Posts Tagged Motivation
Finding Time for Positive Change
Posted by enrique s in Productivity, Rants, lifehack on November 4th, 2009
Photo by hagwall
While carving a pumpkin for Halloween this past weekend, I sliced a chunk of my thumb off. I did a good job, too, with a real sharp hunting knife. There was enough blood spilled to make my son nauseous. The four-hour wait in the Emergency Room gave me plenty of time to ponder my situation.
Take a number
I’m fairly patient, especially if I have time to kill. But four hours was pushing it. I began to imagine what else I could be doing. Exercising. Writing blog posts. Watching TV. Wait a minute, I just spent 4 hours watching TV with the other casualties. I didn’t miss anything. Could this really be just an excuse to not do something positive?
Get off of your ass
Well, I took this mishap as a positive kick in the ass. Four hours. I’m sure that I’ve wasted plenty more than that before I cut my thumb. I spend at least a couple hours each night watching TV, and even more when my team is in the World Series (currently with a 3 games to 2 lead). So I’m going to start tonight, not only because Game 6 isn’t until tomorrow, but because I’ve just told all of you, and I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite.
Excuses, excuses
“I’m just so busy.”
“I can’t get up any earlier.”
“I’m not giving up my lunch hour for that.”
“That’s the time my show is on.”
There’s always time to be found if you really look for it. There are twenty-four hours in a day, or so I’m told. So I’ll use one of those for some exercise tonight, and maybe another to do some research for blog posts. I’ve found my extra time, and I’m not going to piss it away. I urge you to do the same.
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Corporate Barbarian Links: Sports Physical Edition
Posted by enrique s in Blogging, Frugality, Leadership, Links, Motivation, lifehack on August 22nd, 2009
My son had his sports physical this week. Two doctors had to accommodate hundreds of high school athletes. Needless to say, the wait was a long one. I waited in the car, and a baseball game on the car radio would have passed the time, but the Yankees were playing a late game in Oakland. I’m glad that I brought a book. Hemingway was good company. I love his short stories:
Here are some great posts from the last week:
Steve at Brip Blap relates a story about packs of wild dogs in Bucharest, and how he overcame his fear of them. He eventually made them fear him. It’s a great example of facing and overcoming your fears.
Katie at Frugal Urbanite thinks the PF blog sphere has become boring. She thinks that personal finance bloggers are afraid to be a little different. I’ll take her advice, and try to keep things interesting. That’s why I also blog about coffee addiction, survival kits, and my crazy neighbor.
Craig Harper has a great post about changing your personal reality at Stepcase Lifehack. He shares eight strategies that may not be comfortable to implement, but are effective in helping you take control of your life.
Jared at Technotheory wants us to stop waiting for others and forge ahead. He says it becomes clear who gets things done, and who is suited for government work.
Five Cent Nickel warns about taking frugality too far. Don’t cross that line where you start making yourself and others miserable by taking foolish risks.
Brad at Persistence Unlimited wants us to BF Skinnerize our commitments to get through the rough patches. He talks about using rewards as well as punishments to keep ourselves on track.
David at My Two Dollars reveals the man who’s still driving a 1929 Ford Model A. He’s a throwback in our throw-away society.
Jason at Dumb Little Man offers 8 great ways to motivate yourself when you just don’t feel like it. Everyone hits a lull, and one of these might be the tonic to snap you out of complacency.
Have a great weekend!
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Corporate Barbarian Links: Corporate Re-Org Edition
My company is going through yet another reorganization in order to “rightsize” and position itself better in the marketplace. Can layoffs be far behind? Well, I don’t worry about layoffs, as I ‘ve alluded to in the past. On a cheerier note, here are some good posts that I’ve read this week:
Jared at Technotheory shows us how he empties his inbox fast by learning from Google. I think my foolproof file-naming system would work well with his approach.
Jonathan at Awake at the Wheel discusses the benefits of big hairy audacious goalsetting. I’m more inclined to use the “baby steps” method, which allows me to break down large goals into small increments.
Jim at Bargaineering asks: What is your dream job? Mine was always centerfield for the Yankees, but I just don’t have the wheels for it anymore. 
Steve at Brip Blap believes that there is no cost to good health. I agree. Most people would rather take a pill after the fact than take care of themselves with a good diet and exercise.
In a guest post at Five Cent Nickel, Kevin offers some suggestions for when your job is in jeopardy. Actually, these are good suggestions for even when your job is not in jeopardy.
Free Money Finance asks: Do you dread Mondays? I’m usually pretty productive on Mondays, as I tackle my To-Do list (At least nobody can say I’m having a case of the Mondays).
Jacob at Early Retirement Extreme tells us to spend a little more for classics. Well-made items last longer, and are cheaper in the long run than disposable junk.
Brett at The Art of Manliness gives us some motivational posters featuring George S. Patton. I love how George C. Scott portrayed Old Blood & Guts in the movie.
Peter at Bible Money Matters wonders if schools should be required to teach personal finance classes. I think it’s a great idea, just ask my son!
No Credit Needed talks about micro-goals and staying motivated. I follow this thinking, and think even small progress is a positive thing.
Patrick at Cash Money Life and his wife received a special delivery from the stork. Congratulations!
Happy reading!
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Barbaric Book Review: Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun
Posted by enrique s in Book & Product Reviews, Career, Leadership on April 4th, 2009
Unlike a recent mandatory reading assignment, I thoroughly enjoyed Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun by Wess Roberts. First published in the mid-1980’s, it contains timeless tips for managers at any level. The author’s unique approach is a welcome departure from the flavor-of-the-month motivational books ghostwritten for sports figures.
The book weighs in at 110 pages, broken down into 16 short chapters, each focusing on a particular management subject. Each chapter begins with an introduction to the material contained therein, and follows with “Attila” sharing his views about the subject. The author acknowledges that he took some creative license with Attila’s “secrets”, and the reader can figure out that these are Roberts’ own views on leadership. Managers are referred to as “chieftains”, and all members of the organization are known collectively as “Huns”. The last section in the book contains “Attilaisms”, a bulleted listing of some key leadership points. Read the rest of this entry »
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