I am the light at the end of the weekly tunnel...

Ahhhhh, Fridays always feel so gratifying for some reason.  Especially after a busy week of work...even if I took a day off yesterday, it still felt long.  And I'm looking forward to the long weekend.  It'll be nice to not have so many things planned, and to have an extra day to do stuff around the house.  Tinz is now 31 weeks, so I have roughly 6 weeks to get all my ish done around the house!  I need to get cracking! 

Of P90x, Insanity, and quick-fixes
We're always looking for the quickest fix, the get-rich-quick ideas, rather than slow and steady, steady and slow(Believe it or not, the first time I ever heard this saying was Goofy, racing some crazy fast car on a hilly course, and ends up winning...kinda like the tortoise and the hare I guess).  Anyway, the same goes with fitness...the P90X or most recently, the INSANITY workout...7-minute abs, he he he.  Instead of making physcial fitness a regular part of our daily life, we go for the quick-fix.  And I don't have anything personal against the P90X or INSANITY workout, especially if you're trying to lose fast...but what happens AFTER the program is done?  Do we go back to our old habits where after some point, we'll have to go back to the exercise program again down the line?  Or at that point do we keep it up on our own, exercising daily for at least 30 minutes?  I'd HOPE it was the latter, but I fear it's the former.  This applies to everything we have in our lives, and the thing we all have to realize is that habits make a lifestyle.  We have to develop the habit of being fit, not go for the rush; or taking "shots," and then going hard until we are spent.  And in our goals and dreams, this is the most important to realize, it takes baby steps, consistency, and perseverence to achieve our goals and make our dreams a reality.  I've known this and always brushed it off, and not until recently did I really make an effort to put it into application.  Let's go back to fitness...well, kinda; I want to compete in a triathalon, not competively, but for myself, but I never did anything about it.  I always thought, I'd just start training once I sign up.  And then when the triathalons were approaching, I would back out because I would be scared that I don't even swim laps.  So it would go back and forth....I soon realized, before I can even sign up, I should already be swimming.  It's just not a good way to go about it.  So I started swimming with Tinz...ideally, it would be 3 times a week, but 2 a week is all we can manage.  But hey, 2 is > 1 and 1 > 0, right?  So this baby step is helping me make huge leaps and bounds towards achieving that goal.  Now I actually have my sights set on a target date, and feel much more comfortable at actually trying to get trained in time.  See, baby steps.  No crash-course would've prepared me for a race.  And no crash-course can help us get to where we wanna go in life.  It takes hard work and dedication.  And the sooner we realize that, the better.

Take that baby step....that's the only way to get to the finish line!

I am a well-needed day off...

I was up pretty late last night because of an upset stomach, amongst other things...so I decided to stay home today...it's good, because I was able to get some work done around the house; namely working on the office and baby room.  More clearing out the baby room and organizing the office/guest room so that I can actually WORK ON the baby room.  But baby steps, just work on things one step at a time.

Going back to the circles of control thing from the other day...I was posed a question on how I focus my energy; is it directed at the things I can control?  Or do I get caught up trying to work out things that are not?  It's good to reflect on something like this, because I can look at my own history and actually see whether or not I had control of the things my energy was directed at.  When I had complete control, well, not complete, but when I had some control over a situation, was when I focused my energy on training for the LA Marathon the first time I ran it; I had control over when I trained, what I ate, and was completely accountable for whether or not my training was adequate at the end.  I knew I was in control because when I was faced with adversity, I found a way around it and make sure my training was done.   When I got sent to Japan for work, I made sure I packed accordingly, along with running gear and made sure I squeezed in running time; when it rained, I forced myself to learn to run on a treadmill.  For those of you who know me, you'll know I detest treadmill running...and the fact that I was able to run 16 miles on a treadmill is quite an accomplishment for me.  I made sure I found time to do what I needed to do to train.  Ironically; I trained so hard that I sustained an injury, of which I wasn't made aware of until about mile 15 of the marathon.  All of my rigorous training while still participating in various other sports for cross training, I partially tore my meniscus and I definitely felt it during the marathon.  At that point I had no control over the pain I was experiencing, and I had no choice but to walk when the pain got too unbearable.  All I could do was run when the pain subsided and walk again when it returned.  It was very difficult, to say the least, knowing that I just could not do what I wanted to do, which was to reach a goal of about 5 hours for the marathon, and I warred with just running it all out against my better judgement, just to accomplish that goal.  But that would've probably caused me much more long-term harm than just sucking it up and accepting the situation for what it was.  There are definitely many other situations I can look back upon, both when I have had control, and times when I had none at all, and even times, when it was a little of both, kinda like the marathon.  Again, it's important to reflect on these moments, because you can learn from them.  You can see what you need to do to act accordingly in the future.

Okay, time to get back to my tasks for the day....

I am a half-completed "to do" list...

An actual CURRENT post?  What the wha?!?

Slowly starting to complete the various projects I have laid out for myself.  It really does help to actually schedule the time to do certain things each day.  I started setting alarms on my iPhone just to handle that exact type of thing.  So here's to becoming a little more efficient with each passing day.

Food for thought
So a little while ago, I was asked, "Would you rather have a million dollars today?  Or one penny doubled every day for one month?"  The age old question right?  Now or later?  Instant gratification or patience?  Well, the only question I would ask is...what month?  Because one penny doubled every day for every day of the month, EXCEPT for February actually is equivalent to MORE than $1 million.  By the 28th day of the month, you would have accumulated $671,088.64.   So if it's a 30 or 31-day month, you would end up with roughly $2.5 and $5.4 MILLION dollars, respectively.  Now how's that for patience?  Even if you were to invest that $1 million, there's no way you'd be able to double or triple it in as quick of a time.  But to some people, it might be worth it; of course, only BEFORE thinking it all the way through.  You didn't have the million 30 days ago, so what's 30 more days?  I thought it was a phenomenally interesting question...one that is far more illustrative than the $20 now or $30 next week question. 

I am the ticking of the clock...

May 22, 2012

Circles of Control
 I recently learned about "Circles of Control;" basically, two intersecting circles in which one circle contains the things that are withIN our control, and the other, those things we canNOT control.  And the overlapping area covered by the intersection of these two circles represents the "grey" or unkown area, where it's difficult to know exactly what is what.  The trick to getting these circles under control is actually being able to identify what is and isn't in our control.  Sometimes, we think we have control over things and stress about them, but in reality, we can't do anything about certain situations and have to just let it go.  I'm not sure where I stand with these circles; or how far they overlap with each other so that I'm unsure about what I need to worry myself with.  But I think it's important to sit on that and think about it, because if we can get these two circles further apart, then the grey area will be much smaller and life would be much simpler.  It would be more black and white, but we all know that usually isnt the case, so the best we can do is push them as far apart as we can and to maintain it.  I would liken it to trying to keep two magnets separated from one another...it takes constant work.  Probably not the best comparison, but in this lil head o'mine, it works ;)

And of course, to sum it all up, one can refer to the always used, often repeated, but rarely applied "Serenity Prayer," which goes, "Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."  Now how often do we reflect on this prayer?  I think it's something we need to think about every day when we get up in the morning and have on our minds.  With that kind of mindset, or actually, awareness, we are better equipped to face the many many challenges of each day ahead of us.

I am a 10-car pileup...

So once again, I haven't been able to post consistently...but I was writing consistently, or somewhat consistently(there were a few days missed) and here are the posts from said writings, he he he.

May 6, 2012

End of week

This week I was/am thankful for...

-Sitting next to the window at work
-Online ordering
-That the Lakers won the first two games against Denver
-The Dodgers saying they'll drop parking to $10 at Dodger Stadium
-Being proactive (I contacted Amazon about our camera's price drop and got refunded $14!)
-Our new DSLR camera (for the baby and shooting regular pics =p)
-Spending time with family last weekend at Barona
-Mom's 70 years of being in the world
-My watch
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May 16, 2012

I am a mini-hurdle...

Uh oh....has it really been 10 days since my last journal entry?  Frick...well, here we go, gotta go at it again....It's been truly a busy busy BUSY past 10 days, travelling, working LONG hours, and just trying to get things done, but I gotta not let it set me back too far... 

Power Question #4:
If you had all the time and all the money in the world, what would you do?

Man, this is such an interesting question; because it seems to be the driving force behind everything we can and can't do, even tho, ideally, it's not how it should be.  But reality is reality, and if I had all the time and all the money in the world, I think I would first try to rid myself and my family of our debts, make sure they're all taken care of, and then start to see how I can use my money to help other people.  I would probably stop working, or arrange to work part-time so that I can just focus on my dreams and other goals that I originally wasn't able to pursue because of work.  I would spend more time with my kid(who hasn't been born yet, but I definitely would be able to spend more quality time with the kid and the wife).  I'm hoping that the status with all the money wouldn't affect me too much, so that's something I'd have to keep tabs on all the time.  I mean, I know it would be pretty difficult; but how many could and would turn down an opportunity like that?  I guess it would have to be something you had to say you tried out...
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May 17, 2012

I am a build-up of pressure...

I've been having that "there's not enough" time feeling, a la Saved By the Bell when Jesse is freaking out and I think taking amphetamines or caffeine pills or something, and they're singing in that group, he he he.  No but seriously, work has been a lot more demanding lately, and maybe rightly so, considering how many months I've had it easy; but it's never fun when the ebs and flows are tidal waves that leave me gasping for air.  I'm definitely not drowning or anything, but I really have had a lot to do the last week or so, which made the vacation we just took all the more relaxing and enjoyable.  I don't understand how people rack up their vacays only to cash them out; they truly are mental health days.  I was able to relax, see Seattle, celebrate Christine's first mother's day, and our first year anniversary!  I loved every minute of it, and we could've seriously spent another week there, if it we had more vacation time to spend(we gotta save some for the baby!). 

But now that we're back, it's all starting to build up a little bit...I gotta start the nursery, install the new closet in the hallway, and a bunch more things, not to mention work, oh and my personal goals and objectives!  Whew!  Breathe....breathe....I just gotta not try to swing for the fences and make sure I don't spread myself too thin, which is something I got in trouble for in college and definitely paid the consequences for.  So here's to taking baby steps, here and there and everywhere! 

Tomorrow, I only wanna do a few things:
-work out
-journal
-build the filing cabinet
-work on closet
-get a massage (time-permitting)

But I gotta do all that before going to mom n pops for the night to take them to the airport for their own trip...I'm so excited for them!

Quote of the day
"Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things."
-Theodore Levitt
____________________

May 19, 2012

Grattitude list
-My laptop
-Christine and my 1 year anniversary
-Getting the chance to celebrate Christinef's 1st mother's day
-Visiting Seattle
-Vacations right after busy work weeks
-excercise
-a supportive wife who knows how upset I get when the Lakers lose
-Lakers beating OKC
-Having a car to drive around in
-How cool our house is
____________________
May 21, 2012

I am power question #6

What’s your ideal day look like? When do you get up? What do you do?
With whom? For whom? Imagine it in vivid detail.

The ideal day...wow, that's a good question.  Well, it would start with waking up early for a change, in time to eat breakfast with the wife.  I'd probably get up around 5:30, read my bible, and pray.  Then, I would eat breakfast and be able to leave by 6AM, in order to get to work by 7AM.  That way, I would be able to get to work early enough, and then work out at lunch, and finish the day off at work by 5 o'clock.  Having woken up early would provide me with the opportunity to get to my old roomates' house and be able to carpool with them.  That way, when we leave at 5 o'clock, I'd be able to get home within a reasonable time.  Then I would complete a few errands, maybe pick up around the house for a few minutes and then have dinner w/ the wife.  After QT with the fam, It would be time to wind down and then shower up and sleep.  And then the day would start over again.  Weekdays would definitely be different from weekends, and even then, not every single day would be the same during the week because I wouldn't do the same thing every single day.  A couple of things maybe, but I'd also have to add my basketball leagues, and swimming time with the wife.  There are a couple of other things I'd do every day, but I'd probably need to make an ideal list for all 7 days of the week, he he he.  But generally, the ideal day as listed above is what I would like to see come to fruition. 

____________________
May 22, 2012

I am the ticking of the clock...

Circles of Control
I recently learned about "Circles of Control;" basically, two intersecting circles in which one circle contains the things that are withIN our control, and the other, those things we canNOT control.  And the overlapping area covered by the intersection of these two circles represents the "grey" or unkown area, where it's difficult to know exactly what is what.  The trick to getting these circles under control is actually being able to identify what is and isn't in our control.  Sometimes, we think we have control over things and stress about them, but in reality, we can't do anything about certain situations and have to just let it go.  I'm not sure where I stand with these circles; or how far they overlap with each other so that I'm unsure about what I need to worry myself with.  But I think it's important to sit on that and think about it, because if we can get these two circles further apart, then the grey area will be much smaller and life would be much simpler.  It would be more black and white, but we all know that usually isnt the case, so the best we can do is push them as far apart as we can and to maintain it.  I would liken it to trying to keep two magnets separated from one another...it takes constant work.  Probably not the best comparison, but in this lil head o'mine, it works ;)

And of course, to sum it all up, one can refer to the always used, often repeated, but rarely applied "Serenity Prayer," which goes, "Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."  Now how often do we reflect on this prayer?  I think it's something we need to think about every day when we get up in the morning and have on our minds.  With that kind of mindset, or actually, awareness, we are better equipped to face the many many challenges of each day ahead of us. 

I am two ears and one mouth...

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Whew, what a day.  Started working with a new project and it's been very hard work.  Very different from what I've been used to doing lately, so hopefully I can get up to speed quickly.  Change is always tough, but if I don't adapt to the change, then I'll get left behind in the dust. 

Anyway, in one of my meetings, I heard an awesome quote; "You have two ears and one mouth.  Utilize them proportionately." 

Such an awesome and very hard-hitting statement.  Do we listen MORE than we talk?  Or is it the other way around?  I never really thought about it this way.  I would like to think I listen more than I talk, but I sometimes think that I am guilty of talking more than I listen...even talking withOUT listening at all.  So according to the quote, we should listen TWICE as much as we listen.  This is a good tenet to have in my life I think.  I gotta keep it somewhere and keep it up.  I think at work, I might apply this philosphy, because I always wait to hear everything before I start asking questions; it just makes life more efficient. 

I am a seeker of truth and strength...

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The three I picked were
1)  Practicing Religion and Spirituality
2)  Taking Care of your body
3) Cultivating Optimism

I believe that I am implementing all three of these things in my daily life.  My spirituality and my faith are probably one of the most important foundational building blocks that make me who I am today, as well as taking care of my body (through activity and somewhat healthy eating; I have to admit, I'm a sucker for junk food =/).  And through cultivating optimism; I try to lead by example and try to have others feed off of my optimism.  And I really do believe that there is always a bigger picture, even when things don't necessarily go our way, because one day, we'll be able t look back and see how that instance, which is such an incredibly small fraction of our life when we come to the end of it, affected our life permamently. 

I am a crazy week....

Actually had to journal through email this week; here are the entries, from each day...

Monday, April 30, 2012
What type of Happiness did you inherit genetically from your parents?  Genetic accounts for 50% of your Happiness… But you can’t changeyour biological parents. How does this make you feel?

I think the Happiness that I inherited from my parents is Happiness in helping others.  My parents, sometimes to their own detriment, helped other people.  They never said no, even when it was inconvenient for them.  Being that it accounts for such a large part of my own individual makeup, genetics makes me feel like I'm stuck to only doing what they did, that I may put myself in some bad situations because I cannot say no.  But this same perspective also gives me a baseline for identifying their genetics and then changing it on my own to apply my own style.  The reason I feel this is because it's difficult to help anyone if you aren't in a good place to begin with.  Anything can be changed.