25 Things to do before I turn 25

Well I'm getting to be an old man it's true. In a mere week from now I will turn 23, which happens to be my favorite number, I hope that's a sign of a good year to come. If you know me at all, you know I'm one of the more optimistic people out there, believing that pretty much anyone can accomplish whatever they want to do. I've decided to challenge myself to complete 25 things in the next 2 years to not only improve my happiness and quality of life, but to create a sense of urgency in my life.

Ok, I'm hungry now

Parkinson's Law states that "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." Given that ideology I am giving myself 2 years to complete the following life challenges. Instead of expanding work to make it fill the time allotted, I'm going to spend my energy completing these life challenges and not getting caught up in the everyday minutia that seems to steal many of our days away from us. While this for many people may be a lifetime of experiences, I plan on not only completing these challenges in the next two years, but mastering many of these skills.

Side note -
(if any of you can help make any of these things happen for me, let me know, I'll need all the help I can get)

Here they are in no particular order:

1.Travel Across the US on a road trip- Something I've always wanted to do, seeing places and meeting people I'll remember for a lifetime seems like a valuable experience. I'm thinking Vancouver to Miami might suffice for my first cross country voyage. Oh and I'm sure this trip will involve me eating a 7lb cheeseburger somewhere in Texas, something that you just gotta do. At least I'll get a free T-shirt I guess, even if I can't roll out of bed for 2 days.

2. Learn to play the Guitar- I love music and would love to be able to make my own. I'm not expecting to be Eric Clapton in two years, just to be able to play with reasonable skill.

3. Make 3 Lifelong friends- A very interesting challenge for me, kind of an outside the comfort zone thing. I have a few great Friends but have always struggled to establish long term friendships. You can never have enough good friends, so why not make a few more. It will also make moving easy, something I do a lot of.

4. Trace my roots in Europe, fill out my family tree- Something I think most of us want to do to see where they really came from. I'm fascinated by history and Europe, a perfect challenge for me it seems.

5. Jump out of a plane- cliche? maybe a bit. But considering my severe fear of Heights this one may be the least likely to actually happen. I want to push myself to do it, I really do. But I flinch when looking down 5 stories from the roof of my building and back away from the edge. For this reason, I plan on making this a priority.

Malbec Grapes

6. Grow my own grapes, Make my own Malbec wine- I'm not wine crazy, believe me. But I do really like Malbec wine and would love to grow my own while I'm in Argentina (more on this later)

7. Donate at least $2,000.00 to Charity- I'm not going to pretend to be a saint, I've given far less than I could afford to in the past and been downright frivolous with money. However I do have a desire to help other people that is very real. Plus I'll probably lose more than this amount on the next task, I might as well give to a good cause before hand.

8. Learning to count cards like a pro- So maybe I just watched the movie 21 and like everyone else who has a head on their shoulders thought, I could really do that. But I think that with a few months of practice I could win a few grand doing this. Then again, gambling may not be the best endeavour to try and master, but what the hell, I'm not 25 yet right?

Layne Norton, all natural pro.

9. Compete in Natural Body Building contest- I know I know, I'm laughing saying ya right too. But I've gotten in that good of shape before, I will do it again, watch...

si senior

10.Learn to Tango- Ok no homo, I think this would be very fun and what better to learn while I'm in Buenos Aires, Argentina (still later, you'll see what I'm talking about) Say what you want, but when I whip this out randomly you will be jealous, trust me.

11. Read and understand the Bible- So again, I'm no model christian, believe me. I do believe in Jesus and do really want to learn about everything I missed out on by not going to church until the last two years. I have a knack for comprehending things that sound confusing like passages from the bible, so I think this is possible for me.

12. Get in the best shape of my life- A man's peak physically seems to be around 24-27 years old. What better time than to be in ridiculous shape. Especially when all your buddies are putting on their spare tires and getting married. Anyone who saw me my senior year, knows that this is going to be real tough. I mean I could do 32 lat pull ups back then and bench 295lbs, leading me to my next challenges...

13. Be able to do 25 Lat pull ups (wide Grip)- don't know many people who can, But I know building this kind of functional strength enables you to do a whole lot more physically. Plus I'd feel like a super bad ass.

14. Bench 315lbs- I really don't wanna be the guy who thinks he's really tight just because he has a big bench press. That being said seeing someone do 3 plates on each side, pretty much lets you know they aren't f***ing around in the weight room.

BREAK- ok so I'm taking a break for a second, I actually don't know if I have time to finish this post, I got a lot of shit to do. Well let's get er done

15. Get an article I write published- I think I am a decent writer and it's something I enjoy. I don't care if it's in the Mukilteo Beacon, I just want to have a really good article I wrote that gets out to readers and I can keep and say, I was a decent writer back then.

16. Record my life through my blog weekly- That means a lot more of these posts. I just want to look back at these two years and have a record of my thoughts and experiences. Maybe I can write a book about these years and accomplish number 15. That's what I call "killing two monkeys with one gun" stolen from S.Griff.

17. Meet Tim Ferriss and Rolf Potts, buy them a drink- Ya I know, meet famous people and try to be their friend, real cool. I really can just relate to these two guys books extremely well and love their outlook on life. If nothing else I just want to thank them both for the inspiration to be more than a sedentary, miserable wage slave for the next 40 years.

Sorry Steve

18. Make my own CD in a studio- I can sing a little, just a bit. Hell I might even throw in a rap song. Just ask my Steve if I can freestyle, Wilkinson???

He's not that fat compared to me, it might be run obese guy run, but don't have a heart attack

19. Run a 5k- my body was definitely not built for this. I could be optimistic and say a 10k, but realistically I hate running and want to actually accomplish this task. This is why I'm doing this, i need to conquer some things that are great hurdles for me to grow.

20. Volunteer to help spread literacy and education in Argentina- Something I think is very necessary and could really effect some lives. As you can see this trip is not going to be a vacation as I have a whole lot I need to do while I am gone.

nuff said...

21. Take two minimum 3 month Mini-Retirements to Berlin, Germany and Buenos Aires, Argentina-

Yup leaving the country. I have places I need to see. Why wait for 40 years for a retirement that I may or may not live to see. Screw it I'm going...

22. Learn to speak German and Spanish Fluently- It will be perfect to learn a language while living in a place. a whole lot easier than trying to learn at Kamiak HS while me and my bro are throwing paper airplanes at each other and scheming on floozies. Lets just say I'll be a bit more focused.

23. Learn MMA and Lose a real fight- That's right, and I'm not trying to be funny. I really want to lose a MMA fight. Not intentionally, I just really want to see what I can take. I really think everyone should get in a fight at some point. Getting beat up I think would be relieving and give me a fresh perspective.

24. Grow my website to a $2000.00 per month profit margin- This should be number one. Something needs to fund these crazy adventures I'm going to partake in. Please help out if you can just by getting your clothes on my site. Your gonna buy em anyway and I have em cheaper than anyone else. A win-win is what we call that.

25. Get my blog more popular- Actually having exciting things to write about should help but I also intend to hone my writing skills and make this blog much more interesting. If you do read my blog please add yourself as a follower of my blog, to motivate me to keep writing.

It should be a great 2 years, filled with some great times. I better get my ass started...

Connections and business

So I know I've been slacking on my blog, but I'm making a commitment to write 2 to 3 times a week from here on out.

Whats new? Well just running my new online business at www.theragrackoutlet.com which is going well. I've picked up a bit of valuable information and thought I'd pass it along to anyone who might actually read this.

Connections are vital, absolutly vital in establishing your business. While e-mail marketing and (PPC) pay per click advertising can generate revenue, making frineds and meeting new people is a very important aspect of business. This is something I have overlooked for years as I am not a naturally extroverted person.

I'm beginning to learn the true importance of having connections and meeting people who can help make things happen for you.

Any business is more or less a people business. While there may be exceptions it is very seldom you see a succesful person who has not in some way leveraged their contacts to further their own interests, it's just how the game is played.

I want to make a commitment to value the people in my life not only for the sake of building valuable partnerships, but enrich my own life and work on things that are uncomfortable to me. After all, half the battle of business seems to be getting outside your comfort zone and making uncomfortable decisions.

Until next time, think about the people in your own life that impact your regularly and might be more impaortant to you than you may think. After all many successful people aren't what they seem to be at first take.

Currency Trading, Top Ramen and Vagabonding throughout the world!

Confused by the title? I am a bit too but lets roll with it. First off to explain I've been doing currency trading (much like stock trading, except very different) for about 6 month's which is extremly time consuming. Basically your buying one currency and betting that it will go up in relation to another currency for instance buying 100,000 Euro and betting that the exchange rate will go up against the dollar. Instead of boring you with more details, I'll just say that it is very research intensive and that the market can be extremly volitle (big swings). In my opinion Currency trading is poised to gain huge popularity in the coming years with the way other investments such as the stock market and housing market have dwindled. The currency market is much bigger in volume already and is traded aroung the globe 24 hours a day 6 days a week allowing for more flexability with your time structuring. The sites available to trade on are beoming increasingly user friendly as well. Sites such as forex.com and FXCM.com have great trading platforms complete with market research at the click of a button. I'm still a beginner but I'll keep you updated my my learning progress.

Now on to top ramen. Is there a better value in the world really? A decent meal for a quarter, I mean come on where else can you get that. Also try spicing it up with some garlic salt, pepper, onion salt, or even minced garlic if you have it.

In a world where gas is $4 a gallon and a Large Diet Coke (my addiction) is $1.96, I'll take my top ramen for a quarter any day. Cheese quesadillas are also wonderful and cheap. Throw in so Carlo Rossi and you have yourself a poor mans paradise.

Now to my thrid and final issue. I recently was informed of a book that was reccomended by another author I follow. I picked up Vagabonding By Rolf Potts and after the intro and first chapter I am throughly addicted to this book. Of course I'm trying to live frugally so I didn't buy the book, I'm reading it chapter by chapter everytime I visit Barnes and Noble. I know I know I'm a Cheapskate, but I actually enjoy reading there. The book preaches the message of a traveller (Rolf Potts) and his thoughts on preparing for an excursion into the unknown travelling through the world with no reservations, just a backpack and a dream. It also mentions real life considerations and how tying up loose ends before leaving is essiential (chapter I'm on). Anyways I can tell already, great book I highly recomend.

As a side not my fantasy football team aptly named 2 mannings 1 cup, is 5 and 1. Oh and doherty I'm gonna beat your ass this week.

More soon...

For my fellow nocturnal friends.Motivation and follow through

Well it's 2:49 am and I am, well of course online doing research of how to run my business effieciently even though I already know how. The truth is I have read enough how-to, self help and motivational books in the past 3 years that I know what is coming most of the time before I even grab one off the shelf.

So the main idea I'm pondering is what if these countless hours of mostly useless repetitive education were spent on steps of action instead of pounding my head against the table, or beating the living shit out of a dead horse, (whichever metaphor you prefer). Actually pounding my head against the table would be more of an action step than re-researching every possibility ahead. (if you see me with a large lump on my head soon, don't worry, it means I'm on the right track.

What I'm trying to say in a very inefficient way, is that action and effieciency are interrelated. This worthless procrasterbation many of us seem to engage in really not only prevents us from being effiecient, but sucks away are creative ability.

Not to say that an intermediate level of knowledge may not be neccessary to take efficient action, but even seemingly unsuccessful actions get the wheels turning and encourage further action. In short what I'm saying is if you want something, get off your ass and go get it. Don't start something you know is great and stop because the precieved difficulty is too high. But following through and finishing and achieving your goal.

In our country distractions are plentiful and it seems rare that anyone finishes anything anymore. Not saying I'm a role model, most people who know me know the only thing I finish on a consistant basis are my dinner and my beer. I know this is a weakness of mine and I'm making a pact to change this.

Let me give you a real life example, unfortunatly this is from my life,

I'm currently running a non-profit organization that raises funds in order to bring college students or recent highschool or collage graduates to Buenos Aires, Argentina to help promote literacy and educate underprivlidges kids.

These are the steps I've taken to promote my business this week in order of time spent.

1. Set up facebook account and invited as many people as possible to join cause, while setting up cause page
2. Researched Argentinian volunteer organizations and city information on Buenos Aires.
3. Read 3 to 4 books at barnes an noble about the SAME subject, setting up my non profit organization for tax exept status.

While these activities are completly vital to my cause and spreading the word etc. Until real life action is taken aren't I basically building castles in the sky with no foundations!

The truth is I need money from donations to set this thing up and I know this all too well.

Here are 10 things I already know I should be doing instead of what I have been!

1. Writing letters to friends and family to explain my cause and ask for donations to build the organization and help with start up costs.
2. Specifically ask, not insinuate that I want donations from people who know me well.
3. Set up an event to have a good time and raise funds i.e. Halloween costume party w/ 5$ cover charge and cheap drinks, car wash, Mall event w/ volunteers asking for donations and Selling T-shirts stating our cause that not only raise donations but spread the message.
4. Contact any and everyone who may be interested in helping out and ask if they can assist in your efforts.
5. Writing the dreaded 10 page business plan explaining everything you already know but need others to see just so they know you put way too much time into it. I'm procrastinating on this basically as long as I can.
6. Put together design for printed materials that can be passed out and explain the cause while showing people that it's a real cause that does need assistance.
7. Recruiting Board members for the organization who share in the passion that I do.
8. Asking for donations from community businesses and setting up an auction with their donated items.
9. Recruiting fellow cause members to help in at least some of these tasks to reduce the way too many hours that I'm speding on this. I should probabaly just outsource half this crap to India but funds are well, non existant right now.
10. Talking to anyone except my mom or my girlfriend about the cause and spreading the word on any other medium besides the internet.( While the internet is a valuable tool, I find it hard to get someone excited about a cause via a facebook message)

So basically, the message is not only myself but many of us constantly engage in non or minimailly productive activites that distract us from doing the things we are afraid to do and create a false sense that we accomplished some meaningless feat.

I'm gonna change this now, I hope you all can do the same in you lives. For help read the Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. The book sheds wuite a bit of light on worthless activites that can be eliminated and gives you a unique perspective on how you might want to spend all the extra time you freed up by doing so.

Comment if you hear what I'm saying.