1. Stop complaining without doing anything to remedy the situation

This has been going well. I don’t think I’m much of a complainer to begin with but I think the main benefit I’ve seen from this is the increase in awareness I have about my thoughts. I’ve had a lot of work-related stress this week but have kept surprisingly upbeat about it.

2. Cut back my meat consumption by 25%

This has been pretty easy so far. Planning a big tofu stir fry which should cover a couple of days.

3. Keep a food journal

I’ve been about 75% on this and will be 100% this week.

4. Follow a morning ritual

Got a good suggestion from John to move my alarm to the other side of the room. I’ve been liking this habit – gets me started on a positive note.

5. Intense exercise at least 4 times a week

Biggest difference maker so far I think. Went to Muay Thai, did weights a couple of times and did some biking. Right now my legs are really sore in that amazingly good way that only comes from heavy squats.

It’s going good. It’s amazing what a difference a week can make. I don’t know if it’s just the exercise or a combination of everything, but I’ve felt amazing all week and full of energy, despite working 80+ hours over the last week and hardly getting any sleep.

Also came across this quote – not sure what the origin is but it really struck a chord with me considering my experience over the last week of change.

Watch your thoughts: They become your words.
Watch your words: They become your actions.
Watch your actions: They become your habits.
Watch your habits: They become your character.
Watch your character: It becomes your destiny.

Love it!

It’s kind of strange to see what knowledge / technique I retained from when I used to go often.  Keeping my hands high at all times is no problem for me even when my shoulders burn with fiery pain.  Getting tagged more than enough times because my hands were low will do that.  But, it was good to come back and it felt great to do a really intense workout.

Moving on… I’ve always had issues with motivation.  Sometimes it seems like my motivation comes and goes like the wind.  I am going to spend some time trying to figure out exactly what triggers these motivation state changes for me so I can use them to my advantage instead of the other way around.  What I do know is that when I am in a good state, there is little to nothing that can stop me.  So I’m going to ride this wave and make some changes.  Gonna pick up some new habits and reclaim some others that I’ve let slip.  My immediate focus is to be super-strict on these for the rest of the month – I started yesterday, so that’s 21 days – in my own experience 3 solid weeks is enough time to make a lasting change.

So, here goes:

1. Stop complaining without doing anything to remedy the situation

This came from an article on Tim Ferriss’s blog.  I’m a big fan of his book, The Four Hour Workweek and I’ve implemented some of his basic ideas with positive effects.  I’m also working on an even bigger change, but that’s a whole other post for later.  Anyway, the idea is to not describe a person or event negatively without indicating some steps to fix the problem that prompted the reaction in the first place.  To remind me, I’ve got a blue rubber band on my left wrist.  If I slip up, it goes to the other wrist.  I’m big on the idea that thoughts become actions, so this makes sense to me.

Source: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/09/18/real-mind-control-the-21-day-no-complaint-experiment/

2. Cut back my meat consumption by 25%

For a number of reasons I am going to cut back on the amount of meat I consume.  I’m going to start by cutting it down by 25%.  I’m not going to do any set plan ala Meatless Mondays – just going to make sure that at least 25% of my weekly meals don’t contain meat.  Which leads right into my next change.

3. Keep a food journal

In the past my best results at getting in shape have been when I kept a detailed food journal.  I’ve got an iPhone coming in the mail soon which will make this a cinch.

4. Follow a morning ritual

Another belief I’m big on is that your mental state controls your outcome.  Starting the day off in a negative state  can quickly spiral into a bad day overall.  The morning ritual is designed to put me in a positive state of mind where I’m ready to take on the day properly.

1. Wake up – don’t snooze, don’t toss – when the alarm goes I’ll pop out of bed like a bat out of hell and open my blackout curtains to get  some sunshine in the room.
2. Drink a big glass of water – morning = dehydration.
3. Move and get the blood flowing – anything really, just 5-15 minutes of quick exercise.
4. Listen to a motivating song.
5. Read my goal list and feel and envision how I will feel when I achieve them.
6. Think about things in my life I am grateful for.
7. Clean myself up – groom, dress, etc. – self explanatory – but with a little more attention to detail.
8. Cook breakfast and prepare my lunch.

5. Intense exercise at least 4 times a week

Another habit that I’ve fallen out of with a negative result on my body and my mind.  Intense exercise does amazing things for me.  I think clearer, feel better and just plain feel great.  I’m writing this hours after a hard Muay Thai class today and I’m completely awake, full of energy and super focused.  The next 3 weeks are also going to be ridiculously busy at work.  One of my problems has been that I allow myself to make work an excuse to not workout.  This is just bullshit – there’s always time and the net result is that I have more energy and am more focused so if I am super busy it’s to my benefit to fit in a workout.

21 days (20 now, as I started yesterday technically) to go.  It might look like a lot, but each is a small change when broken down.  I know myself and I know that right now I’m in a hyper-motivated state so it’s a good time to tackle these.  When I make these into established habits then it will be easier to keep my momentum going when this state of motivation wears off – and it will.

Took a few minutes this morning and thought about what I am grateful for in my life:

• I have no major health issues – knock on wood – and I am taking steps to keep it this way – I also have access to health care if necessary
• I have a roof, a fridge full of food, a car and a stable job
• I have an amazing family that has always been there for me unconditionally
• I have some true friends – people I would do anything for
• I have the privilege of choosing what I want to do with my life – I am not oppressed in any way due to the luck of the draw of where I was born
• I have had the opportunity to travel and experience many different things

Negative thoughts may sometimes creep into my head, but reminding myself of these things will always kick me back into reality.  The reality is that even though I have aspects of my life I am working on improving, overall I have plenty to be thankful for already and I am happy and grateful because of this.

What are you grateful for?

I haven’t been keeping this list updated monthly like I said I would… mostly because I’ve been busy doing the stuff on it :D

I have no idea if I’ll finish the list – at this point it’s halfway through the year and I’m just over a third done.  No matter what, I’m having a blast and expanding my horizons and that’s all that matters as far as I’m concerned.  Having this list around has given me something to shoot for, something to push me a little more and something to branch off into other fun things to do.  I’ve got an Evernote document with a increasingly massive list of things I want to try / accomplish now.  Some of them are simple and some of them are outlandish and I know that every year I’m going to repeat this process and pick out a bunch of things that I want to take a shot at.

As my good friend Carolina told me tonight – “why lead a boring life, do EVERYTHING”.  I want to do everything.  There’s so much to see, smell, hear, taste, touch and experience in the world and I want to do all of it or at least give it my best shot.  I want to create more – I am often most content when I am working on a craft or project of some kind.

“I say never be complete. I say stop being perfect. I say let’s evolve.” – Tyler Durden – Fight Club by: Chuck Palahniuk

I am happy and content with my life, yet I am not content at all.  I’m really not sure how to articulate that feeling.  All I know is the spark I feel and the smile on my face when I’m trying something new.  Anyway, on to the list!

Finished since last update:

1. 10 – Spend a weekend camping with my dog - going June 11-13 @ Rockwood
2. 15 – Ride 50 km on my bike in one go - June 6, 2010 – signed up for the 2010 Ride for Heart 50km ride
3. 30 – Grow a herb garden - going to start planting soon
4. 31 – Climb a Tree
5. 39 – Bake a cake
6. 50 – Learn 5 new effects in After Effects - learned 2 so far
7. 52 – Make a new snowboarding video - editing is underway
8. 57 – Donate blood
9. 58 – Make a gift for someone by hand
10. 65 – Decorate a Munny! - got it in the mail and did it today!
11. 72 – Sculpt something out of clay
12. 95 – Explore a cave - will do at Blue Mountain or at Sauble
13. 97 – Finish 3 major projects at work - 4 down!

2010 List – as of July 15th, 2010

1. DONE - Create a new set of 1 year and 5 year goals - done in March after an eye-opening February
2. Get a new tattoo - my planned reward for when I get down to 200 pounds
3. Get my advanced-green ranking in Muay Thai - working on it!
4. Go skydiving – might go in August… gah… scheduling issues
5. DONE – Explore an abandoned building – explored Michigan Central Station and a ton of others in Detroit with Myla and Nix
6. Climb the CN Tower in under 30 minutes - will do this at the United Way climb in October
7. DONE - Snowboard at Whistler - went during the Olympics in Feb!
8. DONE - Stomp a FS 180 off a kicker - did it at Beaver Valley in March
9. Do a proper FS/BS boardslide - never got the hang of BS boardslides… gonna try this summer at snow park though!
10. DONE – Spend a weekend camping with my dog - going June 11-13 @ Rockwood
11. Beat last years record of 30 snow days - tied currently at 30 days… gonna break it with a day at snow park in the summer
12. Get down under 200 pounds - aiming for a 5 pounds a month pace which is somewhat conservative
13. Take my Mom to the Art Gallery
14. Get rid of clutter from my room - have donated/given away/thrown away 7 large boxes and 9 garbage bags of clutter… feels awesome, more to go!
15. DONE – Ride 50 km on my bike in one go - June 6, 2010 – signed up for the 2010 Ride for Heart 50km ride
16. Build 5 Halloween props - got all my materials gathered
17. Build a fake disemboweled torso out of latex/foam – got some ideas from a bud who does excellent fx work
18. Take my Dad to a football game
19. Learn to rollerblade - I think I’m going to replace this… not very psyched about it
20. Make 95% of the food I eat from scratch - this is an easy one for me as I shy away from processed foods
21. Get 5 new freelance clients - 1 down and 2 more potentials being worked on
22. Do a 48 hour weekend fast – will do this in the fall sometime
23. Learn 5 magic tricks  - got a wicked teacher for this! Thanks Anastasia!
24. Go to the Science Centre
25. Go to the ROM
26. Deadlift 315 pounds - progress is underway
27. Squat 225 pounds - progress is underway
28. Read 25 books - 12 down
29. DONE - Spend a weekend snowboarding with my little brothers - went for 3 different weekends
30. DONE – Grow a herb garden
31. DONE – Climb a tree
32. Ride the entire single-track trail at Albion Hills - started biking again in March
33. Ride the entire single-track trail at Glen Eden - started biking again in March
34. DONE - Walk in the rain - a Squamish necessity!
35. Become proficient at AJAX
36. Do a 22 km run - Sunday October 17, 2010 – Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon
37. Launch the zombiepedia website
38. Go to the carnival
39. DONE – Bake a cake
40. Volunteer my time for a good cause – in August!
41. DONE - Try being vegetarian again for 21 days - was much easier than I thought and I’ll be reducing the amount of meat in my regular diet
42. Try being vegan for 21 days – tried doing a raw diet for a month… made it 2 weeks – not for me!  will try this again in the fall
43. DONE - Get a raise
44. Revise and stick to a new budget - budget done and have been sticking to it
45. Have a 100% TV-free month - I tried this in March… didn’t watch any TV at home… but still had a few hours at other people’s houses / bars… tough to avoid!
46. Build a Facebook application - working on an idea for a small app this month
47. Take a night class
48. Paint a giant painting
49. Go to the shooting range - sometime this summer
50. DONE – Learn 5 new effects in After Effects - learned 2 so far
51. Teach the dog to not be scared of the nail clipper - making progress
52. DONE – Make a new snowboarding video - editing is underway
53. Create 10 website layouts - 3 down, working on 2
54. Build my portfolio website
55. Try indoor rock-climbing
56. Learn to Salsa
57. DONE – Donate blood
58. DONE – Make a gift for someone by hand
59. Visit a Renaissance fair- in August!
60. Snowboard in the summer - http://www.snowparkniagara.com/ – aww yeah!
61. DONE - Be part of a zombie movie - I got to shoot with George A. Romero… one of my favourite directors and the king of Zombies!
62. DONE – Start a new business venture – initial planning is well underway
63. DONE - Start a conversation with 50 strangers - probably did close to double this # during Feb alone :D
64. Learn to make a Paella
65. DONE – Decorate a Munny! - got it in the mail and did it today!
66. Go on a random and pointless roadtrip
67. Write a children’s book - started to write
68. Become a triathlete - changed to August 8, 2010 – Niagara Try-a-tri Triathlon – 375m swim / 10km bike / 2.5km run – started swim training
69. Try wakeboarding
70. Train with a champion
71. DONE - Zombie around with my ghouly friends! - done at the Romero shoot!
72. DONE – Sculpt something out of clay
73. Give a speech - got asked to be my buddy’s best man at his wedding!
74. DONE - Re-pierce my labret - it didn’t close up as much as I thought
75. Eat chicken wings in Buffalo - gonna go with MicHELLe!
76. Spend an entire day at the beach - will do at Sauble in the summer
77. Go on a brewery tour - gonna go with MicHELLe!
78. DONE - Ride through the glades - rode the glades at Blue Mountain and then at Whistler and loved it!
79. DONE - Surprise someone
80. Work at a haunt – - in August!
81. Do 10 pull ups - currently training – at 2 consecutive right now, but will get much easier as the weight comes off
82. Do 100 push ups - currently training – at 25 consecutive right now
83. Go to a big music festival - got my ticket for Heavy MTL 2010 – going with Greg and some others!
84. Learn Yoga
85. DONE - Watch the clouds drift by - sat and watched the clouds drift through the mountains every chance I got out west
86. DONE - Watch a sunrise - watched it come up behind the mountains in Squamish
87. Go kayaking – missed a good chance to do this, but will still for sure!
88. DONE - Watch a sunset - watched it on the bus ride back from Whistler
89. Hike part of the Bruce trail - will do at Sauble in the summer
90. Do a handstand pushup
91. Eat a tasting menu
92. DONE - Eat 5 things I’ve never tried before - way over 5 now… should have set a bigger number, I love trying new foods
93. DONE - Ride on a powder day - got to do this twice at Whistler… best 2 days of riding in my entire life
94. Build a haunted gingerbread house - found a sweet blueprint
95. DONE – Explore a cave - will do at Blue Mountain or at Sauble
96. Make a Turducken!
97. DONE – Finish 3 major projects at work - 4 down!
98. DONE - Reformat my laptop - nice and clean
99. DONE - Backup all my important files - bought a spindle of DVDs and finally did this.. have them on a hard drive too – took forever
100. DONE – Eat at a White Castle – did this while on a trip to Detroit with Myla and Nix – it was gross!

Other memorable fun stuff from 2010 not on the list:

1. Went to the Olympics!
2. Started a chant at a Hockey game in a bar
3. Officially shelved my shy side
4. Did a 600m vertical hike up the Stawamus Chief
5. Learned to love side hits
6. Discovered my Canadian pride
7. Did a wicked overnight road trip to Mont Tremblant
8. Had a zombie board game night
9. Made lobsters for the first time ever
10. Learned to slow things down a bit
11. Went rafting
12. Jumped off a cliff