2012 - The Start of Something Big?

Happy New Year!

2012 is in full motion.  I hope everyone is well on their way to moving towards their goals and objectives for the year.  You still have 341 days to do it (includes an extra full day since it's a leap year!).

There's an article floating around that caught my eye and it's worth sharing.  Ms. Bronnie Ware worked for years with the dying, and was able to develop a list of the top 5 regrets her clients said aloud on their deathbeds (wow).  A must read- Take a look and see if you're living the life you wish to live, or not.  See what I mean below:



1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Courtesy of Bronnie Ware, www.inspirationandchai.com

My take:

1. Go for IT.  Whatever IT may be - make IT happen. 
2. Work hard - but work hard AND smart.
3. Make time in between the work to play, and spend time with those who mean the most to you.
4. Drop the ankle biters, anchors, and pseudo - friends and find the cream of the crop.  We all deserve it.  Soar with the eagles and get away from the people who aren't like-minded.  You can love them from afar - stop letting them hold you back from being who you were intended to be.  We only have so much time left.

That is all...

Let's Get IT!

Protein Powered Recipes

People get bored pretty easily in regards to what the consider eating "clean" or healthy.  To be more specific, many people get totally bored with protein shakes and what to do with whey protein powder.  Mix it with milk, water, or juice, and they have pretty much ran the gamut of options as far as they are concerned.

First you have to find a high quality product in the first place.  Then you have to find one that pleases the taste buds.  In addition to that, your taste buds change as you age.  I tell people that all the time and they tend to ignore that fact.  About ten years ago, I had such a drastic change that I went to see a doctor. As a result, EVERYTHING tastes too sweet to me (Don't knock it - makes it easy to keep candy and desserts at a minimum and, I no longer drink juice or soda/pop).

Anyway, to address the boredom of protein shakes and whey powder, yours truly is going to start  giving you all some of my favorite whey protein based recipes. 

My protein of choice is Xyngular LEAN protein, Vanilla Smoothie flavor.  It tastes GREAT simply as a shake.  But just like anything else, there's nothing wrong with a little variety.

Anybody usually stop at your local coffee establishment to get a vanilla frappe to start your day?  Well here is a protein packed, lowfat, and flavorful version of your own that you can make instead!  See the video below:

More to come... Let's Get IT!

Where have you been?

I guess I'll answer the obvious first.  Where have I been?  On my back.  I spent the last two-three weeks trying to Superman and realized even kryptonite can knock him down a peg.  I was trying to work, workout, and everything else and it just wasn't happening.  I finally broke down and went to the doctor a little over a week ago.  Yours truly had (has?) walking pnuemonia.  So, I had to shut it down temporarily.  I'm on the mend, and before you say "Awwwwww...", shame on me.  The Xyngular Axion and Global Blend are going on the order list.

Now, there are exactly 77 days left in 2011.  Hopefully it was a year of advancement for you in some area of your life.  If not, then it's time to take a tally of 2011 and decide where 2012 is going to take you.  So often we place ourselves in situations where rather than taking the wheel and determining where we are going, we are simply going along for the ride.  Yours truly included.  But now, it's time to make a change for the better.

Make arrangements to run the marathon.  Lose the weight.  Get that gym membership and start working out at the gym.  Redo that room in your house.  Start your own business.  Help them out (you know you're the only one they can count on).  Provide service.  Make a name for yourself.  It's only a matter of time. 2013 is going to come anyway.  Why not use the next 14 months to make it the year you want it to be.

Let's Get IT!

 





It's Not Too Late

"Try Another Route"

I came across a book that is starting to pick up buzz after it's recent release.  It's called "The Education of Millionaires: It's Not What You Think and It's Not Too Late", by Michael Ellsberg.  He spent two years traveling, researching, and interviewing a few of the more well known billionaires including Russell Simmons (music and fashion), Marc Ecko (fashion), John Paul DeJoria (Paul Mitchell), and  Facebook co-founders Dustin Moskovitz and Sean Parker.

One thing to note about virtually all of these individuals are that they are college dropouts.  Here is Ellsberg take on it.

"If you want to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer [and] go into a traditional profession, [college] makes a lot of sense," Ellsberg says. "But for people who have no idea...$50,000 a year is an expensive way to figure out what you want to do with your life." (source: Aaron Task, "Daily Ticker)

I am college educated, and neither I nor Ellsberg are suggesting that people shouldn't go to college.  But, keep a couple of things in mind.  First, college isn't for everyone.  That's always been the case.  Secondly, with the state of the economy, the classic "-isms" (i.e. sexism, favoritism) are being replaced by nepotism and downright survivalism as companies and those who run them are looking at the bottom line and the preservation of themselves and those close to them.  Mark Yarnell suggest that we have about ten years left before the Middle Class is systematically eliminated from North America.  While I definitely do not take the "preach gloom and doom approach", we need to pay attention to what's going on around us.  Yarnell's suggestion may not be as off base as some may seem to think.  What is Yarnell's solution?  Obtain $10 million dollars and put it in a vehicle where you can obtain 1/4% return on it on a monthly basis (about $25,000).  The rate of return is doable these days however, obtaining the $10 million might be the wild card.  Yarnell's second suggestion is to find a vehicle where you can develop skills over time and place yourself in a position to earn that type of income.  Coincidentally, many of those skills are highlighted below...

The 7 Core Success Skills that Ellsberg recorded from the billionaires he touched were:

• Learn How to Sell
• Learn Marketing
• The "Right" Way to Network with Big Wigs
• Define Your Vision
• Invest in Yourself
• Build the Brand of "You"
• Take an Entrepreneurial Mindset

Ellsberg goes on to say, "These are the real world skills we don't learn in college."

I may be a little biased.  But, this sounds like just like a template for network marketing to me.  There are numerous options to doing so.  What do you think?  I think it's time to get to work.  There is another way.

Let's Get IT!

Ray

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