Wednesday 28 September 2011

Laugh Out Loud.....with Dane Cook

Okay, so to bring a little laughter into your lives from time to time, I'm going to be posting some stand-up that I've been watching.  I LOVE stand-up comedy, and spend a lot of my time watching it.

Today my gift to you is Dane Cook, you may recognise him from films like 'Good Luck Chuck' and 'Employee of the Month'.  Watch the YouTube video below, and let me know what you think!  Enjoy your day guys.




Monday 26 September 2011

And the Prize Winner is.....

So a week has gone by, and it's time to reward one of my followers for being so awesome!  In the interest of fairness, I'm going to list all my followers and give each a number, and then use a random number generator to select who the winner is....  So here are your numbers guys:

1. Drew Hanley
2. InkOUTBREAK
3. Amy Thorne
4. Hayley Allen
5. Laura Parish
6. Sam Brownjohn
7. Melanie Cox
8. Louise Done
9. Emma Trent
10. Dale Foster
11. Amy Pougher
12. Hannah
13. Hannah Willmott
14. Joe Lifton
15. Ruben Steel
16. Ultimate Quote
17. Lawrence Neal
18. Rachael Harrison

19. Hannah Treagus
20. Peter Jones
21. Emma Cotterill
22. Jean Taylor
23. Jo Barker
24. Rosie Hollobone
25. Paul Stirzaker
26. Ellen Chesterman
27. Lindsay Rowlatt
28. Oliver Bradley
29. Shane King Barnard
30. Stu Long
31. Rohan Seal
32. Callum Treagust
33. Kelly Humphrey
34. Greg Phipps
35. Andy Rule
36. Mog

So I've just completed the random number generator, and here are the results:


Which makes the winner.............Ellen Chesterman!  Congratulations!




T.G.I Mondays #6




It's that time again, it scares me how quickly weeks go.  What did you get done last week?  What did you achieve?  Did you make any of the excuses mentioned in the video above?  I know I did!  But acknowledging that is the first step towards taking action against excuses.  So get it down on paper, what are you planning for this week?  Next time you're reading my TGI Monday post, how are you going to be feeling different?

Last week I ran a prize draw on this blog, the winner of which will be announced later today.  I really just wanted to say thank-you to the people who are reading this every time I post, the people who have supported me with kind words and motivation.  When you start reaching higher, and breaking away from the conformist mold in a bid to find huge success, people don't generally like it.  I've already experienced this in my life, some people can't just be happy and supportive.  I don't write this blog in a bid to make others look lazy, or unsuccessful - I do it because I want to share knowledge that I pick up, and if possible - inspire others to take action.  Headphones aren't exactly a HUGE prize, I know this, I'm not delusional - but at this stage it's what I can afford.  I'm sure you guys are appreciative, and they'll be more to come.

This weeks quote, brought to you by Ultimate Quote is....

'No one has ever become poor by giving'....... Anne Frank

I like that quote, I think it's a good mantra to live by.  Give something today guys.  Whether it's 2p in a bucket for charity, or a lunch to a homeless guy.  Giving is rewarding for all who are involved.

This week will see Kane and I finish our lengthy business plan, and start to plan the pages of our website in preparation for a meeting with a web designer.  It also sees me go back to University, entering my final year!  This year is important for two reasons.  Firstly, I obviously want to do relatively well this year to secure a decent grade (even though I don't plan to really use my degree).  Secondly, this academic year marks down a timeline for me to succeed.  My goal is to be making enough money to live from passive income by the time I graduate.

Have a great week guys, if you're going back to Uni - have fun!

Thursday 22 September 2011

Learning about Learning


It is important to understand how we, as humans, learn things.  We are powerful machines with immense capabilities so long as we know and understand how we work.  By understanding the learning process and how our minds work and learn, we can achieve successes many deem impossible.

To properly learn something – it has to be committed to the unconscious mind.  This is because in general our conscious mind only has the power to consider 7 pieces of information at any one time.  Our unconscious mind in contrast is unbelievably powerful; it is your unconscious mind that keeps you breathing when you need to, it’s also what you use to drive to work.  So how do we commit something to our unconscious mind?

There are four stages to learning something.  First comes unconscious incompetence, then conscious incompetence, conscious competence and finally unconscious competence.  Let me apply this to the analogy of learning how to use a computer.  Before computers were widely used you had no idea how a computer worked (unconscious incompetence).  Then you bought one and read the manual on how to use it, but you were still struggling with how to use it (conscious incompetence).  Eventually you start to figure out how to operate it, but you have to concentrate on what you’re doing (conscious competence).  And now, today you use your computer on a daily basis without even thinking, you switch it on, send emails without ever consciously considering each action (unconscious incompetence).

Finally it is important to understand the journey of mastery.  George Leonard’s book ‘Mastery’ reveals many incredible discoveries which will truly aid all of our journeys to mastering any topic.  His main theory is that of the ‘The Mastery Curve’, seen below.


When learning a new skill, it is natural to see a big improvement at first but then see your ability decrease slightly before reaching a plateau.  Then after a while you will see another burst of improvement followed by another slight decrease and plateau.  Unfortunately lots of people aren’t blessed with such knowledge, and it is for this reason that a lot of people give up during a plateau, when they are putting in equal efforts and receiving no improvement.  Use your knowledge of the Mastery Curve to keep yourself focussed during those plateau moments.

Monday 19 September 2011

PRIZE DRAW: Win a brand new pair of Sony Headphones

As I love all of you guys who are following this blog and supporting me, I want to give something back.  So, a week today, I will randomly select one of my followers and they will win a brand new pair of Sony headphones.

All you have to do in order to have a chance of winning is be a follower of my blog!  Oh, and choose whether you want them in red or blue!



Check out the Sony website to find out more about the headphones here.

Next Monday morning, I'll be putting everyone of my followers names in a hat and then I'll be pulling a name out of a hat to reveal the winner.  The process will be filmed in the interest of fairness.  So make sure to check back this time next week to see if you're the lucky winner!


T.G.I. Mondays #5



Five?! Can you believe that?!  This is the fifth TGI Mondays I've given you guys.  But I'm going to keep giving it to you, because the stats show it's the post you love the most.  That's right, I rhyme.  Another awesome video this week, if you don't know what hard work looks like it - watch it.  If you do, watch it anyway!

Last weeks video still echoes around my head a week on, "you need to want success as much as you want to breathe" -  that is so powerful.  Blows my mind just saying it out loud.  How bad do you want success?  Success is different to everyone of course.  One man may consider success as being losing 10 stone, another woman may consider success to be giving an awesome presentation at her work.  But you've got to want it.  What do you want?

Without getting too cheesy, this week I want to comment on someone who inspires me daily.  You've guessed it, my Mum.  As Mums go, she's unrivaled.  She has been through a lot in her time, and yet she still strives for success.  She is loved at her workplace by all, and consistently performs to a high level.  On top of this she has completed a foundation degree and is now going on to complete her full degree.  She'll probably moan at me for posting this online, because she's modest to boot.  She opens her house to all my friends as if they were her own.  She drives me forward, and supports all my outlandish ideas and concepts.  She nurtures my ambition and keeps my feet on the ground when they need to be.  Here's a picture of me and her at her graduation recently...


So, the secret's out - I am a Mummy's boy.  

On to this weeks quote, as always brought to you by the up and coming Ultimate Quote:

'We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations'  -  Charles R. Swindoll

Look for the opportunities this week guys - and don't let them pass!  Thanks for reading, and keep on craving success.




 

Friday 16 September 2011

Album Review: Nero - Welcome Reality

For the past year or so, I have kept hearing music and then saying - "this is amazing, who is this?!", and the answer was more often than not....Nero.  So I was quite excited to get my hands on their new offering, entitled 'Welcome Reality'.


Nero originate from London, and have just recently signed to MTA Records (owned by Chase & Status) - this makes perfect sense as their sound could easily be compared to that of Chase & Status.  Not that I am comparing them, as I think most would agree that C&S are on a whole other level.  It's awesome to see so many UK artists doing their thing and demanding the attention they deserve.

On to the album, overall I was pleased.  However, I will say one thing - it's a little bit samey.  Don't get me wrong, there are some huge stand out tracks which will blow your mind, but there's also a fair few that will go forgotten.  My personal preferences on the album are 'Innocence', 'Guilt' and the crazy-good remix of Justice's 'Stress', 'Angst'.  When 'Angst' first started playing I was a little annoyed to be honest, 'who the hell are these guys to be mucking around with Justice?!', but fair play to them because the track is easily on a par with the original, dare I say it - maybe better.

The album has a good blend of dubstep, drum & bass and house, some of the tracks have a particularly mainstream sound to them, which at first I hated - but ended up accepting.  The album is well worth a listen, as there are some awesome tracks on it, but just expect it to go missing in between them a little.

I'd give the album 7/10.   Have you checked it out?  What are your thoughts on it?


Wednesday 14 September 2011

The concept that often separates the successful, from the unsuccessful.

I stumbled across a theory the other day which was labelled as one of the biggest differences between people who naturally succeed in life, and people who struggle and consequently give up.  So get your paper and pen, and take note.

The unsuccessful person.  We'll call him Bob.  Bob has an 'ideal' that he is trying to achieve, he knows where he wants to end up.  This ideal is so specific, the brain naturally can begin to see it, smell it, feel it.  He knows exactly how it should look in his head.  So Bob starts working towards his ideal, he works for months, and then years.  Soon, five years have past and Bob takes a moment to reconsider how much closer he is to his 'ideal'.  To his disappointment, he is no closer.  How could this be? He had worked so hard for so five years, surely he must be a bit closer?  Bob begins to cry like a small girl, and decides to give up his goals and gets a job doing something he dislikes, but just manages to pay his bills.

So what happened?  Why didn't Bob get any closer to his 'ideal'?  Bobs 'ideal' was constantly evolving.  As all of our 'ideals' are.  Imagine what you wanted three years ago, and compare it to what you want now.  We evolve, and so do our concepts of our 'ideal'.  The ideal is identical to the horizon, in that if you set out one day to walk to the horizon you could be walking for months, and still be no closer.  So what could Bob have done?

Meet Rob.  The successful person.  Rob decided what his ideal was and began working towards it also.  He worked equally hard, and after five years of it decided to consider how he was doing in his journey.  This next bit is what separates Rob from Bob.  Instead of looking forward, and seeing how far he was from his end goal, his ideal, he looked backwards.  He considered where he was now to be 'B', and he looked back at 'A' (where his journey began) and considered how far he had come.  Rob put down his work, and with a huge smile on his face went for a beer to celebrate how successful he had been so far.  The next day, Rob wakes up and continues working hard on his journey to success.

So the secret is to constantly consider how far you've come, as opposed to how far you still have to go.  If your goal is to become a millionaire, by the time you've become one - you've probably already started wishing to become a billionaire.  Your ideal evolves.  Get used to it, and work with it.

Monday 12 September 2011

T.G.I. Mondays #4



How bad do you want it?  How bad do you want success?  This video is arguably the most motivating video I've ever watched.  Don't it just make you want to get up and take action?  What's your plan for this week guys, time to get busy!  I hit pretty much all of my goals last week.  The business is coming along nicely, last week was spent analysing every element of ALL our competitors, and then listing what we will include and how we can compete by doing what others do, but better.  I'm pretty sure we've now settled on a name for the company too, which is great stuff.

If you don't know where you're going, how are you going to get there?  What do you love doing most?  If you could wake up every day and do whatever you wanted with no repercussions, what would it be?  Now take that, and figure out a way to live that life.  It's possible, just because it's not the normal way doesn't mean it's not possible.  Make the big goal, and then break it up into year goals.  Then break those up into month goals, week goals etc.

This weeks playlist is up as well, make sure to check it out - there is a real collection of different genres in there, as always if you're offended by any naughty words please don't listen.

This weeks quote, as always brought to you by Ultimate Quote is:

'The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal.  The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach' - Benjamin Mays

Never a truer word spoken, so get setting those goals.  My Mum told me the other day that she worried about me because she feared that I have my heart so set on success that if it doesn't materialise, I may be devastated.  She asked what if I spend my whole life chasing dreams, and never achieve any of them?  To which I replied, my biggest fear in life is that I'll have regrets on my deathbed (that and spiders), how could I possibly regret chasing my dreams, even if I never met them - I can be happy in knowing that I gave it everything I've got!

What are you chasing?  Your pension, or your passion?

Friday 9 September 2011

My Inspirations: Tim Ferriss

There's not many books that I can say have honestly changed my life, perhaps only as many as I can count on one hand.  But without a doubt, 'The 4-Hour Work Week', by Tim Ferriss is definitely up there as one of the most important books I've ever read.  It opened my eyes to a whole new way to live life, the life of the 'new rich'.

Tim Ferriss is an author, entrepreneur, a cage fighter, a world record holder in tango dancing, a guest lecturer at Princeton University, an actor on a hit TV show in China, a breakdancer on MTV and countless other insane things.  His life alone is an inspiration, but in 'The 4-Hour Work Week' he tells you exactly how you can live your life as fully as he lives his.

His philosophy is simple, why would you work for someone else your whole life, making them rich, and saving what you can in a pension so that you can spend it when you're too old to do anything interesting with it?  When put like that, it seems obvious - but that is how most people spend their lives.  I for one do not intend on doing this at all.  It's a scary prospect to not conform, when that is simply 'the way it is' in many people's minds.  But it really doesn't have to be, and Tim Ferriss shows you how.

He talks about generating business systems which effectively run themselves, so that you can achieve freedom both financially and with your time.  His book is priceless, and I really couldn't recommend you buy it enough.  There's a reason why it was the NY Times #1 Bestseller.

He has now gone on to write a second book (yes, also a NY Times #1 Bestseller), called 'The 4-Hour Body'.  This book talks about the idea of 'hacking in to your body', getting the biggest results from the smallest efforts.  The tagline, 'An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman', kind of sums it up.  This book hasn't necessarily changed my life, but it is extremely interesting and useful!

Tim Ferris is definitely one of my biggest inspirations and anyone who has not tapped into his vast knowledge and advice, is missing out in a huge way.  So open your eyes and go and learn about the 'new rich'.

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Album Review: Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX - We're New Here

As this blog is about getting the most out of life, I will definitely be commenting on music and films regularly as they are a huge part of my life, and I believe this is the same for many people.  So expect the occasional album or film review.

I felt compelled to write about this album, as eight months into the year it is easily my favourite album of the year.  Gil Scott-Heron for those who don't know was a soul and jazz poet, who unfortunately passed away this year after falling ill upon return from a trip to Europe.  He released the album 'I'm New Here' last year, and Jamie XX from the popular group 'The XX' took it upon himself to remix the album and aptly rename it 'We're New Here'.  Three months after it's release Scott-Heron would sadly die.


The album is faultless, and although it has been greatly modernised and made 'current' - it still holds all the power and meaning that Scott-Heron brought to all his work.  The three stand out tracks for me are: 'Running', 'I'll Take Care of You' and 'NY is Killing Me'.  But every track on the album is incredible in it's own little way.  The whole album has a very unique sound which I imagine we'll hear more of as Jamie XX continues to rise in popularity.  It only saddens me that this combination of artists will likely never collaborate again.

The album is special to me for two reasons, firstly because of Scott-Heron's death in May, and secondly because it was pretty much all I listened to whilst I lost my NY virginity earlier this year.  Seems like yesterday I was walking down 7th, listening to this album, and every time I listen to it - it takes me back.  Check out the album and let me know what you think of it.

What's your favourite album so far this year?

Monday 5 September 2011

T.G.I. Mondays #3


Thank.
God.
It's.
Monday.

When I say that, I mean it.  Can you do the same?  I genuinely get excited by the start of another week, because it signifies that I have completed another week of goals, and I'm about to start on another.  Imagine if you will a Monopoly board, when you decide on a huge goal you want to achieve - you start moving towards it.  Let's say that that goal is to reach Mayfair.  It certainly doesn't happen with one roll of the dice.  But each week that goes past is like another roll of the dice.  Sure some weeks I may only move a tiny bit closer, but other weeks I make giant leaps.  When was your last giant leap?  What happens when I reach Mayfair?  Apart from passing go and collecting £100, I make new goals and start again.  Humans are machines which need to set and chase goals.  So do it.

This week's video is a Nike commercial which I found kind of awesome.  Give it a watch and enjoy it.

To fill you in on what this week holds for me, I plan to sit down with Kane and analyse exactly what our competition are offering, and start plans to better it.  Could be a long process, but is a necessity to ensure success.  We're also going to have to secure the domain name this week so we don't miss out.  I'm personally also going to be trying to get some fitness goals back on track as well, going to Florida soon - so I should probably start working out again!  What does your week hold for you? Tell me!

This week's quote, as always brought to you by the fantastic Ultimate Quote is:

'You will find the key to success under the alarm clock'.............Benjamin Franklin.

I chose this quote because it's an area that I am working on; waking up with more purpose, more determination.

Have a great week guys, whether you're starting at Old Kent Road, or moments from success at Park Lane, it doesn't matter.  Roll the dice!

Friday 2 September 2011

The Best Daily Goal Setting System Available

If you don't set goals, then you're not moving forward.  Start setting them.

I read a book a few weeks ago called 'The Unemployed Millionaire', written by Matt Morris.  It's fantastic and I strongly recommend you all go buy it today.  Today I'm going to be focusing on a goal setting system that Matt talks about in his book which I've been using since and it has proved to be so productive.  Here's a step by step guide to creating your daily goals, the Matt Morris way!

1) Before you go to bed, make a list of all the things you want to get done tomorrow.  Don't go crazy, be realistic but also make sure not to give yourself to an easy-a-ride.  Example:
  • Pay money into the bank
  • Practice meditating for 30 minutes
  • Write 5 blog posts
  • Pick up some bread
  • Work out for 60 minutes
  • Attend meeting with business advisor 
2) Now that you have your list, you need to categorise them into A,B, or C.  If the action HAS to be achieved tomorrow, then it is an A priority.  If it'd be good if the action did get completed tomorrow then categorise it as a B priority.  And finally anything which doesn't really have to be done tomorrow, but it would just be a bonus if it did get finished, categorise it as a C priority.  Let's take a look at our list now:
  • A) Attend meeting with business advisor
  • A) Pay money into bank
  • B) Write 5 blog posts
  • B) Work out for 60 minutes
  • C) Pick up some bread
  • C) Practice meditating for 30 minutes
3)  Okay, so now we have a better idea of what really needs to be done tomorrow.  Now all we have to do is place each group of priorities in order of importance, with 1 being the most important, and then so on.  Here's our list now:
  • A1) Attend meeting with business advisor
  • A2) Pay money into bank
  • B1) Work out for 60 minutes
  • B2) Write 5 blog posts
  • C1) Practice meditating for 60 minutes
  • C2) Pick up some bread
4)  So now all your tasks for tomorrow are completely in order of importance.  Tomorrow, you should try and complete the tasks in their order of importance, meaning everything that HAS to be done, will be.  If you plan your time, then plan in your activities in order of importance, again assuring that you will complete the vital tasks.