Boy in the Box

Unreal

Last Walk Around Mirror Lake - Boom Bip (Boards of Canada Remix) from FroschYankee on Vimeo.

The Dilemma

Here we GO! It's almost time for the January 14th release and I couldn't be more excited.

It's either going well or not

So a quick thought before the day ramps up...
What is going well for you right now? What things show constant returns on your expelled energy?
Two things that don't work for me right now. As in, TODAY.

• Biting my fingernails

Deep stuff, I know. But sometimes it takes narrowing in on specific things that bring you Y output of value for X input of energy.

I see it like this. I exhaust energy, albeit a small amount, by using my teeth to clamp down on my fingernails. Dumb. Primitive. Makes me look like a toddler. In fact, I actually DID this when I was a toddler. Regardless of the therapist mumbo-crap about why this habit started as a toddler, I am an adult human being with (relatively) significant intellectual capability. I ought to be able to curb this habit. And I'm going to. I'm going to post photos of my improving fingernails once a week. 

If you engage in habits that aren't giving you a substantially productive return on your energy investment, remove that variable from your life.

Things that are working for me:

Drinking more coffee. 

Boom.

Expert at nothing; skilled at many

I want to do some really cool stuff in 2011. It will be awesome. I am going to begin a list and add to it as I come up with ideas.

1. Learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Info HERE)
2. Skydive. I've never done it
3. Drive to the East coast
4. Publish something I wrote
5. Run the 2011 Chicago Marathon and beat my 2010 time (and actually train for this one)
6. Turn off my cell phone for a week
7. Write an e-book

More later.

Attack life. It will kill you anyways. 

:-) 

Charlie

Start Movin

Worth The Wait

Only The Best

I'm back in the blog game. The past few years have been intense with personal development. I now need a place to a) develop new ideas and cultivate extreme life experiences, b) help people who are in similar life situations (seeking their life purpose, longing to awaken) and c) share an awesome life in progress.

Let's start. Again.

Higher fuel octane ratings directly correlate to higher activation energies. Activation energy is the amount of energy necessary to start a chemical reaction. Since higher octane fuels have higher activation energies, it is less likely that a given compression will cause auto-ignition, which occurs when a hydraulic fluid spontaneously combusts without exposure to a flame. Basically, when you feed an engine less quality fuel, it costs you less but your engine will run inefficiently and result in long term damage. Your engine will run, but not well. 

How many times a month do we auto-ignite, or choose to 'settle'? Narrow in...how many times per day? It's frightening. So often we feed ourselves with low octane fuel and burn too easily. We allow trivial situations access to our cognitive awareness and trap our minds within parameters defined by circumstances not conducive to long-term personal growth. I'm saying our nature is to see things from a negative light. It allows us to 'get by' but disallows us from seeing a) the longer-term damage we allow into our lives - and b) the potential levels of awesomeness on which we were created to live.

Here are a few examples of ways we allow ourselves to burn low octane fuel and how it holds us down. 

1. Gossiping - Jackie is on match.com; Adam is showing up to work later than usual; there's a good chance Jack is gay. He totally talks like it- Talking about other people is comforting to us because it takes the spotlight off ourselves. In just a moment we create an alliance (or so we think) with someone we hope is in agreement with our observation about the targeted gossip subject. It seems so harmless. But what we don't recognize is how incredibly important people around us are. Our behavior actually has a huge influence on theirs. So the next time there's something going on in their life, how quickly do you think they'll lean on you for help? You want to be the person that people confide in, not avoid, during their significant moments. 
2. Road rage - Remember this: IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU- We all have the tendency to take the actions of other drivers personally. But we need to free our minds from being the victim - free our minds from thinking that the other driver is doing something intentionally to us. Don't sell yourself to the idea that other drivers are idiots who prevent you from getting where you need to go. Be wise enough to know a risky lane change has a very small effect, if any, on your arrival time. If someone cuts you off without waving, give them the benefit of the doubt before assuming the worst. Believe in road karma. At some point, we too will make a mistake on the road worthy of  forgiveness from the drivers around us. I think we take for granted the time spent in our cars. We are owned by the radio, cell (calls, texting, facebook), and the nagging feeling that we're either missing out on something or we're not going fast enough. Actually, your life is already going too fast. Turn off those distractions and recognize the gift of being in a (relatively) quiet, seated, climate-controlled environment.
3. Getting aggravated about fellow commuters' behavior on the bus and/or train- My good friend Brady, a daily downtown Chicago commuter, did an experiment. He tried to see his fellow commuters as partners on his commute, disregarding the urge to nit-pick over people nudging to get on the bus/train, other people's bags bumping him, and overall rudeness. He has since noticed a significant difference in his daily outlook. Imagine how many other commuters have picked up on his non-verbal positive energy. Thanks to the domino effect, he has actually affected the commutes, and thus, outlooks, of countless people.
4. Letting the elevator door close when you know someone's coming - I also believe in elevator karma. You never know how a potential elevator space-sharer could change your life. You could find yourself standing next to your next best friend, a new career/business opportunity, or love of your life. Are you sure you want to literally close that door? It's risking a lot just to save yourself 5 seconds.
5. (Controversial one here, but a productive and necessary one) Writing on someone's Facebook wall - I'm guilty of this; but I'm starting a new habit that will increase the importance of the communication with people in my sphere. The new communication medium priority list is: Call them; If you don't have their number, email them; If you must, Facebook message them. But writing on someone's Facebook wall implicitly says two things at once: You want everyone in their Facebook network to see the message, thereby decreasing the importance of what you share; and that they aren't worthy of communication methods otherwise available to you (a phone call, for example). I will concede that social networking is a valuable and important tool. But to let it become a substitute for meaningful, lasting communication is settling for the sake of convenience;  burning on low-octane when we need to step up our game and perform at a much higher level of excellence. I am going to spend the next week without Facebook or texting and see what happens. Follow along and let me know how it works out. Disregard this bullet point if the wall post is a video of someone hurting themselves.
6. Ignoring people who do things for you - There is no difference between us and the janitor at our office except for perhaps a few strokes of luck along the way. Every day I see a maintenance man in my apartment building and say quick hellos and goodbyes, but only recently decided to ask him about his holiday plans. He told me that his son, who is a cinematographer based in LA is coming back from filming a movie in South Africa. He is going to put me in touch with him. This is HUGE news. So the next time you see someone you wouldn't ordinarily talk to, (the cashier at Starbucks, the cat lady in your building, a maintenance guy, etc) ask them how their day is going and what they're doing for the holidays. It's likely that you share more than you previously thought...and don't worry - most janitors don't bite.

If any of this resonates with you, try tweaking your outlook for ONE day and see what happens.


Do not follow like a sheep. Lead like a lion. Never see yourself as the victim. Your character, regardless of whether people are watching, is critical.

We have tuned ourselves to operate with lower standards because it requires that our brain not get up from the couch. The opportunity to jump aboard the status quo is appealing because it's the most frequently-traveled path. 

Engines that require higher octane deliver more motive power and do more work for a given BTU or calorie of fuel. Whether you know it, your life requires the highest quality fuel input. So don't settle for less. Take charge by feeding yourself the highest quality experiences and disregard imitations and lower quality inputs, regardless of their initial appeal. You'll start to see a greater output and overall outlook. You have control over all this. Make the conscious choice when you close this window to start living.

Quick Tips:

1. Tilt your nose 5 degrees higher towards the sky everywhere you walk. Not pompous; just positive. This will built your own confidence and well as that which other people have in you. It'll change your day. Trust me.
2. Exhale when you pick up dog poop.
3. Google everything you have questions about and beware of scams and imitations. That goes for people too; not just products.
4. If you're super nice to the person who makes your chipotle burrito bowl from the minute you walk in the restaurant, there's a good chance they will 'forget' to tell the cashier that you ordered double chicken on your meal. It works for me 80% of the time.
5. Do a raw food cleanse. My buddy Melissa is an expert and will change your life: http://twitter.com/Melissahenig

:-)

Charlie