06.30.09
Posted in Musings at 12:07 am by BartonG
So, I think of myself as a healty fellow. So does this guy over at HealthyFellow health blog. He’s all into natural foods and checking into stuff that might make him, well, healthy. He recently did a post on coconut drinks that I thought was interesting, because LDS missionaries in Brazil are told to drinks the coconut water when they work too long and get dehydrated. High-five to natural medicine, finially getting some scienctific backing.
Anyway, its a nicely written blog and the dude who writes it, JP is a curious man. He’s worked in the film business and been involved in the health movement for 20 years - sort of a strange combination, but it works.
If you’re into the whole grain, organic, pro-veggie movement, it’s a blog you might want to follow.
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09.23.08
Posted in Musings, Uncategorized at 9:38 pm by BartonG
Fortune favors the bold. - Virgil
I’ve been pondering the fleeting nature of opportunities. Here today and gone tommorow. Somethings just won’t be the same if you wait. Take donuts, for instance. Fresh from the bakery, they’ll make you salivate. Wait a week and you’ve got a dozen new doorstops.
Lately, I’ve mused over some specific opportunities relating to two of my favorite subjects: women and money.
At a social event, a stunningly beautiful woman walks into the room. Time is of the essense - you may never see her again or given an hour or so, she’ll have 5-11 drooling dudes orbiting around her, creating an almost impenetrable sheild of suck-ups. Plus, instead of being the first guy to introduce yourself and ask her name, you’ll be the 54th of a possible 213 men she’ll see tonight.
Now I’m not trying to promote rash, dangerous and impulsive behavior here. I’m just illustrating the following:
The difference between pimpalicious and wussbag might only be a few minutes. So don’t be a wussbag - get some courage and go say hi!
With certain matters finacial, also note:
Obviously, only a certain subset of opportunites are subject to this effect. The key is to recognize what kind of idea it is and how far it’s moved on it’s life-cycle.
Hot stock picks are a good example. Some company grows explosively and clever traders make a ton a cash. By the time Money magazine and the like spout off on how great the stocks is, it’s probably only a mediocre buy. It’s too late. Green apples ripen, red apples rot.
After you know an opportunity is legit, take a risk and try it! When I heard of CashCrate, I was skeptical and held off for a while. When I finially did get into it, I noticed some shortcuts and exploits and made some decent money, but waiting cost me some easy money. Tricks, hacks and exploits are typically short lived, so it’s best to jump on board asap. As long as it’s ethical, I think you should take advantage of things and milk them for all their worth!
I remember making $35 bucks for 15 minitues of work as an impromptu baggage carrier at a hotel. A bus of asian folks pulled up to the hotel I was at and most wanted their luggage ported. Amidst the choas, I quickly walked up to the tour group directer when he stepped off the bus and said, “I can take some of their baggage.” He nodded and I hauled luggage. At the end of the deal, the tour group leader even tipped me.
Which brings me to my point.
Don’t be a wussbag.
All of us have flashes of insight and intuition, just don’t let your inner demons talk you out of it. You already know it’s a good idea to talk to the girl in your yoga class, put away money in your IRA, or call your great aunt Flow. Time is precious, when you get an impression - and if following it through won’t kill you - just do it. You probably have several ideas that are still viable, even though their old. If you’re not a risk taker, get your feet wet with those. Get around to the “I really should” list and move on to “seizing the moment” style opportunites.
When you’ve got a stomache for it, I think you’ll like it.
NOTE:
Post semi-inspired by the book, Blue Ocean Strategy.
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05.14.08
Posted in Musings at 7:38 pm by BartonG
Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful. - Warren Buffet
The difficulty of good advice isn’t finding it, but knowing when and how to act on it. We live in uncertain times. The real estate market is pretty shaken up. The US dollar is weak. Etc, etc, ad nauseum. Now seems like a logical time to be fearful and hide in our shell. Are we sure that now is a good time?
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03.11.08
Posted in Musings at 5:35 am by BartonG
(Above: a string of diamonds with the patented Korloff cut)
Josh, a friend of mine, works for Korloff Paris a very exclusive luxury jewelry boutique. When I say “very exclusive luxury jewelry” I mean that they sell $50,000 dollar watches. Josh wears a chic black suit to work that matches his attractive and muscular physique. It’s a high class gig. However, things are slow right now and Josh is looking for a hotter, more active market. He’s thinking to relocated to one of the few other Korloff locations. He likes his job, but he wants more success.
Curiously, I was listening to Earl Nightingale’s most excellent retelling of a story called “Acres of Diamonds”, in the Lead the Field CD series. The story details a man who works on his farm in Africa, and is enticed by the rich fortunes in diamonds and sells all that he has to go search for them. His search is fruitless, leaving him drained and penniless. Dejected, he takes his own life. The man who bought his farm discovers diamonds in the stream on his property, making the farm into the most productive diamond mine in Africa. Had the first owner looked under his own feet he would have found out that he was standing on acres of diamonds. In summary, you should look for diamonds right where you are - the grass isn’t greener on the other side. Earl points out that there is just as much opportunity in your business, in your area no matter your field or location. You just need to know what to look for.
To Josh, and all others searching for something better, let me be straight up with you. Read the rest of this entry »
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02.27.08
Posted in Musings at 3:12 pm by BartonG
Destiny is to be made with our own hands by our sweat, blood, and willpower. It is commonly said that we should follow our dreams, pursue our passions walk our deepest path - but it’s rare to see it happen. Is the status quo of mediocrity due to our lack of desire? If not, what is it, and what on earth does it have to do with punching power?
I’m glad you asked. Everything.
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02.11.08
Posted in Musings at 4:56 pm by BartonG
He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.
- Lao Tzu
Many have noticed how deeply involved I am in martial arts and eastern philosophy. Today, I’m going to tell you why.
As a kid, I probably was enchanted by martial arts because of my fluctuating self-esteem and the glamor of the kung-fu guys on television. I fantasied about it a lot. With my abilities I could go on great adventures and save the day. My secret ancient knowledge would be sought for around the world. Bart would be important, and he could kick ass.
Thankfully, I don’t think about things with the same depth as I did as a child. Over recent years, the profundity of Eastern ideas has played a large part of my personal development. Practicing martial arts has been fundamental in helping grow throughout my life. My personal character, like a rough piece of granite, has been sculpted and worn smooth. The pain and discipline chisels away at my imperfections. Although the outer texture is still bumpy, I appreciate the martial arts for trying to reveal the potential masterpiece within.
My biggest reason for endorsing martial arts (MA) is the positive benefits it has on so many different aspects of life. It is awesome form of cross-training for personal confidence, health and philosophy. Other hobbies, like sewing, might be useful but it’s unlikely you’ll start an mind-expanding conversation about honor, respect and the nature of death from hemming your pants. Nor would it protect you from a flock of ninjas. Read the rest of this entry »
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02.08.08
Posted in Musings at 10:50 am by BartonG
I just got 7 hours of sleep last night, which is dramatic. You see, I have rarely slept more than 4 1/2 hours a night since 2007.
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01.20.08
Posted in Musings at 1:24 am by BartonG
I’ve have the blessing and misfortune of being extremely curious. I’m always trying something new or tearing something apart see how it works - it’s just my nature. One of my favorite things to experiment with is the act of making money. As you may already know, I’ve done a wide variety of things to obtain it (see How to make $25 immediately and Secrets of the Abundant life). A while back, I bumped into www.Moola.com, a site that allows you to compete and win money by beating opponents and make money by subjecting yourself to advertising. It’s a blend of addictive time wasting games and an opportunity to make cash. Naturally it piqued me interest.
As I have found out, you can pull $10 checks from them every month,
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01.07.08
Posted in Musings at 11:59 am by BartonG
Road less traveled
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
- Robert Frost
Prologue
I’m striving to write with a flair for the uncommon and unique. With personal progression in mind, I want to revel in the overlooked, undiscovered, and the unpopular. I partially like to be weird and esoteric just for the sake of it, but I see an ever increasing need to NOT be one of the crowd of blogs.
I can hardly tell all of the self development articles apart. There isn’t much variety in style, content or ideology. I swear in the last year I’ve read about how to increase my productivity no less than three hundred times but felt like I read the same three articles a hundred times apiece. It’s the same for almost every topic. It’s like a horde of bloggers all jumped on one single self-improvement bandwagon, unaware that it was going in a circle.
With great pleasure, and with much gratitude, I offer a few old stories to warn and teach you. I perceive that as a whole, they’re rather out of vogue. Of course, in line with all good pirate treasure, I’ve buried them at the bottom of all my dirt. See below.
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12.21.07
Posted in Musings at 1:45 am by BartonG
We’ve all probably heard of “how to be an early riser” or the popular idea that we should all wake up early, exercise and get going before dawn. I’m not knocking this – I know from personal experience that it certainly helps you be more successful. I’d like to take some time to explore the other side of the coin for a moment.
Instead of getting up early to achieve more, you can stay up late to the same things. Some of the great things about the early morning working hours apply to the late night ones as well. There are little or no distractions at midnight. Nobody is calling your cell or popping into your office. There is a lot of alone time for you to harness … if you can.
The proper night owl doesn’t let his late night activities get in the way of getting up at his usual time either. Just like getting up earlier doesn’t mean that you sacrifice the evening, don’t kill your morning in sake of the night!
Nature
Some people say they’re naturally early birds. Good for them. All of my early riserness comes from straightforward willpower, so I naturally hate those people who tell me, “Oh, my body has always just got up at six o’clock. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
I’m naturally a night owl. I like the night, the star-scapes, the calm dark serenity. There’s just something about it that I love. Maybe it was the brief emo-goth phase I never got to live during junior high that makes me like it so much. I’ll never know. I just like to stay up late.
Success at Night
As you may notice from many of the timestamps on my posts, many of them are written well after dark. I work hard during the day, but not typically for my entrepreneurial goals.
Today for instance, I worked 9 hours doing construction on paint booths. Not only is the work fairly physically taxing, I got injured today falling off a ladder and have a lime sized lump on my shin. I could be snoozing, but I’m blogging. I like to get home from work or school and spend time with my wife while she’s conscious. I’m not going to cut back on my awesome relationship with my wife to get ahead financially, or in any other area either. I just find the time when she’s asleep.
The thing to make sure being either an early bird or a night owl is to make it work for you. If cutting out some sleep makes you draggy and sloppy, go to bed and see if you can cut some daytime inefficiencies. Some people’s bodies are suited for it, some aren’t. Give them both a full effort and don’t shortchange yourself, but don’t deny the reality of biology.
Pointers For success: Nutrition
For me, my brain is the thing that would breakdown first late at night. I’d be staring at my computer screen, thinkingly slowly, “What … should … I … right… no… ‘write’… I messed up… heh … oh yeah…. what should I write tonight …” If your going to be burning the midnight oil, whether it be to finish a term project or just write the novel you’ve always wanted to, my number one tip is to eat right.
The last thing I have to stress is that you shouldn’t need artificial stimulants to stay up or get up. Solid nutrition for every meal will help abate this, but never give in to the coffee/energy drink trap. It’s like fools gold. You’ll spike up in energy then crash, needing another one. They are addictive and destructive. Leave them behind as the opiates of the morning masses.
Pointers For success: Timing Sleep Cycles
One of the problems of staying up late sometimes isn’t the concentration at night – it’s the retribution of the morning punishing you with un-heavenly grogginess. I avoid this by making sure I wake up right at the end of a 90 minute sleep cycle. Example: If I make it to bed at 2:00 AM, instead of waking up at 8:30, the latest time I can get up and still make it to work on time, I wake up at 8:00. I go through 4 complete 90 minutes cycles and am ready to go. If I wake up in the middle of one, I always feel tired and robbed of energy – a sleepiness it’s tough to shake.
Also, if you can grab micro naps during the day. Some days I’d much rather bring a lunch from home and munch on it throughout the day (usually a piece of fruit or two, a healthy sandwich, yogurt and nuts) and then use lunchtime to take a brief siesta. Besides, you can easily overeat going out to a restaurant and get slowed down. These mini sleeps make it easier to push on into the twilight. Again, some people just don’t nap well, so do what’s best for your body.
Pointer for success: Exercise
While you know it’s important for the early morning risers, you may not know it’s equally important for the night owls. Good overall health helps you focus, and exercise is a big part of that. Being fit is a necessity if you want to be able to focus your mind like a laser, no matter the time. If you can’t do it in the morning, go ahead and do it in the evening. Just don’t take one of those relaxing, drowsy hot showers directly afterwards, you’ll probably get prematurely tired.
Pointer for success: Avoid Distractions
Now that you’ve got some alone time, don’t spoil your effectiveness by opening up six tabs and surfing the net. Get right to you’re task. In fact, it’s a great idea to plan what your going to do before you embark at night. Without a game plan, you’ll waste a lot of time trying to discover what you should be doing. It’s easy to get sucked away into a mind numbing cable show or youtube movies. I also feel the need to point out that if you have a pornography addiction, you need to get help with that, fast.
In summary, don’t turn on the TV, don’t turn on the Internet unless you must. Get straight to work using your pre-made plan.
Pointer for success: Plan to your strengths, accepting your weaknesses
Some people can do creative work when their slightly tired late at night and others can’t. If you know you lose 30% of your focus past midnight, plan on that. Schedule more ‘mindless’ tasks later on when your brain power is likely to diminish. Also plan on re-reading your work in the morning. Sometimes you won’t be able to see grammar errors like their vs there if you’re brain isn’t firing on all cylinders.
Enjoy the music of the night
There is a different feeling to the night. I find that some of my best ideas for my fiction writing come from the dark pensive stillness. My creative juices get stimulated in a different way than they do in the daytime. My perception changes dramatically. Almost everybody’s asleep. The world is lonely, tranquil, poetic. If you’ve never done midnight meditation, you’re missing out on a neat thing. ( The first time you do it, you should do a eyes open standing meditation, as you may fall asleep.)
If you feel like you can join the ranks of the night owl, power to you!
Here’s to the neglected little night owl!
-B
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