Time to Change

February 27, 2010 3 Comments

Rather than a lengthy article, today I am calling for action.

In the few moments which you would usually spend reading about motivation and goals, use this time as an opportunity to improve or change a small piece of your life.

Pick up the phone and call your mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter, for no other reason than to say “Hello.”

Write an old fashioned letter to your significant other telling them how much you appreciate and love them.

Lace up your shoes and go for a walk.

Send an email inquiring about how you can become involved in a local charity or organization.

Change in life begins small, the same way the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Filed under Motivation, Opportunity, Prioritizing

Hundred Goals’ Blog Carnival #1

February 25, 2010 6 Comments

Being a new blogger is tough.

The hardest part isn’t finding a topic you are passionate to write about or even writing insightful, quality articles.  The hardest part is getting people to read it and join in on the conversation.

I want to change that, and this Blog Carnival is my attempt to spread the word about upcoming blogs.  Here is how it will work, and it depends on you to make this Carnival a huge success.

1) Post your “Elevator Speech” about your blog in the Comment Section.  Let everyone know a little bit about yourself and what topics you write about on your blog.

2) Post a link to your blog at the end of your comment.

3) Post a link to the Blog Carnival on your blog and promote the Carnival as much, or as little, as you like.  Have a Facebook account?  Share a link with your friends.

It is that simple, and with everyone working together, this could be a great chance for you to spread your message and share your blog with the world.  I can’t do this on my own and from here, it is up to you!

If you don’t have a blog, I encourage you to check out the comments and visit some new & upcoming blogs!!!

Cheers!

Filed under Link Collection

The Biggest Waste of Time That Can Change Your Life

February 20, 2010 5 Comments

Creating a list of one hundred goals is a monumental task.  Before reaching the one hundred mark, completing the list often becomes a goal of its own.  I didn’t finish my own list in a day or even a week but, in time, the list reached 100 goals and it continues to grow.  Today I  added my 123rd goal, “Learn how to Moon Walk like Michael Jackson”.

Writing a list of goals might seem like a big waste of time and, for some people, it might be.  Some people will write a list of goals and forget about them only moments later.  It is understandable.  We have “real lives” and chasing after a list of goals doesn’t fit into our routine.  There is dinner to be made, bills to be paid and obligations to fulfill.  That goal of taking a vacation with your mother isn’t really a priority.  That goal of becoming a doctor just isn’t practical when you have to work  two jobs just to make ends meet.

It is exactly that attitude, those who believe possibility doesn’t exist, that renders such a list meaningless.  A waste of time.  Not until this perspective is altered can a person maximize the value of such a list.  The reality isn’t that the list is a waste of time, it is your attitude that makes it a waste of time.  Without belief in yourself and in your abilities, a list changes absolutely nothing in your life.  If you don’t believe you can change, you won’t.  You will become a product of circumstance in your own life.  You forfeit control.

Those who dream and believe will find that creating a list of one hundred goals is exactly the catalyst they need to change their lives for the better.  Cynics may not believe that accomplishing a goal like skydiving or bungee jumping can change someone’s life.  I would argue otherwise.  Pursuing goals requires a person to stand up and take a proactive position in their own life.  They create opportunity and pursue their passions.  They conquer fear and overcome personal weakness.  No longer is their life a consequence of their surroundings but instead, a result of their efforts.

Those who dream and believe will do what it takes to make their dreams a reality.  They will do what it takes to change the aspects of their lives that they are not happy with and will begin living aggressively in pursuit of their desires and ambitions.

Creating your own list of one hundred goals might just be the biggest waste of time that can change your life…forever.

Filed under Attitude, Goals, Motivation

Personal Finance Update

February 14, 2010 3 Comments

At the beginning of the year I wrote an article titled Attention to Detail: Finances where I discussed my financial situation as being weak.  Having focused almost entirely on debt elimination, I have left myself in a position where my goal of becoming debt free is able to be undermined in an instant.

While I was paying off debt, my savings account was ignored and I emptied my Emergency Fund in order to pay off the last of my Auto Loan.  While all of my effort has been for the greater good, I have been living from week to week as a result.  To find balance in my finances, I made the following declaration:

“I will establish a savings plan to compliment my debt repayment plan.  In doing so, I will create a balance in my finances which will help accomplish both goals simultaneously.”

By the time February arrived I still hadn’t been proactive in finding a balanced approach to my finances.  Instead, I was focusing exclusively on rebuilding my savings account.  I managed to put away $650 in that time, however, my debt repayment plan was pushed aside and largely ignored.  I even procrastinated on personal financial obligations in order to boost my Emergency Fund.

While I succeeded in creating a small financial cushion, my other goals slipped through the cracks and I lost an entire month of repayment.  Instead of further perpetuating this imbalance in my finances, I made a promise to create a budget that would balance my savings goals with my debt repayment goals.  I am happy to say that today, that goal is accomplished.

I have a budget that allows both savings and debt repayment.  The only disappointment in this budget is that working at both goals simultaneously slows down progress on each.  I had hopes of being able to pay off about $15,000 of Student Loan debt in the next year and a half.  This was highly ambitious to begin with and now seems even more unrealistic.  Regardless, I will do all that I can to pay down my debt as quickly as my financial situation allows.

In addition to creating a budget, I have created accounts specifically for the expenses outlined in my budget including Household Expenses (Rent, Utilities), Variable Expenses (Cable, Internet, Cell Phone and Food), Auto Insurance and Emergency Fund.

It is a start, and while there are flaws, it is a beginning towards a more stable and balanced approach to my finances.

Filed under Budgeting, Debt, Savings

Goal #6) Sponsor a Child

February 13, 2010 7 Comments

We’ve all seen the commercials asking you to become the sponsor of a starving child.  Our hearts are heavy for these children as we see them barely clinging to life.  We wish there was something we could do to change their situation and more times than I’d like to admit, I’ve turned my head, diverted my eyes or changed the channel.  After a few moments, the guilt subsides and my life goes on as usual.

So do their lives.  The commercials end but the suffering goes on.  Children all over the world are still hungry, still dying of preventable diseases, still drinking dirty water.  My few moments of guilt do nothing to improve their situation.

I have always thought about sponsoring a child but I never felt like the time was right.  I didn’t feel like I had enough money.  My recent trip to Isla Roatan in Honduras opened my eyes to the struggle people face on a daily basis.  A sixty second commercial does not have the same impact on a person as being there.  I realized that no matter how “broke” I convince myself that I am, my life is so fortunate and I should give to those less fortunate than myself.

Today, instead of feeling guilty about doing nothing, my girlfriend and I sponsored a child in Honduras.  I accomplished a goal but more importantly, I am helping in a small way to change someone else’s life for the better.  I am helping give them an opportunity in life.  Helping someone else is far more rewarding than scratching another goal off of my list.

I urge you to consider sponsoring a child of your own.  It will be one of the most rewarding choices of your life.

Filed under Accomplishments, Goals

Things I Hate

February 12, 2010 10 Comments

I have a confession to make.  I hate the Internet.  I hate Facebook and I hate MySpace.  As much as I hate these things, I am drawn to them.  Like a moth to the flame, I find myself checking my email repeatedly throughout the day.  I check in on Facebook to update my status and check to see if my friends are doing anything exciting.

I hate television, especially “Reality” TV.  As much as I hate it, I watch Dr. Phil, Wife Swap, The Bachelor and The Biggest Loser.  I spend a large portion of my day sitting in front of our 52″ flat screen television.

I hate cell phones and text messages but recently I joined the rest of society and got a phone.  I tend to leave it at home or I forget to charge it, rendering it useless.  The less I use it, the better I feel about having a phone but I still have a bill to pay every month.

I hate iPods but I listen to mine every chance I get.

I hate all of these things because they all lead to one thing; human disconnect.  Facebook is a great way to share photos and update your friends about what is happening in your life but it has replaced real human interaction with these people.  It has become a substitute to forming meaningful relationships.

Instead of engaging ourselves in our communities, we are locked up behind closed doors watching hours upon hours of television.  The shows we watch bill themselves as being “Reality” but nothing could be further from the truth.  Reality is what you get when you open the door and go for a walk and interact with your neighborhood and community.

My generation is obsessed with their cell phones.  In situations where there may be potential for human interaction our escape is to grab our phones and pretend to be busy.  We are glued to our phones.  We text during class, meetings and when we are on the toilet.  There are even some who sleep with their phone under their pillow at night.

iPods are a great device but they create a barrier to interaction that is impossible to break.  People are so lost in their world of personal music that they exist amongst the masses entirely disconnected from reality and social engagement.

Meaningful conversation seems to have become a thing of the past.  Growing up behind the glow of a computer screen and playing video games rather than going outside to play with our peers has come at the expense of social skills.  We don’t know how to interact and we have become socially awkward.

It seems the only time we are able to break through this social disconnect is after we drink a couple of beers and have a good buzz going. And of course we will post photos of our drunken revelries on Facebook to show how social and popular we are to the 500 friends we hardly know.

Filed under Random Thoughts, Rants

The Five(ish) Year Plan

February 8, 2010 1 Comment

Half the time I’m not even sure what I am going to eat for dinner.  How am I ever to figure out where my life will be in one year or even five years?  Looking back over the past five years of my life, I wouldn’t have been able to predict that my life would be where it is today.  Five years ago I was broke, working at a low paying retail job that I absolutely hated.  I was floating bad checks to pay my bills and had no intention of changing.  I started working after graduating and had no desire to continue my education.  I was on a dead end path to a meaningless existence.

Things have changed since then.  I have eliminated my consumer debts and have money in the bank.  I am a year and a half away from graduating college with a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Science.  I am focused on succeeding at everything I do and am doing so.  Last semester I earned a place on the Dean’s List and was elected Vice President of a student environmental organization.  My life is a stark contrast from what it used to be.

Without capturing my desire and chasing after my ambitions my life would not be where it is today.  No doubt I could still be working the same retail job if I hadn’t made a conscious decision to quit.  I could still be broke if I hadn’t made a decision to change.  I might not have gone to college had I decided that a Diploma was good enough for me.  Without taking an active role in my own life, I may not have found myself living the life I am today.  For better, or worse, my life is a culmination of every choice and decision I have ever made.

Five years ago looks very different from today and I have no doubt that five years from now will look even more different than life today.  Then again, without goals, my life might look exactly the same as it does today.

So, what do I have planned for my life over the next five years?

In a year and a half, I will have earned my Bachelor Degree.  I have every intention of continuing my education in pursuit of a Master’s Degree.  The University of Minnesota offers a Peace Corps Master’s International program in Natural Resource Science & Management, which I will enroll in.  I will spend one year taking classes then two years volunteering with the Peace Corps before I return home to complete my Master’s Program.  Following this route will allow me to accomplish 3 of my personal life goals; 63) Attend college in another state, 116) Earn my Master’s Degree and 107) Join the Peace Corps.

By this time I will be about 5 years into my future and I have no intention of giving up here.

For a while I have known that the plan outlined above is what I want out of my life but had no idea where to go from there.  Recently, I have come to a conclusion.  My ambitions in this life do not consist of punching a time clock, yet I need to earn a living.  My desire is to live a life of meaning, one where my actions directly impact the world in a positive way.  I wish to control my own destiny and create my own reality.  With these guidelines in mind, I have decided that the best option might be for me to begin a non-profit organization to help improve the quality of life for people in developing nations, primarily in Central and South America.  Exactly what or where or how have yet to be determined but I expect much of this to be figured out while serving in the Peace Corps.

That is my five year plan.  Creating this map will help guide me to my goals.

What is your five year plan?

Filed under Lifestyle Engineering

Removing Temptation, Eliminating Dependency

February 6, 2010 Leave a Comment

Eliminating my credit card debt has always been my top priority.  When I created my list of 100 goals, it was my number one goal.  After years of struggling to get out of debt, I managed to pay off the last of my credit cards.  It was the first time in my adult life that I didn’t owe money to a credit card company.

I decided to keep one credit card account open while I began working towards funding an Emergency Fund.  Doing this allowed access to a line of credit while my savings began to grow.  In addition to the line of credit, keeping the account open provided the benefit of 1% cash back on purchases.  I could use the card to pay for Stuff I would buy anyways and earn a little bit of money in the process.

For a while, things were working out fine.  I was able to pay off the balance when the statement arrived at the end of the month.  Over time I began to let the balance slide and I didn’t pay off the entire balance.  This pattern began to compound and before long I was carrying a balance of a few hundred dollars.  I was headed back towards the same life of credit card debt that I had just worked so hard to get out of.

In my mind, I had thought that I could be able to control my spending and use a credit card responsibly.  I thought I could use the card to earn cash back and play the game to my advantage.  I was wrong.  Dollar by dollar I was digging myself deeper and deeper.  The only positive aspect of the entire situation is that I was able to recognize my predicament before it reached a point where it was out of control.  My balance was small enough that with a little discipline, I could be out of debt in a couple weeks.

So that is what I am doing.  I am once again working to get myself out of credit card debt.

This time, instead of thinking I can use a credit card responsibly, I have removed it from my wallet and will not use it on a daily basis any longer.  The only time I plan on using it is to purchase plane tickets, book hotel reservations and when I travel for the security and fraud benefits it provides.  Outside of these specific uses, the card will stay locked away in my closet.  By doing this I am removing temptation and eliminating dependency.

Instead of focusing on paying for my past, I can use that money to save for the future.  I like that idea much better.

Filed under Credit Cards, Debt

My Wandering Mind: Isla Roatan, Honduras

February 5, 2010 8 Comments

The following is a journal entry written at some point during my travels.  I offer it to you in hopes of inspiring you to consider the world we live in during your own travels.  It is one thing to be a visitor in a foreign land and another to be mindful and conscious of the people and culture you find yourself a part of, even if only temporarily.

At first glance, Roatan is an island paradise.  Dense jungles cover the rolling landscape as far as you can see and brilliantly colored buildings greet you as you arrive in port.  In the distance, mainland Honduras peaks over the horizon.  It is an idyllic setting, one which you might imagine as you dream of the perfect island location; white sands, palm trees and a peaceful demeanor.

This is only a tiny fraction of Isla Roatan and in my quest for a more meaningful experience I didn’t need to travel very far from the gated and guarded tourist area.  As we left the port in our rental car, local people lined the sides of the road, trying to sell us tours and trips around the island.  Considering as how this had been common practice in every place we had visited so far, we weren’t surprised.

After getting through the crowds, we began our road trip around the island’s single highway. The colorful and pristine atmosphere of the port disappeared the very instant we left the port.  In fact, we found ourselves in the middle of a country that seemed to be struggling to exist.

As we made our way through a small town at the end of the island, dodging potholes in the dirt road, a young girl, maybe five years old, was walking across the street balancing a container of water on her head.  She flashed us a smile as we drove by.  When we arrived at a beach that had been recommended by a local, we were disappointed to find it packed with American tourists.   Still, it was a beautiful beach so we found a spot further down the shore, away from all of the people.

Erin and I played around in the water for a few minutes, chasing fish and splashing water at each other.  It didn’t take long for our small strip of beach to become the preferred location for a group of tourists who decided to stand directly in front of us while they chattered away about their worldly travels.  We decided to continue our journey around the island before it was time for us to board our cruise ship.  Looking at the map, we chose a random stretch of coastline that looked like it might have a beach and we began our drive to the other side of the island.

It is difficult to describe the living conditions of the island.  The houses were little more than shacks.  Garbage was piled between them and along the ditches.  It felt like I was driving through a third world country, a far cry from the beauty of the colorful port.  The beaches were no longer strips of pristine white sands.  Instead, the water was murky brown against a rocky coast, clearly polluted by the nearby city.

I am not so much affected by the way people live as I am by the way the world attempts to ignore it or hide it.  After driving around the island and having the opportunity to see how people live on the island, I was disgusted by the ”perfection” of the port.  That the majority of people who visit Roatan will never leave the port and will have fond memories of frozen drinks, palm trees, and waiters who spoke with “that cute Mexican accent” is disheartening.

This is what tourists want.  They want to watch reality TV but don’t have a clue about what the reality is.  They want to travel the world, even if it means gates and armed guards “protecting” them from the local people.  It seems ludicrous to me that a country allows fences to be built to keep local people out and away from the tourists.  This is their country and they have more right to be here than anyone else.

I know the world has no intention of changing.  What fun would it be for tourists to have to interact with the local people outside of having them blend their cocktails?  That is just not the experience tourists want.  They are not searching for reality.  They want a key chain made in China from shops owned by American corporations.  They want pretty photos of them standing in the blue waters of the beautiful Caribbean.  It wouldn’t be fun for them to learn what life is actually like for the people in the places they are visiting.  It is good enough for them to wear the shirts they bought in the Port of Call to show their friends how worldly they are becoming.

Before disembarking, I spent a while on the tourist beach next to the cruise boat to try to figure it out.  Being there only intensified my frustration and disgust.  The contrast between the reality of the island and what I now found myself surrounded by was bold.

I stopped to talk with a security guard who was writing something in a notebook between checking tourist’s IDs.  I asked her if she was a writer and she laughed.  I asked her what there was to do on the island and she laughed again, telling me that there was nothing.  I smiled, knowing exactly what she meant.  Of course, try to tell that to one of the thousands of people who have no idea what is beyond the gates and they might think you were crazy, I mean, “Come on!  Look at this place!”

Filed under 192 Countries, My Wandering Mind

January Wrap Up

February 1, 2010 1 Comment

As so many people do on New Years, I set out to rectify a handful of my many faults.  Where do I stand after one month?

New Years Resolutions

Diet:  “I will no longer treat my mouth like a garbage can and junk food will find its way to the trash where it belongs.  I will learn about healthy eating, teach myself how to prepare healthy meals and reduce the number of times I visit restaurants significantly.”

By and large, my effort to improve my diet this month has been a flop and the reason why is simple, laziness.  More times than not, it is far more convenient to go out to eat than it is to cook meals at home.  I did make a couple of attempts at trying new recipes including a Belizean dish and Chicken Gnocchi Soup from Olive Garden.  The Belizean meal was a complete failure while the Chicken Gnocchi Soup turned out just okay.

In February, I will begin tracking how often I eat out and how much I am spending.  By doing this I will be able to track my progress rather than making qualitative assumptions.

Finance: ”I will establish a savings plan to compliment my debt repayment plan.  In doing so, I will create a balance in my finances which will help accomplish both goals simultaneously.”

I have not established any formal savings plan to compliment my debt repayment plan.  Instead, I have been focusing on generally building up my savings account and have temporarily held off on debt repayment.  Since the beginning of January I have saved approximately $650, a solid start.  This has come at the cost of reducing my debt and ignoring a couple of personal obligations.

In February, I will establish a formal savings and debt repayment plan that will help accomplish both goals rather than further perpetuating this imbalance in my finances.

Fitness: “In order to refocus my attention on physical fitness, I have purchased a gym membership and have been exercising on a daily basis for the past couple of weeks.”

I have not continued my daily exercise routine as systematically as I had envisioned, though I continue to exercise regularly.  Now that school is back in session, my motivation to exercise has declined and it is easy to tell myself that there is no time in the day to go to the gym.

In February, in order to combat the excuse of time constraints, I will establish a regular exercise schedule that works with my school schedule.

Health:  “In an effort to correct my back problems, I have decided to begin seeing a chiropractor.  I will also schedule an appointment with a doctor to determine what might be wrong with my knee and learn what my options are to correct the problem.  I will also use this appointment as an opportunity for an annual physical examination…”

I have continued seeing my chiropractor regularly and am pleased to say that I have noticed significant improvement in my back pain.  I also made an appointment to have a physical exam.  My blood pressure was at the lowest level I can remember it ever being.  Before being laid off from my job, my blood pressure was consistently at pre-hypertension levels, at 25 and 26 years old!  I also asked about my knee problems and was given some simple stretches to help reduce or eliminate the cause of my pain.

In February, I will continue working with my chiropractor to further improve my spinal health.

Personal Resolutions

Travel: My recent trip to the Caribbean knocked off almost 5,000 miles of my goal to travel 50,000 miles in 2010.  In March I will be traveling to Germany (~10,000 miles) for a week to visit a friend and in May I will be landing in Reykjavik, Iceland (~6,000 miles) for a week of exploration.  After these trips, in order to meet my 50,000 mile goal, I will have to travel an additional 29,000 miles.  That is a large distance to cover but I have some thoughts in mind for Summer travel.  It is still early in the year!

Education: Last week I received a letter in the mail informing me that I had made the Dean’s List for the Fall semester.  This is the first time I have ever succeeded at this level.

Student Loans: I finished the semester with a 3.8 GPA and in doing so, earned a $2,000 SMART Grant for the Spring semester.  If I am able to keep my GPA above 3.0, I will maintain my eligibility for this grant for the next year.  My personal goal of maintaining a 3.5 GPA is now more than a personal goal.  It is a way for me to minimize my Student Loan debt.

A month in review, some wins and some struggles.  February brings 28 days of possibility!

Filed under Goal Updates

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