We live in a world where it’s easier than ever to locate someone. I know because I was able to find my mom and sister after not seeing them since 2003.

I searched through Google, but it was my wife who found my sister on Facebook. Through my wife’s account, I was able to send a message to my sister. Then through my sister I was able to email my mom.

My mom joined Facebook the same day I made contact. Where most people don’t like their parents on Facebook, I am happy that I made a connection.

I have had hesitations about joining Facebook, but may consider it now. After all these years I will finally have the opportunity to build a relationship with my mom, without family drama getting in the way.

No related posts were found, so here's a consolation prize:
How To Become A Vegetarian Without Killing Yourself.

Recently I gave a small review of Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred. At the time of writing the review, I was only on day 3. My wife had purchased this along with three other exercising DVDs in order to lose the excess weight after our son was born.

Find out what other people are saying about Jillian on Twitter. Jillian Michaels

With only 30 minutes a day of exercising, I decided to make a commitment to do this for 30 consecutive days. Ok, well I didn’t plan on being sick for three days. Once my health was restored my exercise routine restarted.

I have moved on to level 2 after 30 days of level one. So what are my results thus far? Let me say that I have never been one to get on the scale to check my weight. It’s been years since I have known what my true weight is. I also do not check body fat or measure myself.

With that said, you are not going to hear me talk about the following:

• weight I’ve lost
• muscle I’ve gained
• calories I’ve burned
• inches I’ve lost
• what size pants I fit into

I am not one to keep track of the above mentioned statistics. Frankly, I don’t give a damn. However, what I do care about is the boost of energy and motivation I receive after exercising. Even if other areas in my life are not doing well, exercising helps me get into a better overall mood.

Jillian Michaels may not be right for you. That’s fine. Heck, you may not even enjoy exercise DVDs or going to the gym. That doesn’t mean exercise is not right for you. Everyone should do some activity everyday that relates to exercise.

If you get off your butt and do some activity, more than likely you will get an energy boost. You should start feeling better. Remember, exercise should not be boring. Otherwise, why do it.

Leo Babauta from Zen Habits has recommended 48 Fun Ways to Exercise. Many of these do not seem like exercise, but that’s the idea. It’s called a “head fake”.

1. Review: Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred

When this blog was restarted last month I didn’t remember my reason for allowing three years to pass without a post. The reason hit me today.

In the beginning, I talked about whatever was on my mind. The content was not tailored for an audience. In fact, my writing was for an audience of three: me, myself and I. This resulted in burn out.

Why did I suffer from burn out? I did not take the time to learn the art of blogging. Now flash forward to the present. Several blogs cross my path on a daily basis. What I noticed were bloggers telling people to stop reading about doing and just do.

Penelope Trunk says that blogging is essential for a good career. Wonderful resource if you have not read it. This is one of the big reasons why I decided to restart my blogging habit.

Let’s be honest, many bloggers want to make massive amounts of money. This is a reason not to start blogging. I almost fell into this trap. Several times…

I’m not doing this for the money. While I may decide to place a few ads on this site, this is not my motivation. However, I’m not going to hide the fact that I am using my blog as a tool to pursue a new career path.

The other source of my “why” comes from the short video below featuring Seth Godin and Tom Peters. While I may never be as big as these two gentlemen, they both agree that blogging is a big deal.

Forcing myself to become transparent and accountable will help me to become a better person, both personally and professionally. The humility of writing will make me vulnerable.

There are lots of great blogs out there. Too many to mention here. It’s hard not to immediately want what these bloggers have. However, I’m not kidding myself. I know these people worked very hard to get to where they are today.

One thing to remember: Nobody comes out of the womb as a master blogger.

While I am no problogger, my focus will be to write good content while learning to write better content.

The ultimate benefit is to become part of great conversations. This in turn will keep me humble and force me to write better content. Isn’t that why all bloggers write?

Photo by: Annie Mole

1. The Restart of My Blog

How transparent are you with regards to finances?

It seems to be a growing trend, or at least to personal finance (pf) bloggers, to disclose their income and expenses. These pf bloggers are transparent and holding themselves accountable. They know that in order to obtain their financial goals, they have to get help from others.

I am not a pf blogger. You will not get tips on investments or frugality from me. However, because I am learning to be more transparent, I have decided to disclose my finances.

This is a scary thought. For years, my financial situation has been hidden from family and friends. As far as I know, only my wife knows of my financial burdens. Yet this is my first experiment in transparency and accountability.

Companies have been keeping financial records for years. It should be obvious that companies do this to show responsibility. Public businesses announce their financial results on a quarterly basis. This usually garners media buzz. Also allows them to manage their money better and hopefully make smarter decisions…

You should disclose your income/expenses

While not everybody may agree with this idea, I believe finances should be a major topic of discussion. Even if you do not have a blog, you should bring up finances with your spouse, partner, family members, friends, and/or anyone else you choose.

The #1 cause of divorce is finances.

By putting yourself out there, you allow everyone to benefit. Learning from the advice and experiences of others can be a wonderful opportunity. Everyone has made bad financial decisions, so don’t think you are alone.

Are you ashamed of how you have handled money in the past? That’s fine. Admit the mistake(s), share, learn from them and move on.

What You Should Be Doing

I mentioned earlier that companies disclose their accounting information. You should do the same. How detailed you want to be is your decision. While I am still deciding on how to pursue this, I will not be disclosing every single purchase.

This will be the start, or better yet, the elaboration of my financial records. Which might make you think, “Should I maintain financial history?” Yes.

I have always been told to keep tax returns for seven years. Whether or not this is accurate, I have done this ever since I started working. Some people and businesses may retain these documents longer. Seems like you do this to cover your butt.

Your tax documents are part of your financial records. However, there is one key item missing. Budgets. How many times do you create a monthly budget and then throw it away once the month is over?

Do you really care how your income/expenses compare to one year ago, or even ten years? You should. You may be shocked how your money was spent because of your lack of record-keeping.

The whole reason for having a budget is to keep you accountable. Helps you avoid making stupid impulse purchases.

Budgets help keep your finances in shape. Without one, you may likely spend lots of money on frivolous items, then find out you have no money to pay for bills.

Companies and governments have a budget. You need to follow their lead. Actually, you may not want to follow the lead of the government. This could lead you into deeper debt.

Unless you have outstanding financial records, you may not want to talk about how poorly your government manages money. You may find your foot in your mouth.

All change starts from within.

What Do You Think?

Should you disclose income/expenses? Dave Ramsey usually asks callers what their income is and how much debt they paid off. Even though it does not get much deeper than that, several pf bloggers have taken it to the next level.

Do you discuss your finances with others? Please share your thoughts below.

No related posts were found, so here's a consolation prize:
The Beginning Of Financial Transparency.

Are you ready for the best body of your life?

My wife recently purchased a few fitness DVDs to help her lose the extra pounds since having our son. She is exercising to Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred. Let me tell you, she is getting results fast.

Wanting to get back into shape myself has been challenging. There are no excuses. I just didn’t make time to exercise. It was not a priority. So I thought this DVD might be the push I need to get myself back into an exercise routine.

I allowed TVs toughest trainer to kick my butt into shape. The DVD states “Lose up to 20 pounds in 30 days”. However, my reason for doing this is for energy and endurance.

Today is my third day and let me tell you, it is kicking my butt. There are three levels and each level is a 20 minute workout. Not only is this good for busy people, but everyone can benefit from at least 20 minutes of daily exercise…

Each 20 minute workout contains two minutes of warm-up, two minutes of cool down, and three 6-minute circuits. The circuits are part of Jillian’s 3-2-1 system, consisting of:

• 3 minutes of strength
• 2 minutes of cardio
• 1 minute of abs

I am on level one and have made the commitment to do this daily for 30 days. After which I will move on to level two. Each level increases the workout intensity.

The exercises are really simple and incorporates seven basic key movements:

1. Squat
2. Lunge
3. Bend
4. Twist
5. Push
6. Pull
7. Gait (walk/run)

Source

I recommend Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred to everyone, including you. Get ready for the best body of your life. If you are not exercising at least 20 minutes daily, what are you waiting for? You could be well on your way to becoming shredded.

Follow Jillian Michaels on twitter.

Your Turn

Have you used this, or other DVDs by Jillian Michaels? What were your results? Please share in the comments below.

1. Make A Habit of Exercising

Did you know that today is the last day of Vegetarian Awareness Month? Did you also know that this week is World Go Vegan Week? If wasn’t enough, Sunday is World Vegan Day, which is the start of World Vegan Month.

That is a lot of of coverage for vegetarianism and veganism.

However, I’m guessing this news mostly gets in the hands of people who are already vegetarian and vegan. I recently gave some suggestions on how to transition into a vegetarian lifestyle. This is a very simple process if you are considering it.

As part of all the news, PETA asks that you make a pledge to be veg for 30 days…

PETA is arguably the largest animal rights group in the world. Their messages and campaigns have a way of attracting attention. They also get lots of criticism. However, I respect what they do. They get in your face about the realities of animal cruelty.

There are many benefits to a vegetarian lifestyle. Even Oprah tried it for a short time. Even though this was short lived (please correct me if I am wrong), she made a choice to at least try it.

You too can benefit from healthier eating choices. However, I don’t want to be a preacher. I believe everyone makes their own choices and who am I to tell you what to do.

Make the pledge today

1. How To Become A Vegetarian Without Killing Yourself

Who doesn’t like quotes? They are inspiring, thought provoking, funny, sad, and even uplifting.

Drawing inspiration from a list of debt quotes I recently read by ManVsDebt, I thought I would compile a list of vegetarian quotes.

Hopefully, you will find this resource valuable. Even if you are not a vegetarian, you can still be inspired by these quotes. I’ve even highlighted a few of my favorites.

Don’t forget to follow @stevegjohnson! So, without further ado…

Charles Darwin

George Bernard Shaw

Philosophers, Naturalists And Writers

Other Cool Old Guys

Modern ‘Gurus’

Singers, Comedians And Other Celebrities

Vulcans

Other Notable People

Author Unknown

Humorous

Eye Opening

“A veteran USDA meat inspector from Texas describes what he has seen: ‘Cattle dragged and choked… knocking ‘em four, five, ten times. Every now and then when they’re stunned they come back to life, and they’re up there agonizing. They’re supposed to be re-stunned but sometimes they aren’t and they’ll go through the skinning process alive. I’ve worked in four large [slaughterhouses] and a bunch of small ones. They’re all the same. If people were to see this, they’d probably feel really bad about it. But in a packing house everybody gets so used to it that it doesn’t mean anything.’”
— Excerpt From Slaughterhouse

Do you have any favorites, or perhaps a quote that I missed? Please let me know in the comments below.

1. How To Become A Vegetarian Without Killing Yourself

Note: If you are not interested in becoming a vegetarian, this post may not be for you. If you are vegetarian or vegan, please tell me how you changed your lifestyle in the comments below.

Have you considered a vegetarian lifestyle? Would you know where to begin? Here are some suggestions to help you without killing yourself.

1. Ask yourself why.

   You need to know why being a vegetarian is right for you. Vegetarianism is not the latest diet fad. This is an eating lifestyle that has stood the test of time. Some religious people may even argue that it was the the only way to eat in the beginning. However, religion aside, some people do it for health reasons and others because of environmental concerns. You may even dislike the animal suffering that goes on and have that be your motive. Once you understand your purpose, it will be easier for you to progress.

2. Get informed.

   Order a FREE vegetarian starter kit. This will give you valuable information on how to go vegetarian. There are so many sources of information that it can be rather overwhelming. Try not to get too much information too soon. Learn a little, do a little.

3. Go slow.

   Sometimes it can be hard to make such a drastic leap in lifestyle change. A slow start can give you the confidence you need to keep going. It is the same idea for starting a new habit or breaking a bad habit. Meatout Mondays is a great website to help you start slow. The idea is that for one day a week you will eat differently than you normally do. Again, if you try to do too much too soon, you may suffer from burn out and lose the desire.

4. Have a good support system.

   If you do not have people supporting you, it could be a very challenging process. Seek out the support of family and friends. If support is lacking, there are several online forums. You can also listen to the Food For Thought podcast, as well as many others (iTunes link). The Food For Thought podcast is one part of my support system. Make sure you have a good support system. This will be extremely valuable as you continue your journey. Surprisingly, some might even join your quest.

5. Make a plan.

   Some people may stop eating meat all at once. Great for them, but most of us need more than two seconds to transition. If you live in an area that is vegetarian friendly, the transition will be smoother. Having a plan of action will help you lay out your goals and to stay accountable. Be detailed in your plan. Just saying you want to give up meat entirely may not be enough. Set some clear obtainable goals.

6. Keep It Simple.

   Without simplicity, you may lose focus. It can be very easy to stop and continue the lifestyle you were living. If you stay focused, change will come naturally. Not a cook? Not all vegetarian meals are complex. Let’s say a normal meal for you consists of steak (of other type of meat), mashed potatoes and green beans. For that meal, cut out the meat. Simple right? I would even suggest ignoring the idea of eliminating dairy and other animal-derived products.

7. Be Prepared.

   When you make the decision to change, everyone will start asking you questions. You will not know all the answers. I have been a vegetarian for over two years and still continue to learn new things. Just be sincere. If you do not know the answers, point them in the right direction. You are not an encyclopedia. People are naturally curious and many will be genuine in the questioning.

8. Ignore The Negativity.

   For some this may be the most difficult thing to do. Others may have no problems and be surrounded by a positive atmosphere. You may become the subject of jokes. This can be hard to overcome. This is where your support system comes into play. You will be able to let go of negative comments when you have others cheering you on.

Have anything to add? Feel free to give some suggestions or tell how, why and/or when you became a vegetarian.

Photo by Iggi

1. Do You Want To Eat Better?
2. 97 Vegetarian Quotes That Will Make You Think, Cry, Laugh & Share!

Do you have a blog that is updated regularly? Are your topics focused within a particular niche? What is your elevator pitch?

An effective elevator pitch generally answers questions such as:

1. What the product, service, or project is.
2. What it does for the buyer, investor, or sponsor (i.e. the benefits).
3. Who you are and why you will be successful.

- Wikipedia

When I decided to restart my blog, I did not have an elevator pitch. The topic of creating an elevator pitch is discussed all the time, recently by Keith Ferrazzi. Up until now I never put much thought into creating one.

Maybe I am just clueless or trying too hard, but I am finding it difficult to develop my elevator pitch. The ability to tap into your conscious mind is a key to finding your passions and desires. This I know. Being able to quiet the conscious mind long enough to listen seems to be the hard part for me.

Being an expert at any one topic, or niche, is not how I would classify myself. Of course many people talk about not being an expert. Fine, so what am I already good at? Well, I could look at what I do at my full-time job. However, my job is sucking the life out of me. Heck, I’m not sure if I even want to stay in the same industry.

So what about passions and desires? There are several things that I have a passion for, but not sure about a particular niche. I am not about to create three or four blogs just to see what I can write most about.

Even if do not have a blog, everyone should have a short summary of who they are and/or what they do. I will be developing my elevator pitch in the next few days.

What is your elevator pitch? Please tell me in the comments below.

Photo by whiteafrican

No related posts were found, so here's a consolation prize:
How To Become A Vegetarian Without Killing Yourself.

Note: Simon Owens approached me after I wrote this post regarding Blog Action Day. He emailed me about his work with CARE, a non-profit organization fighting global poverty and dedicated to helping people in developing nations adapt to climate change. He suggested I write about the organization and sent me suggested content from Christina Chan. With that said, I decided to make this a guest post. This is not a sponsored post and I am not affiliated with CARE. – Steve

Climate change is not only about melting ice caps and polar bears. Climate change is about people.

Swinging weather patterns are creating disasters on a scale that human civilization has never before witnessed. For the world’s poorest people – the ones least equipped to deal with its effects – climate change is devastating their crops, livelihoods and communities.

“Climate change is worsening the plight of those hundreds of millions of men, women and children who already live in extreme poverty – and it threatens to push hundreds of millions more people into similar destitution,” says CARE International’s Secretary General Robert Glasser. “A concerted international response to this unprecedented challenge is required if we are to avoid catastrophic human suffering.”

CARE is working toward a world where poor people can create opportunity out of crises like climate change. But the current reality is that climate change makes poor people even more vulnerable.

For instance, agricultural production will likely decline in the poorest countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Less reliable rainfall will likely affect planting seasons, crop growth and livestock health – and lead to increased malnutrition. In other parts of the developing world, flooding will likely further diminish the quality of already-marginal soil and could cause outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

Climate change also is hurling many poor families into “Catch-22” situations. For example, they may select crops that are less sensitive to rainfall variation, but also less profitable. As incomes decline and people are not able to eke out a living, children are forced to leave school, assets are sold off to afford essentials, malnutrition rates increase and large-scale migration ensues. The end result? Deepening poverty for tens of millions of people around the world.

What Must Be Done?

At the international level, negotiations to develop a new treaty to guide global efforts to address climate change will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark in just a couple weeks. The United States must help lead those efforts, and forge a strong agreement that caps emissions, stops global warming and responds to the effects already in motion. We must do this for the sake of all of humanity.

What Can I Do To Help?

1. You can make a tax-deductible donation to CARE to help poor families access the tools and education they need to adapt to the effects of climate change, make efficient use of their existing resources and overcome poverty for good.

2. If you live in the Unites States, you can write your senators and urge them to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, a critical step toward U.S. leadership in tackling climate change. This is critical to making the Copenhagen negotiations a success.

3. You can join the CARE mailing list to be kept up to date on CARE’s activities and other ways you can take action in the days counting down to Copenhagen.

To donate, take action and join our e-mail list, please visit www.care.org/climate.

1. 8 Ways To Fight Climate Change