence at the bottom of the food chain, so to speak.

19. You Are Never Invited to Parties

If no one seems to invite you to parties, then no one even notices you exist and it really sucks.

20. All Your Relationships Are Online

Sure, you can have 5,000 friends through popular social sites like Facebook. But if all your friends are nothing but avatars on your screen, then your life is stuck my friend.

21. You Join Bible Tours Just to Find Friends

There is nothing wrong with joining Bible Expos. But if you join these just to find friends, you have serious personal troubles.

22. Even if You Join Bible Conventions, You Still Can’t Grow Your List of Friends

Okay, you joined Bible conventions to find friends and you still fail to grow your list of friends. You are done for my friend.

23. You Look Forward to Talking With a Telemarketer

Speaking of relationships, everyone agrees that life is made more interesting by having real life friends. Awaiting calls from telemarketers just so you can talk to another human being indicates that you are throwing your life away without even knowing it.

24. You Look Forward to Reading Spam Mail in Your Inbox

Again, this means you do not even exist in other people’s lives.

25. All the Numbers in Your Phonebook Belong to Men/Women

We have covered a lot of ground on relationships. But I do believe that we need to build relationships with the opposite sex. If your phonebook only has the contact numbers of your male/female friends, you could be missing out on a lot of fun and excitement.

26. All the Numbers in Your Phonebook Begin with 1-900

This is yet another sign that your life is meaningless.

27. Your Romantic Relationships Always Fail

Okay guys, you made some progress and you actually won the hearts of a few girls. The problem is that all your previous relationships tend to fail before you even get to second base. If you always fail to make your partner happy, you will live your life alone.

28. You Spend Half of Your Time Apologizing

It is okay to be sorry for the wrongs that you have committed. But if you always utter apologies for half the time, then you always feel guilty. This makes you feel bad about yourself.

29. You Gossip and Slander Against Your Colleagues

You are incapable of being happy for others. You are definitely a loser.

30. You Live in Your Past Glories

You are stuck in the past. All you do is reminisce about the time you won a hotdog eating contest. Hey, grow up!

31. You Are Always Very Pessimistic

You can’t see the brighter side of things. It is a wonder you made it this far.

32. You Forgot What It’s Like to Laugh

Laughter has been proven to enhance one’s health for free. So, if you cannot even take advantage of laughter, you truly deserve to live a dull existence.

33. You No Longer Have Any Ambition

No matter how old you are, it is important to have dreams. What would life be without aspirations?

34. You Don’t Respect Yourself and Other People

If you can’t respect yourself, you also can’t respect others. This means you are devoid of positive attitude. You’re a loser.

35. You’re So Closed Minded

You do not even know that life is passing you by, that there are new things to discover out there. Living in your own little shell is pathetic.

36. You Are So Afraid of Change

If you can’t let yourself accept change and you have been living in the past all these years, your life is stuck in a quicksand.

37. When a Man Gets Praised for His Work, You have to Ask if He is Really Happy

This is a sign that you can’t even support people around you. You are selfish. You have to rain on everyone else’s parade. You are a loser.

38. You Quit Before the Challenge Even Starts

Need I say more?

39. You Are Afraid to Take Responsibilities

If you don’t have the mojo to take responsibilities, how can you grab life by its horns? Grow up.

40. You Blame Your Failures on Everyone but Yourself

If you blame other people for the things that go wrong in your life, then you are a coward and afraid of responsibilities.

41. You’re Never Willing to Compromise

You always want to have your way. This is a sign of immaturity. You are a loser whose life sucks.

42. You Cut Off Others to Feel Superior

You cut off others while they are speaking so you would look smart. Well, that’s pathetic.

43. You Think Money is the Ultimate Resource

Yes, I love money. But if you think that life sucks only if you do not have a penny to your name, then you’re wrong. There are other more important things like time and good health.

44. You Buy Your Way through Life

You always think money is the solution. This indicates your lack confidence in yourself.

45. You Do Not Take Pride in Working

You always want the easy way out. If you can’t work for your own good, your life sucks.

46. You See Someone Hurt and You Couldn’t Even Care Less

Again, this is an indication that you can’t feel anything positive in your life. It’s really going to drag you down.

47. Your Friends Can’t Even Depend on You

If the people you love cannot turn to you for help, that’s because they don’t trust you and they are not comfortable asking for your help. Your life sucks big time.

48. You Lack Integrity

If your thoughts and actions are incongruent, your personal values are not that strong. You can’t stand on your own and everything in your life has been copied from others.

49. You Can’t Keep Your Promises

You’re a loser and your life sucks if other people cannot even value your words.

50. You Create Your Own Reality

Finally, the ultimate measure of a life that sucks is the fact that you try to hide from the realities of life. If you conjure up and believe in your own little world and shun reality, you become a coward and your life sucks.

Author’s Bio:

Discover how you can achieve all that you want in life in The 77 Traits of Highly Successful People. Mark Foo has brought together 48 personal development bloggers and writers to co-author this success eBook that spells out all the success secrets. Claim your FREE copy of the eBook now at http://www.77SuccessTraits.com.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

While being among the hardest workers in our class and always putting in the time when the rest of us are ready to throw in the towel, he still manages to make it look easy. So I asked him to share his philosophy, and I was so impressed that I’d like to share it with you.

The A’s are very possible, for anyone who wants them bad enough. However, if you really want them, you have to start back at the basics, which are organization, consistency, and focus. The three variables that lead to Nick’s success in school, competitive swimming, and life.

1. Organization. Understand the work that is expected of you and how long it will take to complete the work. Plan accordingly, be brutally honest with yourself and your abilities, and do not make it overwhelming.

If you plan and actually finish according to your set schedule, you will start to establish small accomplishments, which over the course of a semester will accumulate to huge successes.

2. Consistency. Plan accordingly and frequently. Adjust the plans if needed, but know that your study plans for the next couple of days influence the way that you study right now. It limits your options and motivates you to do really good work both now and throughout your schedule.

Maintain a level of demand from yourself, reinforcing the notion that you need to do this now to do well on the next quiz. One quiz soon accumulates to many quizzes, so consistently planning ahead follows the whole semester and your knowledge accumulates. Consistency also means reviewing what you did a week ago, at least 30 minutes to an hour.

3. Focus. Do not underestimate the value of focus. With consistent organization, you will plan so that you have enough rest, which will affect your energy levels, confidence, and desire to continue to stick to your work.

When you focus, you apply a conscious effort to your work, instead of breaking your studying down into information gathering, studying the information, and a couple of stages of analyzing minor details. Focus initiates from the beginning of a study session, and stays throughout.

Staying organized will allow this system to take place, being consistent with it will turn it into second nature, and focusing and being present at every moment that you’re studying will allow you to reap the maximum benefits of your time.

If you want to know more about Nick’s philosophy, find out what it means to Finish Strong!

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

To get into a state of feeling winning confidence, you need to form a foundation of successes for that confidence to lean on. A person who feels hesitation or weakness to implement a plan, or to ask for something, would be smart in building up a package of successes, of any size, and then conquering their desired mission.

You can get to a point where you feel nearly invincible, as I do at times in public, by adding another success, and another, until you start to feel like you are meant to take the biggest risks. Although I agree with the concept behind “fake it until you make it”, the concept I am presenting here is more about making it small, over and over, until you can’t help but make it big.

Piano Playing Example

The focus here is to build up your confidence. Let’s say you are nervous about playing piano in front of a larger audience than you normally play to. This method would then work for you. You can boost your confidence to a level where the audience will be more than manageable, by creating a package of successes.

Maybe you are fearful about the audience as a whole, but are more than glad to talk with other piano players. What you then want to do is start becoming more social and connected with the other piano players you hear or know of, or who will also be at your big event, until you feel like the whole scenario is a small item to you. By doing this, you are not removing the source of the fear, which is the audience, but are building your confidence up over that level, rendering the fear unable to grip your thoughts.

This technique is very powerful, but takes a lot of effort on your part. The main foundation-building in the example I provided is the talking and interacting with other piano players. This could take a lot of time and effort, but it is the only way to overcome your fear threshold using this method, which is all it is for.

Research Position Example

Let’s say you were, or are, a student wanting to get into a research position with one of a few professors. It may be the case that you are not applying to a position because you aren’t sure if you can handle it, or if you will be accepted, and so you postpone the attempt out of fear of potential rejection or incompetence. This is another example where you can build up ample confidence to overcome the threshold of this fear.

One way to do this would be to start to get to know other student researchers who work with the professors you might want to work with, and find out what they specifically do. This is less intense than directly applying for a position, and gets you some headway into the process. You could start to get know one student researcher after another until you are so involved with many of them that they start trying to influence you to join. Each extra success you make in connecting with a person doing something you are interested in brings you a step closer to taking the action you weren’t ready to take(for one reason or another).

Another way to build up successes in this example would be to start reading research papers. You could set a goal to read a research paper every day until you asked a professor or two to start working with them. You would learn about new experiments, through some source like PubMed Central, building up confidence due to being directed towards a goal, and would eventually see the fear or worry as unable to hold you back from asking for a position.

Your Successes Don’t Have To Relate To Your Desired Action

While these two examples both involve building up successes in relation to the action you want to build up confidence and energy to perform, this does not have to be the case. You can also build up successes in unrelated activities. You can build up confidence to set up a business deal by taking notes on business books for one hour every day, or you can build that same confidence by approaching and talking to 5 random people each time you go to your local bookstore.

The main thing is to prove to yourself, little by little, that you have what it takes to do larger things. After a certain point of doing enough small things, you will feel like the tough action to take is brought down to a manageable level. Then, it will only be a matter of time before you conquer it.

Armen Shirvanian writes words of wisdom about mindset, communication, relationships, and related topics at Timeless Information. You can follow him on Twitter at @Armen.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

This might be old news, but I am just BLOWN AWAY by the alarming statistics of disease in our country.  Did you know that 80% of Americans are overweight and 30% are considered to be obese?  Worse, The World Health Organization states that 75% of all American deaths are diet related!

The US spent $2.26 trillion on health care in 2007!!! This is more than any other country in the world!

According to Paul Lemanski, MD, MS, FACP, author of Benefiting the Planet as well as the Individual,

“A reduced reliance on medication requires a diet and lifestyle that optimizes body weight with a predominately plant based diet in combination with increased physical activity.”

Translation:

If we eat mostly plants and exercise, we will experience less disease. Sounds simple enough, right? Well then, why aren’t more people incorporating what seems to be “common sense” into their lifestyle?

There are several reasons…

Time and money come to mind initially but a lot of the time it is simply ignorance:  Some people just don’t know what they don’t know.

A few days ago, a lady who I am coaching asked me if her fruit cups would be considered a healthy snack!  I was amazed at the question and actually had to explain to her that there was absolutely NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE in her packaged snack of choice.  Heck, with all of the added preservatives and high fructose corn syrup, she may as well have chosen a chocolate bar.  At least dark chocolate has antioxidants in it.

Anyway, it is a very sad reality, but what we don’t know is killing us.

Besides the poor quality food we eat, we live in an EXTREMELY toxic environment.  The air we breathe, the mattress we sleep on (doused in flame retardant by law) and even the showers that we bathe in (our water is “purified” with chlorine here in the US).

Can you imagine on any given day, how many toxins are introduced to our bodies?  The number is insurmountable. There is no wonder that we are one of the unhealthiest nations in the world!  With the wealth and knowledge that we have, we shouldn’t be on that list at all!

Anyway, so what do we do about this “toxic burden”?

Well, your body is already doing it!  To protect itself against these toxins, your body will actually store fat as a defense mechanism!

Picture this:  We have trillions of cells in our body. Imagine each cell coating itself with just a little bit of fat to protect itself from the impurities that enter your system.

The problem is that with all of this “excess junk” in our systems, we are carrying a lot of excess fat to counter it.

The only logical solution is to cleanse ourselves of these impurities.  Many indigenous countries around the world have already been practicing cleansing as a lifestyle for decades – and they are healthier as a result of it.

By cleansing your body, you are removing the toxins which are a threat to your cells and organs.  Once the threat is gone, your body can relinquish the fat that it has been storing!

There are many different ways to cleanse your body and I would recommend that you look into the benefits of cleansing for yourself.  I would be happy to share with you what I have found to work for me and countless others if you want.

I personally dropped 7% body fat in 3 weeks using one particular system.  Just send me an email or look me up on facebook.

In the meantime, here are a few steps you can take to get you started down the right path to healthy living:

1. Only drink purified water. A step beyond that is only drink Alkalized water. A good rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight in ounces per day.  Next time you feel hungry, reach for your water first and see if that doesn’t satisfy the craving.
2. Get a water purifier for your shower head. Your skin is your largest organ – protect it!
3. Organically grown is always best. If you can’t get to a local farmer’s market, cruise the outside perimeter of your supermarket.  The inside isles really don’t have much to offer in terms of nutritional value.
4. Stay away from packaged foods. They are usually high in preservatives and lack the nutritional value that your body needs.
5. Snack. In addition to your 3 meals a day, you should be snacking throughout the day.  I personally eat something almost every hour, even if it is only a few almonds.  This will keep your metabolism revved up all day long.
6. Get plenty of Z’s. About 8 hours of sleep each night is ideal.
7. Exercise. Last but not least, 20-30 minutes of exercise each day will keep you looking and feeling your best.  For workout tips, you can check out www.trainerstip.com which is hosted by my brother, Luke Guldan.

Bianca Perilli and I used to play together in the park when we were kids living in Brooklyn. Recently reunited thanks to Facebook, I’ve come to learn that despite growing our own separate ways, we are both huge fans of Jim Rohn, and Bianca is a nutritional coach very much obsessed with personal development. If you have any questions, or would like more information on how you can do a nutritional cleanse, drop Bianca a line via e-mail or phone.

Bianca Perilli
917.476.7589
Bianca@biancaperilli.com

My thoughts going into this experiment was that I would have different types of exposure to the material, be able to stay on top of it without falling behind, and be more immersed within the school environment. The alternative to going to class is to watch the recorded podcast video of that same lecture from home (generously uploaded to our iTunes, within 2 hours, as a courtesy from our school- NYUCD).

However, instead of using this method as an alternative, I went to every class without exception, and listened to most of the podcasts to see if there was anything I missed during lecture. The following is my personal experience and account of my perfect attendance at NYU Dental School.

1. Capturing information. While attending class, it is virtually impossible to capture everything a teacher says. Either they spoke too fast, weren’t clear, or you felt tired and spaced out momentarily at which point you missed something significant.

The solution for this is to go to the podcasts, and to re-listen to the lecture. However, lecture time to podcast time is not a 1:1 translation in terms of time spent studying. A 2 hour lecture could easily take 5 hours of podcast study, because you often stop and go back, in order to take notes, look something up, and make sure you do not miss any facts.

Had you skipped class, and listened to the podcast at a time and location of your choice, you would only spend the same 5 hours taking notes from the podcast, and save those 2 hours that you would have sat at lecture. Regardless of the method that you use for capturing the information, you still have to organize it, and repeat it many times in order to retain it.

2. Announcements and Structure. In a way, attending every class has the benefit of giving you a structure. This allows you to get some information for each class every single day, so you are aware of what is being covered, even if you don’t record all the facts.

This structure is good if you cannot motivate yourself to study on your own. If you can sit yourself down daily, and study everything that was assigned to you as per the syllabus, then you are not missing out on the structure at all.

3. Community, Cliques, & Politics. Actually going to class gives you a certain type of experience. However, the type of experience that you have in class is generally up to you. Both the large class size of 240, and the influence of the big city, can play a big role on the way people express their attitudes.

At the same time, there are cliques organized by race and religion, groups that band together based on class politics, and a visible segregation can be observed within the student body. Of course, all the distinctions, whether they be racial, political, or other are just a meaning that someone made up, and we decided to play into, and in my opinion take away from a richer experience that each of us could be taking part in.

4. Energy Management. The biggest negative aspect of going to class, for me, is the ability to manage my energy levels. Without having my energy levels up, my body is in attendance, but my brain is totally drained and not operating at full capacity.

Accordingly to the United States Department of Defense, our brains need at least 3 hours to function. However, that’s not necessarily an optimum amount of sleep for a 10 hour day of classes. It’s important to listen to your body, and to realize that your energy levels will not be the same on any given day.

Some days I have the energy to work deep into the night, with perfect clarity and focus. The amount of work I get done will propel me in my studies. The next day, I might be tired, and need to perform lower level activities. The idea of balance, and routine, can be fine for most activities, and even work out on most days, but when the energy level is not there it becomes counterproductive to pretend you can focus perfectly.

Afterthoughts: 30 day trials are a fun way to really learn about something, and give yourself an opportunity to take on a new routine. After 30 days you can give an honest evaluation as to whether the pros outweigh the cons, or vice versa. This experiment has lead me to decide that having perfect attendance is not worth it for me, and that it’s more important for me to manage my energy and learn the material, than to physically be somewhere.

My 30 day trial for the month of February is going to be daily workout- no matter what. This could mean an hour lifting weights, 40 minutes on the cardio machines, or simply going for a run. Regardless, of what the workout is, my goal is to get my blood flowing, work up a sweat, and closely listen to my body as I compare my energy levels from January, to those of February.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

Setting priorities is very important to having an efficient life, but it doesn’t always have to be difficult. When you take the time to set your priorities, you’re more likely to reach your goals and reach them faster. Who wouldn’t want that?

You can learn how to set priorities by following the steps below. While you might not want to follow all of them exactly as they’re stated here, you should come away with a better idea on how you should personally start to set your priorities.

Try these simple steps:

1. Determine Your Goals. The first thing to consider when you’re learning how to set priorities is to determine what your goals and priorities are. You might have big ones and small ones, and you may have one goal or many goals. You just need to figure out what they are and write them down if that helps you. It’s the first step just because you can’t set your priorities without knowing what you want to achieve in the first place.

2. Get Clear. Once you’ve decided on your goals and priorities, work on their clarity. State them as simply as you can. While you don’t want to leave out details, you also don’t want to be too wordy and confuse yourself in the future.

3. Learn How to Balance. Chances are that you’ve got many different goals and priorities. Learning how to balance them all is just a part of life. If you pay too much attention to one priority, your others may begin to suffer. Strive to be aware of your priorities at all times. At the end of the day or week it’ll help to evaluate how things are going for you. If something is lacking, you can tweak your schedule to make a change.

4. Get Organized. Organization is also key when you’re learning how to set priorities. There are different organizational styles that you can adopt. It doesn’t really matter what you choose as long as you’re not just leaving things up to chance. With organizational skills comes efficiency. You can eventually learn how to do more with less time, which will allow you to get to more of your priorities.

5. Realize that You Can’t Do Everything. After you get organized with your priority lists, you might be tempted to have your attention on too many things at once. You need to realize that there are only 24 hours in a day. There are things you wanted to accomplish that you won’t be able to just yet. Schedule it for another day and don’t sweat it.

6. Keep Your Focus. Strive to remain focused on your priorities. Everyone’s mind begins to stray every now and then, which is okay sometimes. But you don’t want to allow procrastination to creep up on you. Keep your eyes on your priorities.

7. Keep Your Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is very important to setting priorities. If you’re not jazzed up about your goals, you may end up losing interest. Achieving priorities and goals is very difficult without a decent dose of enthusiasm. You can keep it up by remembering what’s really important to you. If you’re working towards a specific goal, keep in mind how great you’ll feel once you achieve success.

8. Reward Yourself. It’s important to reward yourself for setting priorities and following through. If you’ve made an achievement towards a priority or goal, don’t just cross it off your list and move on to the next thing. Take some time out to reward yourself for a job well done. You deserve it!

Author’s Bio:

Ever wondered how great successful people achieved great success? You can find the answer in The 77 Traits of Highly Successful People. Mark Foo has brought together 48 personal development bloggers and writers to co-author the success eBook that spells out all of the success secrets of the very successful people. This eBook is available to you FREE and you can grab your free copy now at http://www.77SuccessTraits.com.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” ~Jim Rohn

The earth shook beside me as the enemy missiles exploded just a few yards away from me. I leaped for cover, only to discover that I was hiding in plain sight. It took everything I had to get to this point, and now I found myself struggling just to survive.

This sounds like my own little version of World War III, except instead of missiles their weapon of choice was Midterms, and instead of digging trenches, I was digging my way out of piles of books by studying 16 hours a day. ‘Welcome to first semester of Dental School, please fasten your seat belts — you’re going to need them.’

If I was to make it out of WWIII alive (or see the end of this semester, let alone graduate NYU Dental School), I knew I needed to have the right soldiers fighting with me by my side. I pick my friends using a very scientific technique that I have formulated after 25 years of experimentation. I pick friends based on who I respect and admire.

One such friend that I respect and admire is Nick Levintov, and I found his continuous encouragement during all the trials and tribulations of semester-one to be a mantra for the way I focused my brain to study, which of course metastasized into other areas of my life.

When I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore and didn’t care which artery supplies which body part, or which enzyme catalyzes which reaction, Nick was there to say “Finish Strong!” I think he must have gotten this philosophy from his days as a disciplined competitive swimmer, but it’s easy to see that these two simple words can change the paradigm of any activity.

For me it was crunching out another 6 hours of mental repetition at the end of a long day. For you it might be doing those extra 15 minutes on the treadmill, another few reps of your weight set, or perhaps just going through your ordinary day in an extraordinary way.

The main lesson that I took out of ‘Finish Strong’ is that we should consistently give our 100% in every thought and action that we undertake, so that tomorrow our capacity to think, move, and love is larger than it is today. Our capacity to receive self-satisfaction and enjoyment in life will also increase if we just remember that whatever task we thought was worth undertaking is worth finishing strong.

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

There are many ways to learn how to clear your mind. If you find that your mind is racing and you wish you had better control over it, you can try to find a solution that works for you personally. You can try relaxation techniques and other strategies to get rid of clutter in your mind.

Get To The Root

Many times you might find that you’re having trouble concentrating because your mind is too busy. This could be because of a number of factors. It’ll be tough to clear your mind without figuring out the true cause of your problems.

Identify the reasons why you’re having trouble clearing your mind. You could be over thinking a certain issue. Maybe you need to solve that issue before you move on in life. Maybe you need to declutter your life in other ways. Spend time identifying the ways that your life is cluttered. It’ll help you to set yourself up for a game plan.

Once you have your reasons, you can ask yourself why those reasons are standing in the way of you and a clutter free life. If you can’t seem to relax, you can turn to different relaxation techniques which will in turn help you to clear your mind.

Relaxation Techniques

Some say there’s no better way to learn how to clear your mind than to try relaxation techniques.

Try some or all of the following in order to relax and clear your mind:

1. Unwind. Many people report a racing mind in the evening when they’re trying to rest. Others will have a racing mind at other points during the day. This is likely because they’re not taking time to unwind. People can’t be expected to deal with the stresses of life and then immediately transition into relaxation. You must give yourself some personal time and time doing light activities every day.

2. Meditation. Meditation is a great way to get rid of clutter in your mind. Try making time for a meditative practice for 30 minutes in the morning or in the evening. It’s time where you can concentrate on your breath alone and none of your other problems can touch you. Your goal is to remain completely present and to not allow thoughts of the past and future to interfere with your thinking. When thoughts do arise, you should acknowledge them and then refocus your energy back to your breath.

3. Yoga. Yoga is a good choice for people who want to combine some physical fitness along with clearing the mind. During yoga you’ll assume certain postures that can increase your flexibility. You’ll also concentrate on your breath in a similar fashion as meditation.

Becoming Clutter Free

If your goal is to simply declutter your life, you can do that too. You can work on the clutter of your mind by concentrating on all of your problems one by one. You can also choose to become clutter free by concentrating on the physical clutter that invades your life.

Physical clutter would mean all of the things you’ve been saving, or the things that pile up on your desk at home or at work. Think about how you felt when you had a perfectly clean home. You likely were able to think with a clear mind without really knowing it. If you work at dealing with the problem of physical clutter you may just be solving your problem with “mind clutter”.

How To Keep A Clear Mind

Your last step is to work on keeping a clear mind. Once you’ve mastered how to clear your mind, you need to make sure that you don’t fall back into any bad patterns. Be sure to check in with yourself every now and then to make sure you haven’t picked up any bad habits.

Author’s Bio:

Ever wondered how great successful people achieved great success? You can find the answer in The 77 Traits of Highly Successful People. Mark Foo has brought together 48 personal development bloggers and writers to co-author the success eBook that spells out all of the success secrets of the very successful people. This eBook is available to you FREE and you can grab your free copy now at http://www.77SuccessTraits.com

Attention: Don’t forget to download my free ebook, How to Get a Girlfriend!!

In one of my favorite fantasy books, Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, the main character Cimorene finds herself about to be married off to a Prince she can’t stand. Eventually she finds herself in a conversation with a talking frog who asks her what she is going to do about the situation.

Cimorene tells him about all the people she’s talked to and complained to. He replies with: “I didn’t ask you what you’d said about it. I asked what you’re going to do. Nine times out of ten, talking is a way of avoiding doing things.”

Guilty! I have such a vivid imagination, that if I start talking about my goals or dreams, I don’t actually need to complete them. In my mind, I reach the end of the journey, celebrate the success, collect the accolades and revel in the money I’ve raked in.

All without having to lift a finger.

I connect with the future on a highly emotional level and feel all the positive emotions associated with success. And I’m done. I don’t need to do actually go through the effort of getting there – that’s just too much work.

Visualizing Action, Not Outcome

A lot of self-development people say that you need to fully visualize your outcome if you want to reach it. Talking to others about it makes it real and makes you accountable. However in his excellent book 59 Seconds, Richard Wiseman looks at studies which prove that visualizing your future too well actually hinders the likelihood of you completing it.

Instead of visualizing the outcome, Wiseman reports, you’ll have more success with your goals if you visualize yourself taking action that leads you toward your goal.

Let’s look at an example. I’m currently working on the draft of a novel. To motivate myself say I try picturing the novel finished and on bookshelves in stores with my name at the top of the bestseller list.

Will that honestly motivate me? No, because there’s no imagery of the work it will take me to get there. In fact there’s a good chance the image will demotivate me and lead to working less instead of more.

Why? Because the gap between where I am (blank page) and where I want to be (bestselling novel) is too big. I can’t see how to get from here to there and so don’t even get started.

However, if I picture myself sitting with my laptop writing each day, celebrating the progress I make then I’m likely to follow through on the vision because it’s only a small step from here to there. I don’t need think about the end result, only the next step in the process.

Action Provides Its Own Rewards

Many people talk rather than act as a way to gain validation from others without actually making progress or changing their lives. These are the people who take endless personal development courses and read every personal development book and blog out there, talking to everyone and anyone about what they’re learning.

And it feels great. They know what their dreams are. They can talk until their jaw falls off about what they want to achieve someday and everyone around them pats them on the back and says “good for you!”

By talking so much, however, these people don’t act. They’re content with the preparation but never start the journey.

These people are addicted to validation and have found an easy way to get it. All their talk makes it seem to the outside world that they’re taking action, but in the end they have nothing to show for it.

When people take action to make internal changes there is often no immediate payoff, no pats on the back for the small steps we take. Lasting change takes a long time and is hard work. Talking is fast and easy.

If you’re like this at all, stop talking. Set yourself a goal – some small habit that you want to change – and take the first step towards achieving it. Give yourself a pat on the back for doing so then move onto the next step.

And this way you’ll learn that action provides its own rewards, its own validation because as you move towards your goal you will see your progress and feel validation coming from within.

At this point, once you are over the validation addiction, go find yourself a forum or group of some sort. Talk to the people in this forum or group about your actions and your progress as a sort of accountability tracking rather than for validation. When you use talking for accountability you lean on the support of others (and provide support to them in turn) to help you take action, and not to boost a failing ego.

Over on Someday Syndrome, I offer a free Accountability Clinic that mixes weekly email reminders with a forum for reporting in on goals, action and obstacles. For my writing goals, I also belong to Forward Motion Writers to keep myself accountable fiction-wise.

Remember, someday never becomes today no matter how much you talk about it. So, if you were Cimorene, what would your answer to the frog be? What action will you take to achieve your dreams?

Alex Fayle is a professional nagger – his most hated word is “someday” and has devoted his life to helping others get rid of it from their vocabularies. Through his site Someday Syndrome (http://www.somedaysyndrome.com), Alex works as a lifestyle designer to help people make big changes in their lives and stop the procrastination habit.

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