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1 Hour a day = Nine 40-hour Workweeks a Year

I recently read an article provided by the website of John Assaraf, author of Having It All. If you dedicated 1 hour a day to anything; from working out, studying Spanish, writing, or practicing visualization and meditation, you can seriously become kick ass at whatever it is you spend that hour doing.

Honestly, an hour is not much to invest towards anything you would like to start, study, or do in life. Never think little of an hour, or even dare to waste one. Sure one hour of a day doesn’t seem to account for much, but over the course of one year, imagine dedicating 9 40 hour workweeks to studying the brain or learning the guitar. You will become great, definitely well above “average”. The ROI of one hour a day can potentially be HUGE.

I plan to dedicate at least one hour a day to learning something new or being productive, not busy, in a task that will bring me closer to my goals. If needed to, you can mix it up monthly too. Dedicate 2 months to this, start a new activity the following months, etc.

This is great for full time students like me. Of course, like Tim Ferriss, I will dedicated months at a time to traveling abroad and studying or learning a new hobby. But for now, I will use this concept as efficiently as possible.

Imagine the hobbies you could learn and pick up and become great at with this simple concept. If you ever wanted to learn or practice a new thing, what would it be?

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“You Get What You Give”

Growing up a 90s kid, I was heavily influenced by 90s music,  and I have to admit, I still enjoy those infamous 90s one-hit wonders.  Recently heard the New Radicals - You Get What You Give, which was basically my anthem during the 90s, and got slapped with perhaps the best advice I think anyone can do, regardless of age, status, money etc. 

The one sure thing you can control in life is what you give.  Whether your giving out help of any kind, compliments, or even just a smile.  Obviously also works just as negatively, like giving out hate, road rage, whatever….

You always control what you give.  You give someone hard work and and impressive results, that person will give you a job or raise.  It doesnt work the other way around.  I feel that people do the total opposite.  They think they should be given, then they’ll “do” in return.  This is a total losers concept. 

You cant expect to be hand given shit in todays world.  You have to go out and get it (give work) or in some cases demand it (give/show your value).  Of course responsibility goes hand in hand with this.  When you demand something, that means you deserve it through your positive actions, not because you think you should.

So try this out for a week and see how it makes you feel and how it affects your life.  Each day as you wake up, decide one thing you will constantly give that day (smiles, respect, listening, help).  Practice giving without asking or expecting something in return.  Do the one thing you can control in life, becuase “You Get What You Give”.

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A Viable Need for Solitude

I’m going to connect a couple posts from 2 great writers together about the rising and viable need for solitude in today’s information packed world. Ryan Holiday wrote a post about the need to demand and take time for yourself to have meditative isolation. Glenn recently commented on this particular post, and added this great thought:

“A generation has been produced that is more plugged-in and wired-up than ever before, with access stores of information expanding a rate far faster than we could ever consume, but I fear that these advancements will be meaningless if we can never find the isolation to take it all in and build on what we are learning.” – from Glenn at Globalized

So with these two great thoughts from two great writers, I will attempt to add my own spin on this. After reading “The World is Flat“, and realizing the the playing field of the world is flattening, with jobs and business (globalization) and now information, which means that everyone anywhere can be competition. For anybody to achieve great success in today’s world, having the ability to recognize the viable need for solitude is paramount. Its not who has information or knowledge, but what you can do with it, requiring innovation and imagination. You have to take solitude and really think, grasp, and learn the information you consume. Like Glenn greatly put, ” How can we, collectively, continue to prosume when we hardly have the chance to comprehend what we consume?”

To compete and succeed in the ever growing competitive world, you must take time for solitude to effectively learn and cultivate imagination and innovation with whatever information you get your hands on.

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“We cannot step twice into the same river”

I’m currently studying the Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Hays Translation. 

“We cannot step twice into the same river” – Heraclitus

Marcus expands on this… “Time is a river, a violent current of events, glimpsed once and already carried passed us, and another follows and is gone.”  (4.43 in Hays)

 Its amazing at how I can relate those 2 writings to everything in my life.  There is always the “would of, could of, should of”’s in life, and its a bunch of bullshit.  The chances are high that you wont get what you want if you have to ask yourself “Should I?”, or “What would happen if…” and the worst…. “I could of have done that but…”.

Most people tend to view events, situations, and decisions with the wrong mentality.  They are quick to label anything in life as “bad” or ”good”, and mostly its decided on pure emotion at the time.  Stoicism, also read in Meditations, states that one thing is neither good or evil.  “… not objects or events, but the intrepretations we place on them are the problem.”

 Regulate your weak and negative interpretations and perceptions on events and decisions you experience to avoid facing regret and to get what you want in your life.

So when your faced with any event or decision in life, tackle it with the right interpretation or perception, and then act. If you dont act, you will lose out to opportunities flowing by you.  Similar to what Ryan Holiday says, if you dont define yourself, or in this case, your life, then others gladly will.  Because you will only get one shot, one chance, one  glimpse, before time passes you by.

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30 Days Update

So its been about 3 weeks into my new habit of drinking as much water as reasonable during the day. Whether its lugging around a gallon, 1.5 L , or regular 16 oz bottles of water at school or in my car, I have experienced a few pros of drinking water. Like my friend said at the gym, I did feel a new found energy throughout midday. Being a sucker the afternoon naps, ranging from 30 minutes to crazy 3 hours naps (not kidding), I enjoyed the surplus of energy I felt from drinking water and not the short energy burst and crashes of energy drinks. I still enjoy a nice and shortened naps though.

I also noticed I “pissed like a race-horse” the first week. I also found that when I make it a goal to drink as much water as I can, I get addicted to drinking more and more water, which kind of gives me pleasure, if that makes sense. I also saved about 10 bucks a week from not having to buy Sobes or energy drinks as frequent (I limited myself to 2 energy drinks a week).

These 30 days are wrapping up, and beginning the new month of April, I will choose a new habit to try out. I will definitely keep this new habit chugging as much water as reasonable throughout the week.

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The Power of the Past

In Law 7 of the 48 Laws of Power, written by Robert Greene, I read an awesome statement;

Use the past, a vast storehouse of knowledge and wisdom.

Reading about and learning from others experiences will save you countless hours, days, months, and even years of wasting time, energy, and if you want to get real dramatic, your life.  Robert Greene writes that if you learn to use the knowledge of the past then you will look like a genius, when your really just a barrower.

Educate yourself and read the writings and experiences of others in your fields of interest.  Talk and listen to those who have experience, and take notes. 

Tucker Max is right when he says that humans have been recordin history for about 10,000 years……and any adversity or experience you go through, it has been written about.

Of course it is extremely beneficial to experience and learn lessons yourself, but to be efficient and competitive in todays world, learn to use the past and knowledge available to your benefit.

“Fools say that they learn by experience.  I prefer to profit by others’ experience.” – Bismarck

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30 Days

I frequently visit the website and blog of Steve Pavlina, and rediscovered an older post of something I found interesting. The blog post titled 30 Days to Success explains a great way to form new habits. Perform your new habit for 30 days straight, and then decide whether you would like to continue the habit or not after. The great thing is that after 30 days the habit will obviously be easier to maintain than starting it again. Pavlina also writes that you will not only break the addiction of the old habit during the 30 days, but the 30 days of success with the new habit will give your more confidence to continue the streak.

While working the closing shift at the gym I work at, I noticed a Sunday night regular come in with a huge gallon, maybe 2, of water. Already having drank at least 3/4 of the bottle, I asked him about it. While playing collegiate tennis a few years back at a nearby university, he started a competition among his friends of who could drink the most water each day. Turns out its a habit he has continued today, as he is now a tennis coach at another college. He also explained the numerous benefits of the habit as he admits feeling like his body is cleansed out each week by drinking the amounts of water he does.

So incorporating the 30 days to success program Steve Pavlina promotes, I will start tomorrow by drinking as much water as reasonable while breaking the habit of wasting a couple bucks a day on buying Sobe or energy drinks. I will buy a gallon or so container of water each Monday, then refill it daily for the rest of the week. I will track my progress on this blog while I also encourage you to try out the 30 days to success/New habit program for yourself.

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We are our Experiences

A few weeks ago, I read an interesting post by Joseph Kelly on the phrase; “We are our Experiences”. Joseph’s post definitely made me search for the true meaning on that phrase. As Joseph recognized and stated, people often accept things the way they are, or make excuses for things that happen to them, by believing “thats just the way I am” or based on their past they are the way they are today and cannot change that.

Agreeing with Joseph that our past experiences may influence they way we perceive, judge, and view the present, but we also have the power to choose the next experiences. We still have the choice to choose a different path or make a different decision against the trends of our past.

Its too easy for an obese guy to settle for the Big Mac instead of trying out a salad, simply because he can make the pathetic claim that thats just they way he is, has always eaten that way, and can’t change. Our past experiences do make us what we are today, but that never means you have to settle for that.

So my concluding thought is; Although we may be our past experiences, we have the choice to create the next experiences.

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Opportunity Cost in Real Life

Taking Macro and Micro this semester, plus a personal finance class, I have been formally introduced to Opportunity Cost = the highest valued alternative that must be given up to engage or do an activity. For instance, if I decide to buy new shoes ($65) over a nice dress shirt on sale ($25), the opportunity cost of buying the shoes would be a nice dress shirt and $35 in my pocket.

With a focus on economics this semester, I start to recognize the concepts and ideas everywhere in everyday life. Opportunity cost is a big obvious one. We all face scarcity with every decision, besides maybe breathing air, since air is an  unlimited resource, at least for now. So every decision we make, we are giving up or missing out on other opportunities. We all use opportunity cost sub consciously, but if we actually thought about the true opportunity cost of our everyday decisions, I think we would make more efficient decisions.

The main point is this; really try and acknowledge opportunity cost in your everyday real life decisions, and I believe you would all choose the more efficient and beneficial decision relative towards our goals and aspirations. Just don’t use opportunity cost for financial decisions, but for other aspects of life, like relationships and health. Did you ever think of the opportunity cost of hanging out with the same person or crowd, when you could split the time and meet new people or join an organization or club? If you were a business major, would you rather volunteer for an internship or work part time at job that may not cultivate the skills relative to your major or goals? Before choosing to take an unnecessary nap over studying, or choosing a weekend getaway over saving money, analyze the real opportunity cost of each decision.

Applying the concept of opportunity cost to my every day decisions will encourage me to make more efficient and beneficial decisions relative to my goals and aspirations. What do you think? Do you agree?

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Step 2: Learning from the Argument and Making the Best of It

Transitioning from the first step, remember these two rules before further advancement into the argument. No yelling is allowed, because it will get you no where, does not solve anything long term, and you will most likely regret it later. Also, keeping an open mind is imperative. With these two rules in mind, it is not time for you to listen, and it does take hard work to listen actively. It wouldn’t hurt either, with your loved on or friends you tend to get into heated arguments with, to set a mutual rule:

The Yelling Rule: Make a pact with the person that when one person yells, the other should completely listen, because there is ZERO communication when two people yell at the same time. If you must absolutely yell, or it slips, which happens, this is a nice pact to fall back on. Honestly, two people yelling at each other is the worst, so avoid it at all costs.

One awesome listening technique that I have picked up is from the book, How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes. The author calls it “Empty their tanks”. Basically, people love to talk, so naturally let them, first. Lowndes explains that you cannot pump more gas into a tank that is full, and the same is exactly true with people. The other person’s head is filled with their own thoughts, prejudices, emotions, opinions, etc. They will not comprehend anything you tell them! So let them “drain their tank” and you will see a huge difference in how they act now that their mind is clear. Simply listen, and then talk once they feel they are done, they will feel bad, and will want you to talk! Amazing. Try it and it you will have the full attention of the person every time.

Never accuse someone of being “wrong”. According to Dale Carnegie’s famous book, Win Friends and Influence People, let the other person do all the talking, while you gain insight on their views and opinions. First, you will learn more about that person, and it shows a great deal of respect. It shows the other person you really are interested in them, and it is important for you to solve their issue. If you must let the person know they are wrong, admit that your wrong first, or have been wrong one time, emphatically. Shows you two are alike, can relate, your on the same level, and the person will be way more comfortable.

Paraphrasing works like a charm in arguments too, especially helping yourself to be a better listener. Paraphrasing develops a sense of mutual understanding between two people, and it will earn you much respect again for showing your interest in helping this person solve the issue. They will then in return feel obliged to do the same when its your turn.

A very interesting technique off of Steve Pavlina’s website, is “Verbal Martial Arts”. Basically, if someone attacks you, counter attack not with an attack back, but ask questions. If they attack you and say you are forgetful, instead of being defensive, explore why they feel that way by asking questions like “Do you really feel that way?” or “Why do you think that way”. This then makes them think really deep inside what the real cause is, not just acting out pure frustration or anger. Never attack back if you are attacked in arguments. This technique will make the attacker realize what they have just said, and re-evaluate the situation. You learn why they feel how they do, and you cause them to learn or reach deep inside as well. Often when people attack others, they act out of raw emotions that run high, not necessarily what they really feel. This technique will improve your relationships with the right people tremendously.

As you practice these techniques, you will naturally feel more comfortable and relaxed using them. You also avoid unnecessary confrontation, yelling, and be able to transition an argument into a deep discussion. You will actually pay attention and listen to the person, instead of not focusing and being busy thinking of your next comeback.

Keep an open mind, let them do all the talking first, and you will learn much more about that person, how they think or feel about you, and you will earn their respect as well. If you would be interested in any other useful techniques, let me know! Any special tricks or techniques you use in arguments or debates? Let me know!

Next step: Winning the argument, getting your intended message across, and ultimately influencing!

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