When you are sick of being tired

We hear so much from people that they are tired of being fat. They are tired of living paycheck to paycheck. They are tired of looking at debt in the face.

I get it. Been there. Done that. Multiple times. There is nothing more demoralizing than living in the same rut year in and year out. The thing about it is that it doesn't have to be that way. We live in a robotic world. But it doesn't have to remain your way of thinking. There is a reason most successful people are referred to as being counter cultural. Being counter cultural doesn't mean that you stop looking at fashion trends, stop eating pizza, or not do the movies every now and then. It's simply changing your mind. Once your mind is changed it's over. There is nothing in the world that will be able to stop you.

Some examples are:
1. Not drinking every single week
2. Stop thinking that someone owes you something. The world could care less about your wants.
3. Stop doing the same things over and over and expecting different results
4. Mix up your daily routine. Instead of waking at 6am try waking at 430. You'll have more time to work. Do something that matters to YOU, and not have to worry about other people chipping away at your time. There won't be anyone awake to throw email traffic at you. No social media distractions, and no one to call you in the middle of a workout.

I know what you are saying. "But, I have class. But I have to work all day. I have kids to take care of." All of those are valid EXCUSES not to do the extra. You have to keep in mind that Kobe was in the gym numerous times for 8 hours. 8 HOURS! ON NUMEROUS OCCASSIONS. I can't sleep 8 sometimes and he was working.

One thing my father taught me growing up was, "everyone appreciates hard work, no matter where you finish".

I was reading about this famous Special Forces giy who also was a UFC fighter. Before working a 12 hour day he would have already put in a 2 hour workout. His motto was that he wanted to be fit to fight. Any time. Anywhere. That 's the attitude we all need to have . Yes we are going through this thing called life. It calls for us to get tough with it. It may require working 2 jobs for a time period. It may require late nights, early mornings, no bar, no parties, and no television. But you have to ask yourself. "Did I make myself the priority today?" And if so, "How?" Keep pounding....Accurate Step!

Exercising Your Mind

Happy Sunday and I know it’s late, but I just finished reading an amazing book about the Comanche warrior Quanah; in Empire of the Summer Moon. There are really some great books out there that need to be read and I can’t even remember how I came across this one. I’m pretty sure that it was the cover. It had a picture of a Comanche warrior that looked like he was ready to kill and take over any white men that wanted to step to his tribe. I read this thing in a week and leisurely reading for me that is fast! I usually leave all of my intense reading back to my days in grad school, but this was definitely grad school reading material. Not only could it have been a history text book on the American West it also told a great story that kept me interested.

So Ahmad, what the hell does this have to do with me? Well, I’m glad you asked! Most days are spent watching television by most Americans and all we ever do is listen to cable news or sports stations babble about how in some crazy way they are an expert on the government shutdown or the next Super Bowl winner. In other words, they exercise their minds to twist some angle to justify their stupidity of consciousness. They crazy thing is we watch it everyday! Yes we are all suckers for the same thing and the producers know it. It’s our crack!

With this knowledge I took the opportunity to do something new this final quarter of the year. I plan on reading 50 books. Not just some comics, but 50 real books. As a writer it is a rule of thumb that we all read four to five times more than we write in order to stay sharp. And it works! Reading just makes you smarter. It stirs creativity, expands vocabulary, and creates new ways of wanting to live. I can’t explain the feeling of turning on the Easy Listening station on Pandora and sitting back with a great book to read. It really does slow down the rest of the world and really makes you feel a sense of accomplishment once completed. How much better can life get? So the next book I have on the list is The Red Rooster by Michael Wallace. Nothing like a great thriller novel to read.

But all in all, get your brain turned up. We only get one and it’s one of the best ways to keep yourself sharp into your older years. Happy Reading and see you next Monday.