ambition

4:19 PM Friday afternoon
32°F and flurries
Berwyn, PA
“California Here I Come” — Bill Evans

People have told me they enjoy my writing, which to be frank flat-out astounded me when I first heard the sentiment. I struggled mightily throughout my formal schooling to piece together essays and fulfill creative prompts. Writing has never felt natural to me, and I suppose coincidentally I am not at all an eloquent orator. There are so many words and ways to arrange them. I’d almost rather not even try.

But writing is therapeutic for me. I can’t deny that. The times in my life when I’ve kept handwritten to-do lists and diaries of my days, I’ve felt more as if I’m moving somewhere forward. I can identify hurdles, actively stumble, and transgress ingrained tendencies into new existences. The act of bringing semi-physical manifestation to the abstraction of thought is powerful. From the visibility of nothing comes something, and an incredible cascade of action can electrify the consciousness. There are few greater catalysts; stagnation knows not the mirror.

So … I’ve decided to make a return to writing. Not just privately through the scraps of paper littering my desk, but also in the public eye. Blogging is an extension of the primordial ink that blackens the pulp, and it forces me to delve further into that which intrigues me. Dialogue can ensue; understanding be met. It seems to me a worthwhile endeavor and craft to hone — I’m the first to admit I need the practice. I can’t say I’ll maintain my penchant for in-depth, well-developed thought pieces, but that’s okay — and perhaps it’s better if I float more shallow introspections and investigations and open myself to fault. Is anyone ever right, anyway?

Topics of interest and that you can expect; these are a few currently:

• Electromagnetic fields
• Aliens
• Digestion
• Freedom of thought (and action)
• Piano jazz

I tend to be fickle and what captivates me at one moment may not the next. Oh, twenty-first century, how have you jaded me. Let’s get excited again.

juanalfonsodiaz

I have a problem. I only enjoy learning on a topical level. That is to say I only find things interesting when they have some immediate relevance to my everyday life. Once the subject matter begins to unravel beyond its most fundamental threads and then reveals a whole other interworking of cogs and connections, I’m out.

I first realized this while taking inorganic chemistry with Dr. Graham. When we got to molecular orbital theory (and molecular orbital diagrams in particular, not too dissimilar from the one pictured above, but more complex) I remember intently staring at the whiteboard full of dashes and lines and arrows and greek symbols and mental anguish and then suddenly yanking my brain back out from that “Suck Kut” of higher learning to come to the momentous epiphany that…

… I was sitting in an uncomfortable desk indoors. It was nice outside. I wanted to be outside. And an understanding of molecular orbitals wasn’t going to help me in the future unless I became a chemist.

(I didn’t want to become a chemist.)

That deep knowledge of electron interactions wasn’t going to expand my reality. It was going to create a new reality. An alternate reality. One, to me, that seemed so far disjointed from how I wanted to live my life. And that’s when I realized I didn’t really care to learn anything beyond what can have a direct impact on the way I think or act.

I have appreciation for the complexity of science and other subjects, but often see a lack of application. Maybe my professors never effectively parlayed the “real world” importance of their syllabi, or perhaps I am too close-minded.

On the surface this doesn’t seem like much of an issue. I have the values of a caveman. Whatever. However it’s also important to note that most well-paying professions are highly specialized. It’s the people who spend thousands of hours studying one niche subject that usually make the most money.

This leaves me a little worried about my future. What if I never find something that sparks my interest enough that I fall head-over-heels trying to learn as much about it as I can?

It’s a scary thought.

With 2012 winding down, it’s that time of year again when I get anxious about my future and feel the need to write about it in hopes of subconsciously wiring my brain for another productive chapter in my life.

As usual, I’ll take a look back at my previous goals first and see if I actually hit any of them. I actually don’t remember any of my previous resolutions off the top of my head, which may be good (in that I hit them and moved on) or bad (in that I lost focus and have loose ends to tie up).

Let’s see where I’m at…

Lingering Resolutions

1. Get my business in order

I was originally intending to incorporate all my internet endeavors in an LLC and also get an accountant, but decided against both those ideas, mainly because I had zero cash at the time for either service and then SixPrizes got hacked, yada yada…

I’m not sure if I really need either at this point, but it may still be wise to look into them again.

2. Pay taxes

I got a wrap on that and actually figured out how to pay quarterly taxes this time around. Boom shaka laka.

3. Spend money

I’ve saved way more than I’ve spent, but my motto is basically don’t make impulse purchases and abide by these two guidelines:

1. I’ll know when I need stuff. It will become obvious.
2. Get stuff that enables me to live better. Stuff that creates openings… freedom.

I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s worked really well for me the past year. I live my life mostly to keep options open because I’m terrified of commitment.

So by limiting my expenditures, I have more money to throw around on high quality items that actually do bring value and help enhance my life.

The past year I did buy stuff when it became obvious it would be a good purchase, and I’ve felt really good about my spending habits.

4. Keep a consistent journal

I’ve again bombed on this for the most part. I have kept a very consistent workout journal, but not so much as far as general everyday thoughts.

I think I’m going to accept that sometimes I have the inspiration/urge to write, and other times not. I won’t be forcing this one.

… and with that, I’ll move forward into 2013.

New Year’s Resolutions 2013

1. Figure out my living situation.

I was originally intending to migrate south for the winter to escape the cold, but decided to stick around in Pennsylvania, partly because my granny was getting old and I wasn’t sure if she’d make it through the winter (which she didn’t, unfortunately), so I wanted to stay around to visit her, partly because I was so focused on 6P stuff that I hadn’t put much 2nd thought into moving, and partly to save money.

For me, it’s quite the quandary because with my job, I could live practically anywhere. But when I have infinite options, I become terrible at picking one. It’s hard for me to pick somewhere out of anywhere.

If for example I had a “real” job, then I’d have to live somewhere near that job for the commute. That makes picking a place to live easier.

But when all you need is an internet connection, it’s a little more daunting. At least for me, because I haven’t travelled all that much and don’t know where would be an ideal place for me to live.

I do enjoy PA during the spring/summer/fall, but get cabin fever during the winter.

2. Get excited about something.

For the first time in a long while, I feel like I’ve actually caught up with all my projects and have my schedule massively freed up to pursue other ventures.

SixPrizes is easily the most organized it’s been. Ever. Last year was pretty rough with the site being hacked in May and then having to deal with that whole mess for a couple months, but I somehow got through it.

(The hack legitimately could have been the end of me. I won’t go into specifics, but it had the potential to be a lot worse.)

Following the hack, I was able to make headway into unfinished projects, and I’m content with the current state of the site.

I do want to explore options to increase revenue though, namely selling physical products like dice and possibly t-shirts. I do realize it’s best to put the most time into what’s making you money, so I will continue to put focus into 6P, but it’s going to be less than before. I’m a little burnt out from working on it for 3+ years straight and need change.

PkmnCards is more than likely going to remain at a standstill. To make it more like MagicCards.info would be above and beyond my current technical wherewithal, and I don’t think I would see enough return on my time investment.

I’m still at a point where I do need to convert my time into money instead of fooling around with ideas that may or may not work like I could while I was in college. If money was no object, then I might be more willing to put time into it though. We’ll see.

I do have a freelance opportunity out there, but I’m not sure how excited I am about it. And that’s the point I’m trying to make… I want to get excited about something!

I want to feel the exuberance I’ve experienced working on my projects of the past.

3. Get to 170 lbs.

Last I weighed myself I was about 157 lbs and I’m in fairly good shape, but I’d really like to try and put on maybe 10 lbs of muscle because I think it would help with tennis. And because I want to look good without a shirt on.

This is going to be a tough goal though because with my metabolism, I really have to make a concerted effort to eat enough calories. And the more I’m working on projects, I usually end up eating less because I delay eating meals to finish up with things (like I’m doing right now – I meant to eat dinner an hour ago but want to finish this entry).

So I have to balance working and eating better. I have little trouble motivating myself to exercise, but eating becomes tedious.

4. Keep learning.

In the past I would label this goal as “read books,” but really all I want to do is challenge myself and keep learning new things. If that means reading books, so be it, but the main objective is to learn.

5. Be more social.

I’ll admit I’m a bit of a hermit sometimes. Usually it’s because I’ve got my head sunk into a project I’m working on, I’m trying to stick to some weird diet, and other times I’m being anti-social.

But I’ll try to do better with this and be more spontaneous.

6. ROAD TRIP

Ever since I read On the Road I’ve really wanted to go on a road trip. And it hasn’t happened yet.

But this summer the early plans are that two of my friends with comedic aspirations will do open mic nights around the country and I’ll document their plight.

… and that wraps up my 2013 resolutions. I know I have relatively trite goals, but for me, the meaning of life is to maximize feeling good. That’s all I’m concerned about right now. Feeling good.

I know I’m totally butchering the use of the word prospectus, but it sounds cool, so don’t point it out…

Anyway, when I set my 2012 New Year’s resolutions, one of my goals was to set new intentions in March. The month is almost over, and I’ve yet to follow through with the task, so using the power of procrastination… LET’S DO THIS!!!

But first, before I get to my new resolutions, I’m going to take a look back at my old ones to see if I’ve stayed on track the past few months.

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New Year’s Resolutions 2012

1. Stop Looking for Approval

I’m still working on this, for sure. It’s difficult to secede the thought of approval from your life! With the way most of us are raised, we’re heavily conditioned to seek acceptance of others. I feel though, that when you can break free from that, it opens up a lot of doors and makes life more fun.

One idea I had to work on reversing the habit was to do affirmations every morning when I wake up. It sounds lame as hell and embarrassing to admit, but I think it could have a positive effect. I would do probably both written and verbal affirmations, as I feel a combo would be most effective.

2. Get My Student Loans Paid Off

My goal was to get them paid off by the end of January… but I didn’t get them paid until the first week of February. FAIL!

… nah, in all seriousness, I’m actually really stoked I was able to get them paid off by the time I intended. I’m now pretty much broke, but debt free! Sorta. More on that later.

3. Keep an Open Mind on New Projects

I’ve gotten both SixPrizes and PkmnCards under cruise control at the moment, with no definite plans to expand or improve either one. I’m pretty happy with how both have developed. I worked super hard the first 8-10 weeks of the new year getting them in peak condition to ride along for a while.

What this means is that I’m basically free to brainstorm new projects and pursue something else. I was offered a role in a potential upstart, but didn’t feel totally confident in it, so I declined. Still, I’m going to stay as receptive as possible for new ideas.

4. Read More

If you count skimming through the occasional article on Grantland reading, then yeah I read more. But what I intended was to read more books, which I haven’t (count: 0), so I still need to work on this. I’ve got a lot more free time as well, so I have no excuse. I waste way too much time watching pointless YouTube videos. Damn you, internet.

Even my friend Lee, who is rumored to have graduated high school without actually reading an entire book, has outdone me this year, which is embarrassing.

5. Make more phone calls

I made some phone calls, and I was able to get in touch with some people… others not. I at least made some effort though, which is good. Still, overall I’ve put forth a pretty weak effort here.

6. Get more serious about tennis

The past few months I haven’t really done much other than keep up my conditioning and get ahold of a couple backup racquets, but I guess that counts as something.

I still need to take more action, which will be one up my upcoming goals…

7. “Every day, do your best. Or at least try to.”

I admittedly forget this sometimes. One thing I was planning to do to remind myself of this saying was to set a photo of my dad working as the background on my laptop. That way I’ll have a daily visual reminder to do my best. My dad was an extremely hard worker, and I feel like for him, there was no alternative other than do to his best, every day.

8. Make new resolutions in March

… I’m going to do that right now!

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Quarter 2 Resolutions – 2012

1. Get my business in order

I feel like I’ve finally got all my money-making websites well-organized, but I’ve been slightly negligent about the business side of everything. Specifically, here’s what I need to do:

A. Incorporate to an LLC so that I have liability protection and will be less likely to get fucked over.

B. Get an accountant (and bookkeeper) since I get totally stressed about doing that stuff myself and would rather outsource it so I can have peace of mind.

Obviously it’s going to cost me some coin for those services, and paying off my loans in full has set me back a couple dimes, so I can only move forward with this once I’m sure I can budget it. First though, I need to do this…

2. Pay taxes

Everything from 2011 was entered into TurboTax, I just need to double-check the numbers, print some paperwork, and mail my checks. Also, I need to start paying quarterly taxes, so on April 1st I’ll be able to enter in my revenues thus far in 2012, and get that taken care of.

I’m skating a little thin by addressing my student loans before paying Uncle Sam, but I should be ok. If not, I’ve got savings bonds I can cash, and most likely will because I don’t want to sit around waiting to earn enough money to get stuff done. I want things done right now.

Seriously, after I get these first 2 things taken care of, I’ll feel so freaking good. I’m just trying to get back to a baseline with my finances.

3. Spend money

It sounds kind of silly to be thinking about hemorrhaging away even more money, but I’ve been holding off on buying some things that will grant me fun and freedom because I want to make sure I get my taxes and business straightened away first.

Mainly, I want to soup up my bike a bit since I’ve really grown to enjoy riding, and it’ll probably be my main method of transportation during the summer. Specifically, I need to get lights so that I’m more visible and cars can avoid me, and a lock so that my bike won’t get stolen.

I also want to get a YMCA membership so I can go there and play tennis. I’ve played pretty much exclusively with my friend Josh the past couple years, and I need to find new people to play. I may also get a USTA membership and play tournaments.

… oh and I could use a haircut too. Salons aren’t cheap.

4. Keep a consistent journal

I’ve found it extremely helpful to keep a diary of my thoughts every couple days. It seems to keep me focused and solve mental blocks or issues I might be having. I highly recommend anyone reading this to start keeping a journal yourself.

(That’s pretty much what I’m doing with these resolution posts, and if you noticed, my written goals seem to come to fruition more often than not. It’s like magic.)

I wrote in my journal fairly often to start the year, but haven’t touched it in about a month. I want to at least write in it once a week, if not more frequently.

5. Do better with all my previous goals

I’m not going to type them all out again, but basically any goal I haven’t completely fulfilled so far, I want to keep a priority. Reading and dropping approval are probably the main two I want to focus on.

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… and that wraps up my 2012 first quarter prospectus. Hopefully I’m able to knock off most these goals within the next few weeks so I can focus on enjoying the seasonal spring weather to come.

Though I feel making New Years Resolutions is somewhat trite and in reality I should be setting and revising my long and short-term goals every few months, I often get caught up with the hubbub of life (as do most all of us), so now is a better time than never to hammer out a few things I’d like to accomplish in the next three-hundred-something-odd days.

But first I want to take a look back at my resolutions from last year and see how I did with them…

Last Year’s Resolutions

1. Do something with this site

Ok… I didn’t really do much with this site. I kind of dropped the ball there (pun intended). I did move over to the adamcap.com domain so that was a success, but I didn’t write as much as I hoped I would. I actually do still want to make something more of this digital canvas, but more on that later.

2. Focus better

I got worse at this during 2011. Like Beavis and Butt-head bad. I used to go full days without checking my e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and phone, and then at some point I fell into the pleasure trap all those devices try oh-so-hard to make you succumb to. The past few weeks I’ve been a lot more conscious of why I’ve been losing focus, and I’ll talk about that in a minute.

3. Get SixPrizes on autopilot

I’ve realized I’ll probably never get 6P on complete autopilot, but I got things pretty well organized over there. It takes less time to maintain then ever, unless I’m working on adding new features, in which it takes a lot of my mental focus.

4. Try a raw foods diet for a while and educate myself about nutrition

EDIT 9/30/2012: I’ve removed the information regarding raw foods I originally wrote here since I no longer believe all of it and don’t want to give people bad health advice. Do your own research and always keep an open mind. For the record, I am currently not eating a raw food diet, and never have been on one for more than a day (though I did eat predominantly raw for a while).

I also learned a lot about fitness, and I’m easily in the best shape of my life now. I’ve dropped fat and put on around 10 pounds of muscle. I train a lot smarter than I used to and I’ve actually reversed some nagging injuries I though I’d have to deal with my whole life.

(The saying “no pain, no gain” is completely idiotic by the way; “moderate and consistent” is the motto to train by.)

My left knee was bothering me for a while, and now it’s nearly 100%. My hips have nagged me for a few years, and they are getting better every day. My left elbow was messed up and I avoided doing push-ups for a few years in fear of making it worse, but now it’s a non-issue.

I did strain my neck pretty badly in the spring through an improper warm-up technique (which I’ve now corrected), but I’m confident it’ll be copacetic in due time. The only thing that legitimately gives me issues sometimes is my lower back, but I know that’s due to poor posture. I’ll have to work on that.

5. Read more

I got a Kindle last Christmas and was stoked… then realized you have to spend money to get new books on it. No thanks. I know how effective recurring revenue streams are, so I said sayonara to my Kindle a few months later and haven’t been reading at all the past 6 months. I have a new plan for this year though…

6. Make more phone calls

Eh, didn’t do too hot here. I texted more, but texting is weaksauce.

7. Get an apartment by the summer (May or June)

I’m still at home, but I will say my plans sort of changed half way through 2011. More on that with this year’s resolutions.

8. Minimize and simplify

I’ll probably always be working on this, but I did get rid of a ton of stuff the past year and it feels awesome. I’m hoping by next year I’ll be totally happy with my physical possessions, and then focus on organizing my digital “stuff” (or as I call it: “the last frontier”).

Overall I’m pretty happy with my progress the past year. Getting my health down was a pretty huge goal for me, and having that info in my back pocket will serve me well the next 80 years.

This Year’s Resolutions

1. Stop Looking for Approval

This is absolutely the number of reason I lost focus during 2011. I guess it was probably only a week ago that I realized this, but I am totally insane when it comes to seeking approval. I think a lot of other people are as well, and to give you an example, think about this:

Facebook is literally an approval DYNAMO. Any surprise that it’s the 2nd largest website in the world?

Somebody adds you as a friend; you’ve gained social approval. Friends like and comment on your witty status; you’re approved. You have more friends than me; you’ve got more approval and I feel jealous. Et cetera.

Seriously… think about why you probably check your Facebook a completely absurd number of times per day. You’re looking for approval! It’s like a drug, and Facebook the prime dealer.

I guess it’s a primordial instinct to actively seek approval from a group; otherwise survival in the wild would be unlikely on our own. In terms of a psychological approach to the matter, we’re looking to reinforce our sense of self; that we are who we think we are.

It’s not even just that seeking approval is distracting, but it also holds me back from moving forward with projects and bettering myself. You only get one shot at life, and it’s stupid to worry about whether people approve of you. As long as you approve of yourself and your desired action, THAT is all that matters. The outcome is irrelevant.

You’ve won if you follow through with that action. Plain and simple. If you don’t, that’s a total fail and you should feel awful about it. And vice versa.

Of course it’s going to take some time to get over this, but now that I’m conscious about it, I’m excited to forge ahead and work on it.

2. Get My Student Loans Paid Off

I pay about $300 a month in student loans right now, and I’ve got about $22,000 left to pay off. I have about $10,000 in bonds from my grandmom and I’ve saved umpteen-thousand the past year.

After I get my taxes in order, the first thing I want to do is get my loans paid in one fell swoop. I know the interest on those things will kill me in the long run, so the sooner I can get them paid, the better. I want to be totally debt free.

That is the reason I decided not to move out last summer; I decided it would be best to save as much money as possible so I could free myself from the red. Spending money when you owe money doesn’t make much sense.

As far as a timetable, I’m shooting for by the end of January.

3. Keep an Open Mind on New Projects

The way I work is that if something inspires me, I make it my job. It doesn’t really matter if it’s something that directly makes me money because when something is important to me, I know it’ll eventually pay off.

SixPrizes has been an inspiring project for me to work on, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Yes, sometimes it can be challenging and stressful, but even if it made no money, I’d still be working on it.

PkmnCards is another project that really got me motivated to wake up in the morning, and though it took about 6 months from the conception to completion of the idea, it was a great experience building the site and I’m glad I went through with it.

At this point, I’m sorta taking it easy and trying to be receptive of new ideas. I am thinking about making this website a more forefront project and start developing it more. It’s really cool looking back at my old posts and seeing what I was doing/thinking at the time. If nothing else, it helps ease my sense of terror management.

I do have an idea for a new database website, but I’m not sure how inspired I am to work on it. I think I need to bounce the idea off a few people to see what they think of the concept. In my head, it’s just kind of an average idea, but if it gets other people stoked, then maybe there is something to it.

Regardless, my schedule is pretty open right now, so I’m trying to keep my antennae up incase any bright ideas are floating around.

4. Read More

Since I was so successful accomplishing this last year, I thought I’d try something different in 2012. Using the power of time constraints, I’ve decided the best way to get myself to read more is to take out books from the library.

ARTHUR | Having Fun Isn’t Hard When You’ve Got a Library Card | PBS KIDS
https://youtu.be/lg516PSgG5I?t=5s

My Kindle idea was flawed since I don’t want to spend an extra $20 – $40 a month on books, plus there is no urgency to read them once I buy them. If I take a book out from the library, then I have to return it in 2 weeks, and it’s much more likely to be read.

I’m going to need to come up with some sort of schedule though. Like plan to go to the library every other Tuesday or something like that.

The reason I want to read more is because I always want to keep learning, and reading is a better use of my time than watching television.

5. Make more phone calls

I didn’t do so hot with this last year, so I’m adding it to my resolutions again. I’ve lost touch with a lot of people I used to talk to during high school and college, especially since I’ve been Facebook-less since the summer. Life is too short not to extend an olive branch to those people every once in a while.

Whether or not I actually get in touch with anyone is irrelevant; as long as I make an effort I’m happy with myself.

6. Get more serious about tennis

I really love playing tennis… I also hate it too. But since I do love it sometimes, I think I want to start playing more. Like maybe try playing a few tournaments, stuff like that. I haven’t played competitively since high school, so it would be fun to get at it again. I’d like to see where I’m ranked on the USTA scale.

7. “Every day, do your best. Or at least try to.”

I’ve made that my mantra the past few months now. I think it’s foolish to say “Every day, do your best” since it’s impossible to do your best ever single day.

My best mile time so far is 5:52, but there is no way I could run that time every single day; I would burn out. I’d be setting myself up for definite failure. But if I simply try my best and am intelligent about it, I will be training smartly and become even faster/better over time.

So every day I do my best. Or at least I try to. I feel there is no other option.

8. Make new resolutions in March

Since I mentioned earlier that I think a year is too long of a gap between re-analyzing and re-tooling my goals, I’ll plan to give them a once over in three months.

That concludes my 2012 New Year’s Resolutions… thanks for reading if you actually made it to this sentence, and now go and make your own goals. I’m a huge fan of writing stuff down – things magically seem to get done when I put them into writing – so jot down a few things you’d like to change or do better.

Rock on,

Adam

I’ve finally decided to work on this website again. It was one of my New Years resolutions, and I really want to follow through with all of them.

(I’ve actually knocked off a fair amount of them already which I’m pretty stoked about.)

I am a total believer in terror management theory, so to ensure I have some kind of legacy that remains long after I’m gone (and in turn boost my self-esteem to the stars), I’m going to make this website basically a log of my life.

I’ll just write about whatever I’m thinking about or working on at the time, post photo albums, document my health and measure my fitness levels, link to dumb YouTube videos I think are funny… basically make this site an open diary of sorts.

I’m still trying to plan out exactly how I’m going to organize all the different content, but it should be kinda cool and (maybe) technically sophisticated. I’ll be able to look back over the years and see what I was up to at different times in my life.

I don’t know how productive this will be in terms of return of investment, but I figure I’ll at least get some more practice with WordPress and it’ll be something I can always look back on. If I start writing about one topic in particular a lot, then maybe I’ll branch off and start a new website devoted to that subject and try to monetize it, but that’ll be a little ways off.

But yeah… just making this post to kinda get the ball rolling. I’m hoping to get everything set up within a week.

I usually don’t make New Years resolutions, but what the hell…

Listed in no particular order:

1. Do something with this site

The main thing that has stopped me from doing anything with this site is that I’ve had trouble deciding on a particular topic to write about. I want to focus on one thing and write about it exclusively… but I’ve realized I don’t know enough about any 1 topic enough to devote a site to it, so I’m just going to write about whatever I feel like. It’s better than doing nothing.

I’m eventually going to move everything to adamcap.com and use that as my home base.

2. Focus better

I really want to get better at focusing, and not just in terms of things you’d think need my full attention.

Like if I’m eating an apple, I want to focus on eating it and enjoy that experience more. If I’m talking to someone, I want to give them my full attention and not be thinking about something else. If I’m driving somewhere, I want to enjoy that experience more rather than thinking about getting to my destination or something else the whole time.

3. Get SixPrizes on autopilot

This has taken me way longer than I thought it would, but I want to get SixPrizes to the point where I don’t need to really work on it that much anymore. Maybe a few hours a week.

I keep looking for things to improve and grow the site, but I think there will be a point where I can just step back and let it do its thing. It takes up a lot of my time right now and I want to pursue other things.

4. Try a raw foods diet for a while and educate myself about nutrition

I’m already weaning myself onto a raw foods diet as I write this, but I can see it being tough until I figure out what I’m going to eat every day. I already do eat pretty much the same thing every single day, but I need to build up till I find out what I like and can afford as far as a raw foods diet is concerned.

I am basically striving to find a healthy diet that gives me the most energy to do whatever.

EDIT 9/30/2012: I am no longer striving to eat a raw, vegan, or even vegetarian diet at the moment.

5. Read more

I got a Kindle for Christmas and have already started reading a little more. Most of the books I want to get are non-fiction, meaning they aren’t free on the Kindle. So I’ll have to be careful how much I’m spending on books unless I resort to reading free ones.

6. Make more phone calls

I don’t talk to people enough, so I’m going to try and start calling people more often just to see what’s up.

7. Get an apartment by the summer (May or June)

I really want to get my financial situation stabilized during the winter, then by the Spring/Summer I want to get an apartment somewhere convenient and warm and really enjoy the summer.

8. Minimize and simplify

I got rid of a ton of stuff the past year, and I want to keep evaluating the possessions I own and really get myself down to the essentials. I always seem to get an itch to clean shop come Spring, but during the Winter I want to try and get rid of some stuff too.

I could maybe list more, but those are the most important things to me right now. I’ll check back in a year and see where I’m at…

Want to know the secret behind MJ’s skills? Clapton’s “slowhand”? Picaso’s brush?

If you think any of those individuals was born with a gift…you’re dead wrong.

Experts say that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice until you can acquire mastery in one area of your life.

You can bet your ass those guys put in that much time (and then some).

10,000 hours equals nearly full 417 days… I think you better get started.

The power of peer pressure should never be understated.

Why do you dress the way you do (and not some other outlandish way)?

Why do your projects and homework assignments always seem to get completed in time… even if you tactfully delay them until the very last minute?

How come minorities do worse on exams when they are reminded of their race or gender?

It’s all about expectations.

You try to self-verify by presenting a consistent “you” to other people, which in turns gives them an expectation of how you typically behave and act.

You then feed this cycle by presenting yourself consistently day to day, only varying when evaluated over long periods of time.

It goes on and on… it’s a vicious cycle (as one “Fat Bastard” would say).

But… you can use it to your advantage.

How To Keep Your Word… Every Time.

When you need to get something done, simply tell the world.

Update your Facebook, send a tweet, text everyone on your phone, give your friends a call, tell your family… you will put pressure on yourself to act consistently with your intentions.

When you don’t tell anyone, you have no one to live up to except yourself. And the self is a lot more willing to change its notions about what “it” is if nobody knows about those plans.

What I do is keep a hand-written “To Do” list. I usually don’t tell people about what I need to do that day, but at least you will physical and visual evidence of what needs to be done (and your ideas are not just floating around in your head).

If I write it down, I need to get it done. If it’s really important, I’ll also tell people about it.

That’s the only reason I’m writing this post.

Quote Rich Francesco on Facebook about my status update to write more often: “do it. woman.”

Done.