Qualities of a Winner- Intelligence vs. Hard Work

WINNERS WHILE MOST ARE DREAMING OF SUCCESS, WINNERS WAKE-UP AND WORK HARD TO ACHIEVE IT

What quality is more important for someone who is successful?  Is it intelligence or hard work & effort?  In the United States you can breeze by in terms of academics from K-8^th grade.  A smart kid getting a public education assuming their living situation isn’t screwed up (i.e. broken home, homeless, etc.) should cruise through into high school.   The reason for this is the education system grades based on the national percentiles so a kid of above average intelligence will be able to crush the curve with little effort.  

In high school, smart kids can still get into a decent university purely based on their gifted IQs, just need to get a good SAT score and solid GPA.  The thing is if you want to get into a top 5 university then you will need to have a mix of intelligence and hard work.  You will now be competing against kids from around the nation for the few spots available in each school.  Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and MIT have plenty of kids applying with 4.0 GPAs and high SAT scores but they look for things that make you stand out.  So kids who don’t have a perfect academic record need to put in the effort to do extracurricular activities and other stuff outside of just doing well in class to get in.

College & the Work Force

After high school, a hard worker will more often than not be more successful than someone who is just smart.

Here’s the reasons why intelligence won’t always equal success later in life:

Sense of entitlement- Gifted kids who sail through the early years of school may develop a sense that they should just succeed because they are better than everyone.  School is so easy for them growing up that when they finally are faced with challenges they don’t know how to handle it.

Loss of interest- After succeeding for so long school and studying may seem pointless.  Initially doing better than everyone may be motivational but after a while if they don’t develop larger goals their interest in continuing to excel can fade.  This can cause them to develop the bad habit of being lazy and procrastinating.

Inability of overcome challenges- If kids aren’t faced with challenges growing up then when they finally do fail at something; it can cause them to lose confidence and motivation.  They may develop a fear of failure since it is such an unknown feeling to them and rather than try and fail they might just rather give up than admit they that might be lacking in some way. 

Why hard workers can excel:

Ability to bounce back quickly:  They can go with the flow and chalk setbacks as a learning experience.  They are constantly striving for some new goal and by taking action they will develop skills that will help them along the way.

Constantly working towards the bigger goal- Gifted people sometimes only look at the “big picture” or that final goal.  They want to be a millionaire, billionaire, doctor, and lawyer, whatever the big dream is.  When they stumble along the way it they get depressed and if they do achieve a goal they tend to just relax for a long time.  Hard workers just aim for smaller goals while working towards that big final goal.  Example:  Smart kid gets into a good college, he feels proud of himself, and decided he should just kick back and relax since he earned it.  Hard working kid is happy that he got into a good college, takes a little time to enjoy something he likes but then starts working on looking for scholarships.

Finding new opportunities- Like in the example above since the hard workers are always in action they will find hidden opportunities, finding a job that no one knew about, a scholarship, an investment, there are endless opportunities waiting to be found but the first step is taking action.

In college and the real world, people are rewarded for action.   If applying to a job straight out of college who do you think will get it, applicant A: kid with a lot of internships during college and decent GPA or B: smart kid with no work experience but he’s really smart.  Most jobs don’t have some standardize test you can take to ace and impress them so you need to show them things you have done with good results to impress them.

All that being said, if you’re someone who is intelligent and hardworking then the possibilities are truly limitless.  Bill gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg are all billionaire who are extremely intelligent but back it up with a ridiculous work ethic.  Intelligence may be a very valuable asset on the road to becoming successful but like Thomas Edison said-

“There is no substitute for hard work.”

Personal Development Blog Carnival #3

Welcome to our third weekly blog carnival post! A Blog Carnival is a collection of articles and blog posts, all relating to a particular topic. There is so much stuff in the blog-o-sphere, just finding interesting stuff is hard. We want to make it easier to find all your personal development needs. We are going to take a break next week for the blog carnival to work on some improvements but continue to send in your submissions, the next blog carnival post will be on the 16th.

If you want you article or blog post on the next edition of the carnival. Click Here to submit yours now. Be sure to read the rules for the best chance of making sure your article is chosen!

Welcome to the April 2, 2011 edition our Personal Development Carnival.

Fitness

James Crawley presents Nutrition Advice for Badminton Players posted at Supplement Deals.

Dr Swartz presents Real Tips For Losing Weight posted at Weight Loss Diet Forum, saying, "Setting yourself up for success when it comes to pursuing a higher level of health and fitness is paramount."

Mike presents The Most Important Factor For Achieving Your Fitness Goals posted at BrightNFit.com - College Fitness, Workout Plans & Fitness Products.

Patty Pittman presents Primal Fitness > Fighting? posted at Primal 30 Day Challenge, saying, "What is more primal to man's survival than the will to fight to survive. It is definitely what our ancestors had to do. Weather they were fighting off lions and bears, or each other in a war over women and territory, the strongest among them survived and procreated to make me and you."

How to Guide

Mike King presents 100 Ways to Ace an Interview and Interview Questions posted at Learn This, saying, "How to land your next job by acing your interview!"

Linda@NHE presents How To Cook And Grow Swiss Chard posted at Natural Health Ezine, saying, "Swiss Chard is so good for you! Find out how to grow it and use it in your everyday cooking."

Personal Development

HowToLiveHappily presents Limiting Beliefs - How They Work And What To Do About Them << How To Live Happily posted at How To Live Happily.

Diego Ortiz presents 9 Secrets For Stress-Free Living posted at DiegoOrtiz.com.

Lily presents if it makes you happy. posted at the Rebounder, saying, "Sharing my life and hoping people would share their lives with me as well simply to stop feeling so alone!"

Mark Anthony McCray presents “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” posted at Live BIG. Die Empty..

Subas C K presents Common Barriers to Personal Growth and Development posted at Total Pesonal Development - sharing views and resources, saying, "First article being submitted at blog carnival. Still finding answers to using Blog Carnival"

Lahesha Williams presents 5 Valuable Tips to Networking posted at Career Help For Christians, saying, "As difficult or awkward as it may feel at first, the ability to meet and make a positive, professional impression on people will become even more important as your career advances and develops. The five tips will assist you in learning the art of successful networking."

Personal Health

Tony Alexander presents The Soul of Japan: Kono Ha No Yu " Balneotherapy" posted at The Soul of Japan, saying, "My submission for the March 27th carnival."

Carson Ward presents Medical Assisting Degree and Career Basics posted at Medical Laboratory Technician Program Blog, saying, "Ever thought about breaking into the evolving and exciting world of healthcare? Earning a Medical Assisting degree could provide a great segue into a healthcare career."

Vidal presents Not Cooking for Fatness Any More posted at LibertyBuzz SC, saying, "Switching from high-fat traditional southern cooking to low-sodium, low-fat meals has been a rough transition. I found a couple of recipes that finally worked."

shaina ricketts presents Weight loss rules to live by posted at Sexy Rantings : A Diva's View of Health, Love, and Life Abroad, saying, "I blog about things I learned about personal health and exercise through my weight loss journey. I also talk about travelling and being a teacher in a foreign country"

Peter Stockwell presents Can I Lose Weight Without Exercise? posted at The Senior Walking Fitness Blog, saying, "It is possible to lose weight without exercise. It just takes a little longer."

Steve Faber presents Belly Fat Loser » How to Stop Sugar Addiction – The Dangers of Sugar posted at Belly Fat Loser, saying, "Addicted to sugar? You're not alone. The sugar devil is hard to get off your back. Here is how to help kick the sugar habit so you can get started on the road back."

Hussein Sumar presents How to Work with Sensitive or Easily Irritable Dry Skin posted at Clinique Bonus time, saying, "More than 50% of all women complain of their skin getting easily damaged or irritated, dry skin that is allergic and skin that has a lowered tolerance to cold, heat, pollution & temperature changes. As a general rule of thumb, if you have irritated or reactive skin, then you have sensitive skin. Sensitive skin of the face usually results in itchy feeling, redness, swelling or even development of acne (during hot weather)."

Nick Andrade presents Lose Weight Naturally And Safely posted at Weight Loss Systems Headquarters, saying, "Implement these simple weight loss systems tips and start losing weight today!"

Emilia Klapp presents 10 Practices that Can Cut Down Your Heart Disease Risks posted at The Diabetes Club, saying, "If you do not have heart disease at this time, congratulations! You probably have been doing the right thing, eating healthy and being physically active. Still, you may want to read the following suggestions just in case you find one or two tips you can add to your healthy routine to cut down even further your heart disease risks."

Jim Edwards presents Foot Odor Remedies: No More Stinky Feet posted at EverydayChristianFamily.com, saying, "Make feet comfortable while killing the odor"

Self-Improvement

Fred Tracy presents My Crazy First Lucid Dreaming Story posted at Personal Development, saying, "This article is about my first experience with lucid dreaming and how amazing flying was, among other things. It also contains information to help you learn to lucid dream yourself!"

Jessica presents But I don't have any skills! posted at It Starts With Me..

Charles Chua C K presents Adopting the Ways of Successful People posted at All About Living with Life.

Adam presents Overcoming Low Self-Esteem posted at ZenTactics - Child Abuse Recovery.

ErinEM presents day 6: make a care package for a soldier. posted at tomorrow is cancelled 365., saying, "Two teen girls trying to have an impact on the world in their own small way."

Patty Pittman presents Battered Women In Martial Arts posted at Kihon Wasa, saying, "Many women are told that in order to not be a victim of domestic violence, they should learn a martial art. I think they are correct, but not for the reason they think."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Personal Development Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Key to Happiness - Finally Figured Out Life

I'm still trying to figure out life
I'll let you know when I solve it

The inherent flaw in my philosophy is that I assume life is a problem that requires solving.
I may need to stop presuming life is a problem in the first place...that's likely to be the key here. Stop seeing every little thing as a problem.

Just by having food to eat tonight you're better off than billions of people in the world.

There are so many depressed people out there, people that are looking for something, people I see that will never be happy - no matter how luxurious their life, or how easy.

I think being of a certain intelligence and mindfullness we sometimes overthink and come to a crossroads because of our thinking.

So much time is spent trying to figure out how to have fun, how to enjoy life, etc etc, when these things are supposed to be natural. We get so caught up in our boring, repetitious, day to day lives that we lose track of how to have fun - even if we knew at one point.

We begin to equate having fun to drinking a lot and ending up passed out, or doing drugs in some cases, or other activities that are societally acceptable but possibly hazardous to our health and not REALLY what we mean when we say we want to have fun.

How many of you have hobbies? Interests? I'm talking outside of what you study in school and outside of what you do at work. Sometimes these line up and your hobby is your job - in that case consider yourself incredibly lucky, because for most people this is not the case.

For most of us, your job is something you do so you dont starve. School is what you do to get that job. Your life is put on hold.

Don't put your life on hold. Go out and enjoy it. Don't think too much. What do you really enjoy? Find people that enjoy that same thing.

Texas Hold 'em? Play with friends, make it a weekly activity.
Like to work out? Get a gym partner.

I guarantee you, engaging yourself in activities you enjoy (with people you like) will make life much better.

Stop overthinking everything please.

Personal Development Blog Carnival #2

Welcome to our second blog carnival post! A Blog Carnival is a collection of articles and blog posts, all relating to a particular topic. There is so much stuff in the blog-o-sphere, just finding interesting stuff is hard. We want to make it easier to find all your personal development needs. Once again we had an amazing turnout in terms of article submissions and an even better collect of articles for this edition.

If you want you article or blog post on the next edition of the carnival. Click Here to submit yours now. Be sure to read the rules for the best chance of making sure your article is chosen!

Welcome to the March 27, 2011 edition of our Personal Development Carnival.

Fitness

Dr Swartz presents Choosing The Right Home Gym Machines posted at Weight Loss Diet Forum, saying, "Choosing the best home gym equipment is vital to your fitness success."

Sunehary Rocking presents Health and Medicine Open Courseware: The Ultimate Guide posted at Nurse Debbie, saying, "One of the best ways that you can serve your patients as a nurse is to improve your knowledge and work to be the best possible nurse you can be. Thanks to technology, it is possible for you to learn more about the human body — and update yourself on the latest medical information — from trusted resources."

How to Guide

Online Dating Expert presents 5 Easy Tips for Memorizing Names posted at Online Dating University, saying, "Have you ever met someone in a bar only to forget their name the next time you meet? That’s OK, because it happens to most people! When you’re playing the dating game, remembering names can be a challenge, but it is an absolutely necessary one. The next time you go out, try one (or all!) of these 5 simple tips for memorizing names."

Linda@NHE presents How to Make and Apply a Poultice To Draw Out Infection posted at Natural Health Ezine, saying, "Have you heard about this natural way to heal your body? It's simple, effective, and all natural."

Amy Dyslex presents Creative Writing Ideas posted at Write a Writing, saying, "Whether you are writing fiction, poetry or simply working on a creative journal, it happens to everyone- the dearth of creative writing topics or ideas at some point. On the other hand, there are many writers who claim never to run out of ideas, rather complaining about lack of time to attend to all of theirs."

Personal Development

Socratez presents This Is Why Life Is Simple posted at Socratez Online.

Nick Ball presents Top 5 (self inflicted) barriers to creativity posted at justifieddesign, saying, "My post is a short observation of the barriers that hold back creativity - for writers, designers or anyone looking to develop themselves creatively."

Craig Harper presents How Much Do You Want to Change Your Life? posted at Motivation - Renovate your life with Craig, saying, "I’m of the not-very-popular opinion that the majority of people who say they want to change their lives – or part thereof – in a significant way are simply not prepared to do what’s required; you know – the hard stuff. As a consequence, they will never begin to explore the limits of their potential, power or possibilities – and not because they don’t have a capacity for brilliance, excellence or success (we all do) – but, rather, because they don’t have a willingness to get uncomfortable enough for long enough. They lack an attitude of total commitment to the change process."

Tracy Todd presents Things I Never Knew About Me. posted at The Next Half Of Life.

Bill Hall presents Remember What you Know posted at Bill Hall.

Stephen Guise presents Are You Willing To Fail? It Is The Key To Success posted at Deep Existence, saying, "What is the one thing that the most successful people have in common? Failure. No contradiction there — it is simply a matter of statistics."

Charles Chua C K presents Be Successful Through Perseverance posted at All About Living with Life.

Personal Health

Stephanie presents Committing to Veganism posted at Cleanse Body, saying, "Committing to vegan lifestyle can be very rewarding."

Steve presents Can Coffee Cut a Woman?s Stroke Risk? posted at Diet Cleanse, saying, "Cutting your risk of stroke might be as easy as drinking coffee daily."

Dr Swartz presents Fat burning foods for women posted at Weight Loss Diet Forum, saying, "Woman looking to improve their health and fitness should seek out fat burning foods to add to their diets."

Lucy Parker presents 17 Must-Bookmark Web Sites for Healthy Recipes posted at Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Programs, saying, "Recipe websites are a great way to learn new recipes, figure out how to make a dish you’ve eaten in a restaurant, or just learn how to make your recipes a little healthier. Here are 17 recipe sites you’ll love for their healthy recipe resources."

Rachel Davis presents Precautions for and Care after a Spinal Anesthesia posted at Radiology Degree.

David Leonhardt presents Curing Insomnia the Hot Tub Way | Hot Tub Covers Canada Blog posted at Hot Tub Covers Canada Blog, saying, "So many people suffer from insomnia. There are several cures, and often it is best to combine more than one. A hot tub can be a very enjoyable means of curing insomnia."

Self-Improvement

self_help_devotee presents If Not Now Then When? posted at Things That Teach Us, saying, "We all have an important power within ourselves. The spark that sets fire to the tinder of good intentions, plans, dreams … all of which are of no value unless acted upon."

Fred Tracy presents 3 Ways to Develop a Mature Personal Boundary posted at Personal Development, saying, "This article is about how to develop a mature personal boundary. This kind of personal boundary will allow you to remain unaffected by criticism and insults, while still letting you feel good about compliments and praise."

Christien presents How Much Does a Tummy Tuck Cost? posted at How Much Does Everything Cost?, saying, "People will do pretty much anything and everything to look good and feel better. They can face all the risks of taking medication and undergoing surgery just to have that well toned body. Because of this, cosmetic surgeons have jumped on this opportunity and have provided people with certain procedures targeted on certain parts of a patient’s body."

Aparna presents Test your level of self-esteem posted at Beauty and Personal Grooming.

Denice Davis presents Will you help me? posted at Positive Perspectives.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Personal Development Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Share |

Technorati tags: 0 a personal development carnival, blog carnival.

Be sure to check back every Sunday for the next Personal Development Blog Carnival and if you want to submit your own article, Click Here before midnight (eastern time) on Saturday. We welcome any comments or suggestions on what you think about the carnival!

Gaining Weight for the Hard Gainers

Why would anyone want to GAIN weight??? This might not be a topic that is frequently talked about because usually everyone is trying to lose weight.  But this was definitely something that I had to deal with growing up.  For some people like me GAINING weight can be the hardest thing to do and if we mention it to others they will just give a WTF response of that’s easy just go eat a ton of junk food or whatever.  When I was entering high school I was a skinny 120 lb kid with arms like sticks and it really was something I wanted to fix.  I could eat McD’s everyday and still not gain a pound. I actually did eat it almost everyday for a semester my freshmen year of hs, now that I think back about it, it is a disgusting thought but hey I was young and it tasted good back then.  Just because your gaining weight doesn't mean that you are going to get fat or that you can't get the six pack abs you always wanted.  So this article goes out to all my fellow skinny hard gainers out there who want to put on some healthy weight and not have a heart attack while doing it. 

What is common with most people who are skinny is they have a fast metabolism or that they burn all the calories that they eat.  I know I thought I ate a lot and I still pretty much eat whenever I’m hungry now but the thing you need to realize is you are probably not eating enough.

Here’s some tips on gaining weight the right way.

Just as if you were trying to lose weight, start tracking your calorie intake.  I think you will be surprised by how little you are really eating everyday.  Start working out, it is a fact that muscle is heavier than fat so if you replace the fat in your body with muscle you will not only weigh more but probably look a lot better. 

Set your goal.  Rather than just say you want to gain weight give yourself a target.

Set your daily calorie intake number and hit it.  Depending on how active you are everyday this number can range anywhere from 3000-5000 cal/day.  Try to figure out how much you need to eat, 5000k will almost always let most people gain weight.  But you don’t need to eat that much just remember that you need to eat more than your body is using for most people that is ~2000 a day therefore the excess amount will be converted to fat.

Eat smaller but more frequent meals.  Never skip a meal.  Eating every three hours is a pretty good way to make sure of that.  I like to eat 5-6 meals a day.  A meal can be anything from just a post workout shake or even just a sandwich with some yogurt.

Keep at it and believe.  Results are never instant.  I know 15 year old me had times when he wanted to just give up but I kept at it and I was able to put on 10 lb of muscle my freshmen year.

Stay consistent.  If you continue to eat your goal and workout everyday you will be able to achieve your goal weight.  

Finally, here are some hints on what are the best things to eat.  You want to go for the calorie dense foods.  This would be things like pasta, nuts, banana, milk, cheese.  Also for those who are lazy you can also look into buy a weight gainer protein.  These are shakes you can make that will be anywhere from 500-1000 calorie per shake, they worked wonders for me as a meal replacement.

Here's a sample daily meal:
Meal 1-Breakfast (Wake up preferably early some time before 10)

• Protein shake, oatmeal  or cereal, and a glass of milk.

Meal 2-Snack (2-3 hours later)

• Peanut Butter Sandwich

Meal 3-Lunch (2-3 hours later)

• Some sort of chicken, beef, or fish with rice or potatoes and a side of vegetables.
• Or tuna sandwich
• Glass of milk

Meal 4-Snack (2-3 hours later)

• Peanut butter sandwich and a fruit

Meal 5-Post-Workout 

• Whey protein shake

Meal 6-Dinner

• Some sort of chicken, beef, or fish with rice or potatoes and a side of vegetables.

It's not the most exciting diet or tastiest for that matter but it would get the job done.  That's just an example you can mix and match or add whatever you like since the goal here is to gain muscle/weight its hard to go wrong.  If you follow this there no way you won’t gain weight and you can say bye to the skinny you forever.

Cheap, Easy, and Healthy Foods for the Busy College Student

I was talking to my cousin the other day, he's a college sophomore and he is your typical student doesn't have much time, never prepared a meal in his life, but he asked me for some advice about what I did when I was back in school that would be cheap, easy, and healthy.  I thought this was a great question and I was more than happy to offer him some suggestions.  


Breakfast Choices:

oatmeal
omelete
hard boiled eggs
milk and cereal
bagel and cream cheese
fruit and yogurt
muffin and jam

Lunch Choices:

turkey breast sandwich
-requires turkey breast, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, banana peppers, any other toppings you like, bread

peanut butter and jelley sandwiches
-requires natural organic peanut butter
-bread
-jelly

chicken breast
You just need a pan and then just add some seasoning to the chicken and its easy to grill. Google it if u want exact cooking time.  It's good to grill a bunch then save for later (saves a lot of time, it's not as fresh tho).

chicken nuggets and bbq sauce
Just follow directions on bag most you can just microwave.  Not very healthy tho.

veggie burgers
requires veggie patties - Just take them out a few minutes before you cook should defrost them or stick them in mircowave and hit the defrost button.

bean tacos
-requires cheese
-requires refried (canned) beans
-tortillas

grilled cheese sandwiches
-needs sandwich maker
-cheese
-bread

mac and cheese

pasta

tuna fish sandwich
-tuna
-bread

Some kind of salad (can actually be pretty tasty and not too expensive, very healthy):
-salad
-some kind of meat
-eggs
-dressing


Snacks

Yogurt for snack in between meals.

Fruits like banana or apples for snack in between.

Asians in the library, Viral videos, Celebrity Sex-tapes?

Hold it what does any of that stuff got to do with personal development? Stick with me I do have a point to make that will tie it all together. Maybe after reading the rest of this post you can pick up some personal development lessons from it. The reason I started thinking about this was I watched the “Asians in the library” youtube video that an UCLA student named Alexandra Wallace posted. For those who want to watch it you can see it here. Basically it’s her going off on a racist rant hating on Asians. Being an Asian American I actually laughed when I first saw the video, I laughed because I couldn’t really believe how ignorant some people still are, as well as, how stupid some people can be to do something that they probably knew wasn’t going to end well.

We live in a world of instant information. Anything can go viral these days, Alexandra Wallace’s post blew up and had over 5 million view last I checked. Rebecca Black’s terrible music video Friday got over 2 million views in one weekend. I really don’t understand what drives celebrities to take nude photos and make sex tapes unless they really want it to get online. So here is the first point I am trying to make: be smart about what you post, be that on twitter, facebook, youtube, or whatever internet site once it’s online it is going to be there forever. Alexandra probably made the video on purpose to attract the negative attention and gain her 15 minutes of fame but she probably didn’t think how bad the reactions were going to be. Well, the result is that video had changed her life. She issued the following apology the day after:

“Clearly the original video posted by me was inappropriate. I cannot explain what possessed me to approach the subject as I did, and if I could undo it, I would. I'd like to offer my apology to the entire UCLA campus. For those who cannot find it within them to accept my apology, I understand.”

But too little, too late the damage had been done. Even though she removed the original video, it had been reposted countless times. She was a Junior political science major but has since announced she will no longer attend UCLA because of the backlash caused by the video. So no matter how innocent your intentions could be once it’s out there you can’t take back your actions.

I would say that the biggest cause of her actions is ignorance of other people and cultures. This may just be a result of her upbringing. Although the United States has come a long way, if parents don’t set an example for their children then how will they learn? Her father wrote on his Facebook page "My daughter wants to start a blog," and later posted "She's asking for domain suggestions for 'Asians on their cellphones in the library!' She's shooting videos as I write." He had known about his daughter making the video and he supported it. So how much can you really blame the girl when she was brought up that way?

Humans are insecure by nature and when there are things they don’t understand or differs from what they know as their norm they will instinctively label it as wrong. It is always easier to be ego-centric, try to fit in with the crowd, and put down anything that threatens that. It is definitely harder to try and reflect on why there are these differences and understanding why they are the way they are. There is a lot we can learn from other people and other cultures. We can't really improve as people without stepping out of our comfort zones and really exploring what may not initially feel natural to us.

How to Get Six Pack Abs

The weather is so nice out for the first time in a long time that it has me day dreaming about going to the beach.  Of course with that I'm also dreaming about showing of a ripped six pack abs.  With swim suit season just around the corner people everywhere are trying to flatten their stomachs and tighten their abdominal.  But after doing hundreds of crunches and sit-ups they are frustrated with the lack of results.  Think to themselves how come that clown on the Jersey Shore has a six pack and I don't.  Continue to read on to find out the secret to getting the beach body you always dreamed about without having to break your back doing all those reps of ab exercises.

The Secret to Getting that Six Pack
 
 Lose Fat + Build Muscle = 6 pack.
Sounds too simple?  It's not, those are really the only two things you need to focus on in order to get that flat stomach or defined abs.  The problem is people usually go about it wrong and then they give up too early.  I'll break down each part with tips on how to get the best results.

Losing the Fat
What a lot of people don't understand is that no matter how strong you make your ab muscles if you got layers of fat covering them it won't matter.   Here is what you need to know.  Gender and genetics matter.

Women will naturally have a higher percentage of fat than men.  Men will have to work harder because usually the body fat gets stored around their stomachs.  Genetically everyone will have different fat distribution
around their body so that will also come into play when you are dieting/training.

Generally for men:  You will need to get your body fat down to 10%.  If you can get it down below 8% it will almost guarantee that you will have a visible 6 pack.


Women:  You will need to get down to below 16%.  Even though your target number is higher remember that naturally your overall body fat percentage is higher so you will need to work just as hard.

The average American male has a body fat % of 17 to 26%.  Females between 22 and 36%.  So you can see that is why most people you see don't walk around with six packs.  It is achievable however with some dedication and commitment.

Tips:
Do Cardio:  You need to do cardio workouts to burn off the fat.  A cardio workout is when your heart rate is over a certain number for a given amount of time.  The chart gives an estimate to the target HR you should aim to hit.

 Eat more but smaller meals:  Try to get 5 to 6 small meals a day rather than eating 3 very large meals.  This will help with the fat loss because people are generally not very active after dinner.  Frequent eating will help you burn more calories and keep you metabolism steady.

Drink more water:  It is essential to the fat burning process.  Most people do not drink enough water.  A good way to calculate how much you need to drink is your body weight divided by 2 will give you how many ounces you need a day.  So for me I weigh 145 lb that is 72 fluid ounces or about 2.1 liters a day.  Make sure you don't over drink though.

Eat Smart:  Try to get more complex carbs (veggies, brown rice, whole grains) rather than simple carbs (refined sugar and refined grains)

The Workout- More does not equal better
This might be the most common mistake made by everyone.  Your abdominal muscles are just muscles like any other muscle group.  Do you go around doing 50 reps with the bench press?  Probably not, so why are you doing 50 sit ups?  It would be better to focus on isolating the muscles and making sure you have good form.

So what is important is to increase the intensity of your workout and target the group of muscle you are working on.

Best of luck getting your sculpted stomach and remember to not give up.

Personal Development Blog Carnival #1

Welcome to our first blog carnival post! A Blog Carnival is a collection of articles and blog posts, all relating to a particular topic. There is so much stuff in the blog-o-sphere, just finding interesting stuff is hard. We want to make it easier to find all your personal development needs. That being said we had an awesome turnout in terms of article submissions and a great batch of articles for this edition.

If you want you article or blog post on the next edition of the carnival. Click Here to submit yours now. Be sure to read the rules for the best chance of making sure your article is chosen!

Welcome to the March 20, 2011 edition of our Personal Development Carnival.

Fitness

Samson presents Getting right for the summer posted at 2 Cent Tab.



Aparna presents Five Fitness Resolutions from fitness experts posted at Beauty and Personal Grooming, saying, "You may also incorporate some of these fitness resolutions suggested by 3 celebrity fitness gurus. It’s also an excellent way to start the New Year right."

How to Guide

Stephen Guise presents How To Expose And Destroy Bad Habits posted at Deep Existence, saying, "This article explores bad habits and why they are typically difficult to diffuse. The solution given is simple and effective in uncovering them, while at the same time opening up "an avalanche" of personal development possibilities. I go into greater depth when I discuss how bad habits often have more serious root causes. It is a thought-provoking 1200 word post."



BWL presents How I Escaped The Rat Race posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, "A look at how I broke free from the 9 to 5 grind to working for myself."



Linda@NHE presents What Is USDA Organic: How To Tell If A Product Is Really Organic posted at Natural Health Ezine, saying, "Sometimes when a product at the grocery store says "organic" it's not fully organic. Find out the difference and how to tell."

Personal Development

Donna Cullen presents 10 Reasons People Give for Not Getting Married posted at Top Dating Sites.



Abby Nelson presents Breaking the Habit: 25 Bizarre Addictions posted at Masters In Counseling, saying, "With the latest celeb meltdown in full swing, the airwaves have been swept with the terms like “drug problem,” “alcoholic,” and even “sex addict.” But life’s most well-known vices are not the only ways in which someone can become an addict."



Zac Sky presents Be Proud to be a Work in Progress posted at Zac Sky . com, saying, "Be comfortable with making mistakes and accept yourself for you who you are. Rejoice in the fact that you are a work in progress because it means that you always have the chance to improve yourself."




Charles Chua C K presents Effective Ways to Personal Development posted at All About Living with Life.



Lahesha Williams presents 7 Habits of Highly Successful Professional Women posted at Career Help For Christians, saying, "A list of great habits you can practice to maintain or gain success in your life and Career."

Personal Health

sophia Dell presents Top 50 Public Health News Sites posted at Master of Public Health, saying, "With the help of the Internet, you can find news, information, commentary and more on the most important and pressing public health issues of the day. Here are 50 of the best public health news sites."



Allen Wright presents 10 Things You Didn?t Know About Smoke Damage posted at Home Alarm Monitoring.



Scott Lee presents Dealing With Fatigue posted at Scott Free Thinking, saying, "Don't let fatigue ruin your day - get the key points to gain back energy, resilience, happiness, and productivity."



James Tilbury presents Sugar is evil posted at Dare to Deviate, saying, "A post on how cutting sugar, not fat, out of your diet will help you lose weight and prevent heart disease."



Thailand Breeze presents Honey-Citrus Yogurt Drink posted at Tip.

Self-Improvement

Carmen Engel presents Lulu and I posted at Meditation for the Soul Blog, saying, "Wesbsite is dedicated to helping improve people's lives through light breathing meditations."



Eric Castle presents 30 Easy Recipes for Greener Cleaning posted at RN Central.



Fred Tracy presents Why You Shouldn't Be Yourself posted at Personal Development, saying, "This article explains why even "being yourself" is still acting like someone you think you are, and that the way to real authenticity is to simply be."



axel presents Admitting Shortcomings And Mistakes posted at axel g.



Donna Cullen presents 10 Terrible Excuses for Being Late for a Date posted at Top Dating Sites.



Jasmine Aaron presents 20 Twitter Accounts Every Social Worker Should Follow posted at Social Work Blog, saying, "Twitter is great way to keep up with information going on in your profession without taking up a lot of your time. Twitter offers information in small snippets, so you can keep up while you’re on the go."



Te-Erika Patterson presents Life Is A Transition posted at My Savvy Sisters.




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How to Stop Picking Your Nose (Breaking Embarrassing Habits)

    We all have habits we're not so proud of - being lazy in school and not doing homework, talking on AIM or Facebook Chat for way too long, masturbating too many times a day, etc etc. Habits are not new to humans and there are both good habits and bad. Good habits such as brushing your teeth at night or flossing, or drinking 8 glasses of water, or working out regularly are quite beneficial to us and are amazing because once they become habits we never have to think about them. In fact we become forced to do these things - it becomes a compulsion that makes us better.

    I came home last night at 4am from a bar, dead tired, and collapsed on my bed - but my mind wouldn't let me sleep and made me get up and brush my teeth. Habits can be enormously powerful and controlling. If they're good habits that's wondeful but often we have certain detrimental habits that seem to run our lives.

    I realized recently when my ex-girlfriend kept making fun of me for it - that I was a compulsive nose picker. Yes, it's hard for me to admit it but I am one of those disgusting human beings.

    Since breaking old habits is so hard to do, I've put together these steps to follow when trying to kick this habit or any other weird, bizarre habit you may have.

1) Change the environment.
I realized I would only engage in this self-pleasing yet publicly disgusting activity when I'm studying in my room, late at night.

Fix: Study OUTSIDE and don't stay in my room at that time. By changing the circumstances the habit isnt triggered by my brain, helping to alleviate it.

2) Be aware.
This might sound like a stupid suggestion but the most important thing when trying to kick a habit is to be aware you are engaging in it. I would sometimes pick my nose without even paying attention to what I was doing - it was on a subconscious level. By being more aware of my hands and activity while studying, I could better prevent my self from engaging in it.

Suggestions - some recommend putting peppers on your fingers or covering up your fingers with lots of tape so that they don't fit into your nostrils. These suggestions I put in this category because I believe they are meant to help you be aware and stop you when you're about to pick your nose or other habit.

3) Get a friend to help you.I would tell my ex-gf to always let me know if she caught me so that I could stop. The buddy system is very effective. They can let you know when you're engaging in your habit and help you snap out of it.

4) Replace this activity with something else, that's better for you. I know lots of smokers end up becoming hardcore gum chewers at first, that is, until they kick that habit as well. Perhaps this is what you need to do too to first kick your habit. Just don't pick a replacement hobby that's worse than the original.

5) The secret to a lot of personal development success is mind power. You have to
    a) understand how detrimental your habit is to your person
    b) that you can kick this habit and stop it from taking over your life
    c) force yourself to do it

The suggestions I've given you above will help - I guarantee that much - but they will not do it for you. It's about mind power.

You should also use the other suggestions in this blog - including that about making lists of things you do - to help break old habits. Yes, they're hard to break - but take it from me - I did it and you should be able to also.

DON'T PLAY HANDBALL [Why You Should Get Out of Your Comfort Zone]

I don’t know how many of you play handball or whether or not you’re familiar with what it is – but it’s a game generally played in urban areas like NYC and LA where there isn’t much space really. All you need is a wall and a blue soft ball that bounces well. Anyway you can definitely Wikipedia American Handball to get a gist of what it is. The title of this post is misleading – it isn’t really to stop anyone from playing this fun and addicting game (sport? Not really) but to get you to get out of your comfort zone.

                As a medical student most of my day is spent studying and hitting the books, especially when it gets close to test time, like now. Yet we still procrastinate – we eat long meals and watch Entourage, we write blog posts hoping it reaches someone out there and helps them, we talk on GChat for hours about how we wish life were better and how things will be better when we’re rich. Each day I try to get to the gym and work out because it helps my effectiveness when I do. I don’t really get to go that often though because at times the work can overwhelm you. Anyway, so today I went to the gym to lift some heavy weights, get my hormones pumping through my veins, and get me ready to study for the night. I was planning to work out hardcore at the gym from about 6 to 6 30 and then eat and shower and hit the books by about 7. This did not happen.

                While benching, my friend out of nowhere asks me if I play handball. Having spent countless hours on the courts from grades 5 to 12 hitting these little blue balls at the wall and then hitting them when they bounced back, my eyes lit up and I said coyly “a little bit.” The next two hours were spent playing ball reminiscing about the old days, and even teaching my other two friends at the gym about the game. It was fun, I’ll admit but it made me realize a couple of things that led to this post. First – I’m screwed for my test now. Second, and more importantly, I realized why I kick ass at handball even today –after four years of not playing at all, and why I suck at basketball.

                In life you generally get better at things the more time you devote to them. This is a fact of life. Even average joes or whatever like myself can become good at things over time. Growing up there were two options for what to play in the park in your free time – the more athletic kids crowded the basketball courts. Is it any surprise these kids would get better at basketball over time? The less athletic, but still agile and wanting of fresh air kids, played by the handball courts from sun up to sun down. It was relaxing compared to basketball, you got fresh air, smoked cigs if that was your thing, and enjoyed yourself looking at the pretty little Asian chicks that usually hung out by the courts. It was definitely a good time. I was in the latter group and stayed in that group, and am now still part of the handball group – even when handball doesn’t matter now. It doesn't really impress anyone and judging from the fact that I haven’t played it in four years, I don’t even have that many people to play it with. My medical school has an intramural basketball team but not any other intramural team (especially not handball).

                This derives the conclusion that had I been a baller from a young age, I would have stayed at it, improved my game, become more athletic over the years, and definitely be better at something that takes more out of you, is more of a sport, gives you more of a cardio workout, and impresses girls a bit more. I’m not saying you should base your decisions on this criteria but I think it’s pretty solid criteria anyway.

                Now you may think that maybe the kids that went to play handball just started off as being slightly better at that and so kept building at it.  But the fact remains that if they spent the same amount of time at basketball maybe they wouldn’t have become superstars but their game would have improved.

                In the end it really comes down to a) what you want from yourself and how you want to be in the future and b) what you have more fun with.

                This basketball handball example is kind of stupid but it works for me, because it relates to other aspects of my life as well. Think about if you’re shy and if your friends want to go to a bar on Friday night and you would rather stay home. Would you really rather stay home instead of going out and having a good time, perhaps meeting some pretty girls? What are you going to do at home instead – complain to your friends on GChat about how miserable your situation is and then go wack off before you sleep. Sadly many of you will do the latter, fully aware that the first situation is better. You see it’s a matter of getting out of your comfort zone.

                Staying home you will never get better at talking to girls and hanging out at bars. You will only get better typing really fast to your friends and jacking off really quickly. There’s a whole world out there and you need to spend time learning about it, by being immersed in it.

                I was a scrub in handball at first, but the hours I put in to it really, really helped me. I used to be really scared of pretty girls and had crushes throughout high school on the prettiest girls but would never say a word. It wasn’t until I committed my self to going out with my friends on Friday nights and forcing myself to come up to girls, that I got out of my comfort zone, and started to finally start dating.

                 

Let me summarize what I mean since it might be a bit confusing.

#1 What do you want to be? What do you want to get better at?

If I really wanted to be good at basketball when I was young – my hours would better have been spent playing basketball.  

If I really wanted to get better with girls, I would have started talking to pretty girls and building my confidence from when I was young. But at that time I avoided what I wanted, and stayed safely in my comfort zone – not getting any girls.

#2 When you know what you want. Actively pursue it. Try even though you may fail, because this is the only way to get better.

You have to put the hours in to get better- bottom line – just first decide what you want to get better at.

Here's one last example to leave you with.

I want to be a doctor and the amount of studying I have to do is ridiculous. It’s hours and hours and hours and it just gets tiring and boring after a certain point. But if I want this – which is what I’ve decided by incurring 120k in debt and giving up the next 10 years of my life for diminishing returns – then I HAVE TO PUT THE TIME IN AND YOU KNOW WHAT? If I do, I’ll be a damn good doctor.

10 Ways to Snap Out of A Procrastination Funk

Ever find yourself just sitting there thinking of things you could do besides the actual work that need to be done?  I think we've all had moments where we knew the deadline was coming up, knew what needed to be done, knew it was important but yet just couldn't get ourselves to start.  There are plenty of reasons why could be that you're overstressed, overworked, or just a habitual procrastinator.  We hate ourselves after it get down to crunch time and we are scrambling to get our work done.  Try using these 10 guidelines to fix this bad habit.

1.  Stop Making Excuses and Rationalizations.  Stop that battle in your mind where you are wrestling with yourself to start and just start.  Don't try to push it off.  No more I'll just watch TV, browse the web, or chat with my friend for just ANOTHER 5 minutes and then I'll get started because that 5 minutes is going to turn into 10 then 30 and so on.  Who here has ever used the excuse "I work better when I'm under pressure" as the reason to procrastinate til the last second.
2.  Calm down and focus.  Starting is most often the hardest hurdle to get over.  So try to find somewhere without distractions and just focus on the task at hand.
3.  Plan out your schedule.  Often we have a lot of things to do, try to do them all at the same thing, and this leads to a lot of stress and feeling burnt out.  So use some form of a planner, personally I like to use Google calendar, to draw out your schedule and set apart how much time you want to devote to each task and focus solely on that task during that time frame.
4.  Work in order of difficulty.  Start with the things that will give you the most trouble first because that will be when you are most focused and have the most energy.  After knocking off the tough stuff the easier tasks will seem like a piece of cake.
5.  Make yourself accountable to others.  Tell your friends, parents, siblings what you need to get done and ask them if they can check in on you to make sure you are working on it.  Guilt tripping yourself can be a good way to get yourself started.
6.  Find a group of hard workers to work with.  If everyone around you is working their ass off you probably won't just sit there doing nothing.  So try to identify good people to hang around because it will definitely rub off on you.
7.  Break it down into small steps.  If the task seems to overwhelming try breaking it down into small parts.  Example:  If you have a term paper to write you could try breaking it down into 30 mins of brain storming, 30 mins for an outline, then allocate time to each paragraph, then proofreading, and etc.  Accomplishing these smaller goals will seem less overwhelming.
8.  Positive Motivation.  Try picturing how good you will feel when you get your final outcome.  If studying for a test, imagine what it will be like to ace it.  If it's going to the gym, imagine how great you'll look once you losing that 10 lbs or get that 6 pack, or whatever your goals are.  You get the picture.
9.  Conquer your fears.  Sometimes its just the worry of failing or looking stupid that freezes us.  Realize it's ok to make mistakes and that action will always be better than doing nothing.  You can't succeed without trying.
10.  Just do it.  There's a reason why Nike sells so many shoes, their awesome slogan is one of them.  It all boils down you just doing it.  Show some determination and discipline and just start whatever you need to get done.

10 Tips to Having an Amazing Job Interview

In this economy it is more important than ever to make sure you go to every job interview on your "A" game.  Getting the interview is the hard part, you don't want to mess it up after finally getting it, you don't know when the next opportunity will come up.  By following these 10 tips can drastically improve your chances of landing your dream job!

Tip #1:  Dress to impress.  A Harvard Business School study found that the decision to NOT hire someone happens within the first few seconds of an interview. So make sure you don't mess up something as simple as dressing the part.  Make sure you are dress accordingly for the workplace where you are interviewing, if it's a corporate position,
Men: you will want to dress in a conservative dark suit.  White dress shirt.  Dark red or blue tie.  no ties with cartoons or big designs, sorry there's probably never going to be a good occasion to whip that out.  Get a nice haircut, shave or if you have to keep your beard make sure its trimmed.  Wear a good deodorant.  Skip the cologne, you never know what smell the interviewer might find as offensive.  Make sure you cut your nails and that they are clean.
Women: you will want to wear a dark suit or skirt suit, with stockings and dark colored low-heeled shoes.
No crazy nail polish or hairdos.  No strong perfumes.
Overall, make sure you look good because it will show the interviewer that you care and that you're taking the interview seriously.

Tip #2:  Be relaxed.   Having a relaxed demeanor will show that you're confident in your abilities will make you look like a better candidate.  Even if you are unbelievably nervous or stressed, you don't want it to show.  Do not slouch or lean on the seat, be over eager, nervous, or act desperate all these things will be an instant bad sign.  You want them to want you.

Tip #3: Be confident.  Confidence in key in everything.  It is equally important in job interviews.  You want it to show that you are the right one for this job and make the company want to hire you.  Be confident with your answers, how you present yourself, the handshake, and eye contact.  Make sure you have a good energy throughout the interview and it will rub off on the interviewer.

Tip #4:  Be interested.  You have to show that you want the position and that it's not just another random company that you happened to spam your resume to.  Know why you would be a good fit in this position and company and have good questions ready to ask them about the company and job.  If the interviewer asks you "why do you want to work here?" and that stumps you then the interview might as well end right there.  If they ask you if you have any questions for them and you answer no, they may take it as a sign of disinterest.

Tip #5:  Be Honest.  Don't ever lie.  If you get caught in a lie then you're instantly labeled as dishonest and untrustworthy.  If you get the job and later they find out something on your resume was made up it could be terms for you being fired.  Honesty is a good value and most companies will value it.  Even if you think you can get away with it or that you're a good lier, you may be giving off unconscious body signs saying otherwise.

Tip #6: Never be negative.  If you get asked about a weakness, a former employer, or past job and even if the interview explicitly asks what you didn't like about one of them you need to find a way to put a positive spin on it.  Talk about how you grew from the experience or learned something.

Tip #7:  Do you're research.  With all the tools available on the internet.  You are a google search away from learning as much as you need to know for the interview.  By researching the company and the people you will interview with beforehand you will have questions prepared and know facts which you can use to impress the interviewer or at least show that you are interested.  If you can find out some facts about the people you are interviewing through social networks you might find some common interest which is always good as an ice breaker but no need to go overboard here we don't want to encourage being a stalker.

Tip #8.  Prepare for tough questions.  You don't want to have the awkward silence because a question has you stomped.  There's tons of resources to find difficult interview questions online.  If you're rusty at interviewing or would just like to make sure you got all your grounds covered search for the questions and practice by yourself in a mirror or with a friend.

Tip #9.  Master the elevator pitch.  For those who don't know what an elevator pitch is basically a short summary about yourself and why your awesome that can be given in the time span of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds to two minutes.  You want to always have it ready because it the best way to sell yourself and also almost always the interviewer will ask you to "tell me a little about yourself."  This is the perfect time to use your elevator pitch.  Don't ramble and dive into your life story about how you have 12 brothers and sisters and you live in a pretty house with a white fence.  The interviewer is interested in what are you strengths and what will make you an asset to them. Remember to keep it sweet and concise.

Tip #10.  Remember your please and thank you.  Make sure to do all the small things that count like arrive on time.  Usually you want to show up 10-15 minutes before your scheduled interview time.  Make sure your cellphone is turned off, if some how you forgot and it rings during the interview please don't answer it.  Apologize for having it ring and silence it.  After the interview if over thank the interviewer for their time and leave with a smile.  Get the business card of everyone who you interviewed with so that it will help you remember their names and allow you to send them a thank you note after.  These little things may not seem all that important but they add up and could be the key to you getting hired.

Follow these tips if you don't already know them and you will have a better interview I promise.

10 Things to do so You're not a Jackass at the Gym

There are some unwritten rules and some written rules that people just don't follow when they are at the gym.  Whether you are a newbie to the gym or a seasoned gym rat these are a few tips on gym etiquette and following them can keep others from thinking you're a douche.


1.  Return the weights
People didn't sign up for the gym to have a scavenger hunt every time they want to use a certain weight.  So whenever you use a dumbbell or plate and you are done with it, do the considerate thing and put it back where it belongs.  I was at the gym today and some guy was doing a super set of dumbbell curls with 5 different set of weights and then he just left them all on the ground....my thoughts of him...."what an asshole"
2. Don't slam the weights
If you're on a machine don't let the weights slam every single rep; 1. its bad form and you will probably hurt yourself. 2. it's annoying as hell to everyone around you!
If you're using free weights don't drop them just because you like the huge BOOM sound it makes.  You will just draw a lot of hateful stares.
3.  Wipe down after your done
Some people go to the gym to swim but that doesn't mean they want to swim in a pool of your left over sweat.  If you look at the machine/bench you're using and there's any sign of sweat, wipe it off!
4.  Don't make barbarian war-cries
Yes, we know you are lifting very heavy weights, it's great you want to make sure that everyone at the gym knows it.  Don't be that guy....it's natural to grunt a bit when you're doing a tough exercise but there's a difference between that and yelling.
5.  Try not to stink
Remember how bad those lockers rooms smelled back in HS?  No reason to bring that to the present.  Get a good deodorant and use it.
6.  Sharing is caring
Do not hog the machines or bench.  Do your sets and move on.  If you know you are going to be on it for a while and see others waiting offer to let them work in with you.  Also, keep your breaks in between sets to a reasonable amount of time, it should be anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 seconds.  Any longer you're probably taking too long of a break.  
7.  Don't offer advice
Unless you see someone doing something that will probably lead to them getting hurt don't give them advice because they probably do not want it or care.
8.  Workout don't just chill
You can talk to your friends elsewhere don't sit around on the machines or benches having long conversations.  If you get a cellphone call and you have to respond get up and talk on the side.  Nothing is more annoying than waiting for someone who isn't even using the machine.  The gym is a place to workout.
9.  Don't Stare
It's always weird when a complete stranger just glares at you.  Let them do their workout in peace.
10. Pick up after yourself.
Don't be a litter bug and leave your garbage around.


How do you stack up to following those rules?  Are you guilty of breaking some of them?  The gym is a great place to improve your health and release stress try to make it a place where everyone can enjoy themselves and have a good workout.

Gain More Hours Everyday

 

I always hear people saying there's not enough hours in a day.  I for one have been known to say it back in college.  I remember days where I had two or three tests on the same day or just too much work had piled up and I sat there wishing to myself if only each day had a few more hours.

Well I can't add more hours to your day but I can tell you the next best thing.  Everyone has things that they do to procrastinate, some more than others but there is always something.  Did you know that the average American teenager spends 20 hours a week watching television? and 31 hours a week one their computer?  That account for 51 hours a week and that would be about 110 days of a year!  For our non-teen readers those numbers might be lower but you got to admit to yourself that you probably still have time in the day when you're doing very unproductive things. Now imagine if you can reallocate that time into more productive activities how much better your life could be.

Easier said than done? No, it's not that hard at all, it just takes a little willpower.  What I want you to do is spend one day just keeping track of everything you do every hour for an entire day.  Be honest here too, I don't want any cheating.  If for 3 hours you were on your computer "multi-tasking" studying, while also on facebook, AIM, and Gchat, with a movie playing on the side how much studying did you really get done?  Don't label those three hours as "studying."  At the end of the day before you go to sleep I want you to look back at this list and see what are things that you could cut down on or remove entirely, you may be surprised at how much time you are wasting.

Next thing I want you to do is create a list of things you wish you had more time to do.  Examples for me are: learn to cook, learn a new language, read more, and the list goes on.  Now that you have both lists you can start replacing unproductive activities with things that you always wished you could do.  Lets say you spend two hours a day on AIM, why not cut that down to one hour and replace the other hour learning a new recipe.  I am not suggesting that you completely remove your television, computer time or whatever, we all need some time to relax and unwind from our day and if that is how you do it that is great.  Let's just keep it to a reasonable amount of time.  Some people complain about being bored, well if you have this list of thing you want to learn whenever you find yourself bored, why not take it out and try learning/doing something on that list?

Try this out for a week I think you will be happy with the difference.  Also trying keeping track of everything you do for week to prevent yourself from cheating.  Every hour think about how you just spent it and if you're happy about with it.  This could be one small step to drastically improving your life.  Good luck and remember to have fun with it.

First Time Shaving

HOW NOT TO HURT YOURSELF - A MUST READ for NOOBS

I remember back to a much younger, naive me, going into high school with so much peach fuzz on my face because I had never shaved and no one really that I could turn to learn from.

Yea maybe it's really simple for some and they automatically knew what to do but I for one had no idea. I spent the first few weeks shaving cutting myself every time, not using shaving cream because I was young and didn't really know what kind to get. I didn't know what kind of razor to use. I really wasn't all that bright I guess.

Anyway is this for those kids that are going through what I went through an offers some guidance for your first time. (Your first time for that is coming too in a later post, don't worry- I got you)

Read on playa.

------------------


All right so first with the basics.


You have to decide how you want to shave - there are the regular disposable razors that you can buy in packs - this is what I started off using because it was the simplest and cheapest option.


Then there's the nice disposable ones like some of the Mach Series and the Gillette Fusion where you have to replace the blades every so often. You don't throw the entire razor out, just the blade part, and replace it with new ones. These are what is usually advertised on television, are a bit more pricey, and are supposed to give you a better shave than the simple Bic or Gillette Disposables.


There are other options such as shaving with a straight razor but this is for more experienced users with a lot more free time. My focus is on first timers and those looking to speed up their shave, without sacrificing the slightest bit of quality.

My personal favorite and what I wish I had started with instead of the above options is the electric razor. Now even these come in two basic types which I'll go into in a bit, but all these choices make shaving a little bit unnerving for the first time shaver.


So two main types of razors - rotary and foil. Foil is probably the type you've seen before and are more familiar with but the Philips Norelco brand with their commercials and the three spinning heads cyclops-looking electrical razor that LOOKS like it's going to cut your face off is a Rotary Electrical Razor and in my experience the BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK and gets me a better shave than I ever had with the manual disposable razors, and NEVER CUTS you. That was pretty much the number one reason I switched to Electrical. I was tired of shaving taking so long and tired of always applying too much pressure and cutting myself or too little pressure and missing lot of hair, this is all avoided with the Philips Norelco.


Many people will tell you that you get a closer shave with the manuals - tell them to get lost because they probably havent tried the Philips Norelco Series.

Some shavers believe that the foil shavers as seen here get a closer shave than the triple head rotary shavers but the foil shavers are inadequate at cutting long hairs - for example if you go a week or so without shaving. The rotary ones are also better at getting hairs in weird places and at weird angles on your face such as the chin area or neck area, then are rotary ones.

Just go on amazon and read any reviews - you'll kick yourself for not switching to electric sooner. It happened to me in my college days. I could have easily avoided many cuts on my face all throughout high school.

So pricing:
-electrical runs around 50 bucks
-cheap disposables are like the name suggests cheap around 5 bucks for like 10 razors
-the manual razors with disposable blades only are a bit more expensive. for example the main razor is around 10 and the blades are around 20 bucks for 8.

Each of these should last you a while though.


What you should take away from this post!!!
Okay so if you didn't feel like reading through all that and just want the skinny on what to start shaving with and why here it is:

Philips Norelco series - start with 50 dollar range, you don't need the 200 dollar products unless you can afford it. The 50 dollar razor gives me a pretty sleek shave.

Since there's lots of types get one that matches the following characteristics and you'll be thanking me every morning,

NEEDS TO BE
-cleanable with water
-cordless and corded functioning (so in case battery runs out you can put on the cord and still shave, that way you dont walk out of the house with only half a moustache because the shaver died on you)
-around 50 dollars

PROS of electrical versus manual
-close shave (comparable to manual, I say closer)
-no shaving cream or bullshit necessary, in fact its a dry shave so you're not even supposed to wash your face first.
-long lasting - they say replace the head of it every year but I've been using my electrical for a couple of years now and it's still going great. I figure i'll buy a new one when this one wears out instead of replacing the shaver head. At 50 dollars for even every two years - it's a pretty damn good deal.
-literally YOU CANNOT CUT YOURSELF with this kind of electrical. This may not be true for certain foil razors and others but this is true for these.

I'm not trying to sell these or push anything on you. As this is a blog about how to grow up in our society without making the same mistakes I made, this is just for your information and I hope you get something out of it.
If you have any questions or want more information just let me know and I'll get back to you!

And on that note I'm out thissssssss

Enjoy shaving punks