Improving My Life

Finally: I Bought Something From Etsy

2009-11-06T13:24:00.000-05:00

I've been looking at many 101 Goals lists, and noticed three items that keep reappearing.

Seems like everyone wants to bungee jump, which is pretty obvious. I think that nothing makes you feel more alive then the feeling that you're cheating death.

Everyone wants to swim naked. Now, I'm not the voice of authority when it comes to moral standards, but when it comes to the swimming naked goal, I'm not too upset this goal remains mostly unfulfilled.

And one more goal repeats itself: Buying an item on Etsy. I understand that one too. We see earnest artists and artist-wannabees, and we feel for them and we want to support them and their vision.

So I wanted to do that one, but couldn't find anything I wanted. Or--as we are in tough times--I couldn't find anything I needed. And I was about to give up on this goal, or at least postpone it indefinitely, when a friend who makes crazy art had finally been convinced to put some of it on a t-shirt. When he started selling the t-shirts on Etsy, I knew I had a winner.

Another goal fulfilled. Another artist happy. A win-win.

bikeparts on Etsy

(Click on the image to see bigger versions. Maybe even buy a shirt?)

I'm a Member

2009-10-17T23:12:00.000-04:00

One of the goals I set for myself on my slowly growing list of 101 goals in 1001 days was to join a group of fathers.

I first heard about this group by accident, when waiting for the table to clear in the local restaurant, I saw a flyer for a documentary called Happy SAHD. Here's the trailer:

Well, being the insecure person that I am/was, I didn't go to see the movie, and I definitely didn't get in touch with any of the fathers from the movie.

A couple of months later I met a woman who knew one of the fathers featured in the movie. When I told her I was a stay-at-home father, she said I should join the group. They were all easy going fathers who met for play dates once a week. She gave me her friend's email. I waited another two months.

But in the end, it's not about me, even if secretly it is.

It's mostly about making sure my baby, who doesn't go to day care, spends time socializing with other kids.

And secretly, which is also the reason this was one of my goals, getting in touch with this group of stay-at-home fathers was about acknowledging that I needed the help and the companionship of others like me. Getting in touch with this group and attending the meetings and play dates was about overcoming the voices in my head telling me that although it felt like something I needed, I should have stayed away.

We meet every Wednesday. We chat. We chase our kids around. What's the big deal? Why did it take me so long to do something so simple?

Well, one step at a time, I guess, is the only answer I can give. Another goal fulfilled. Another invisible obstacle overcome. Another cause for a small celebration.

Learn to Appreciate

2009-10-05T14:28:00.000-04:00

We tend to look at obstacles in a negative way. This is something we might be able work on, slowly learning to treat obstacles as learning experiences and as positive things in general. I mentioned that before, here.

But this post is about the other side--how we look at the good things we have. There are so many things we have and simply take for granted. This is true, for example, for an employer who mistreats an employee because he thinks it doesn't matter (after all, the mistreated employee is getting paid, right?). It's also true for family and friends we take for granted, often not pausing to appreciate the fact that a person has chosen us to spend a lifetime with (or in the case of friends, even just a rare afternoon at the football stadium).

Once we figure this one out, it's possible to look further and learn to appreciate everything around us.

The ideas above, by the way, are much better explained in this post from Dream Manifesto, where author Jack Canfield writes

When you are in a state of appreciation and gratitude, you are in a state of abundance. You are appreciating what you do have instead of focusing on, and complaining about, what you don’t have. Your focus is on what you have received… and you always get more of what you focus on.

On Meditation, Spirituality, and Howard Stern

2009-09-16T00:45:00.000-04:00

I've commented on some blogs (as well as mentioning it here) that I approach meditation as a physical/mental exercise rather than a spiritual one, and it led me to think about spirituality and about what I'm missing.

I do believe that a spiritual background could make it easier to meditate, but is it really necessary?

None other than Howard Stern is actually a big fan of meditation. It's something he's been doing before each show for many years, since his first radio job. But like me, he feels no connection to the spiritual side of meditation.

So, am I missing something here?

Or is spiritual meditation just another path to the same place we all reach through meditation?

Or is there a third option: Am I, by meditating and getting the peace I need to distance myself from myself actually practicing the spiritual meditation? In other words, if I get to where I need to go, does it mean I'm having a spiritual experience (even as I distance myself from that word)?

On Daily Meditation

2009-08-22T17:38:00.000-04:00

Goal number six in my slowly growing list of 101 goals is to meditate daily for a week. I had achieved this goal soon after starting this project. It was an easy goal, requiring a few minutes a day for a week.

But then, following the good feeling I felt when I updated the goal list to write this goal was complete, I pretty much neglected the meditation.

But why is that? To be fair, I can only do that at night, when my baby is asleep. And between fearing him waking up and the dogs barking, I can't bring myself to relax even for a few minutes, even though I regret it every night, knowing a day without meditation is a day with more stress and less understanding.

Writing it down here actually allows me to make sense of things. It's a cycle that can be broken only by me. I too stressed to meditate, which means that if I allow myself these five minutes I will not be stressed anymore.

Come on... I can do this. In fact, I'll create another goal: #51: Now that I've succeeded in meditating daily for a week, I will meditate daily for a month.

We'll go from there.

Back to Verizon

2009-08-11T23:33:00.000-04:00

. . . Then one day I got a postcard in the mail from Dick Cheney, saying "Thanks a Million." A few weeks later I got a letter explaining this was part of a marketing campaign for Credo Mobile, formerly known as Working Assets. They were giving me examples of the ways Verizon (and other cellphone companies) have trampled on our civil rights in cooperation with the Bush administration.

Unlike Verizon and AT&T, they were a good company.

So I turned a blind eye to the fact that they were getting cellphone service through Sprint, which was just as eager to share our phone calls with Bush and Cheney. And I turned a blind eye to the fact that their credit card wasn't independent, but was part of MBNA and then Bank of America.

And for months I even turned a blind eye to the fact that the service was unbelievably bad.

I would sit on one end of the couch and talk, then move to the other side of the couch and the call would drop, telling me I was now roaming...

Things added up, and I couldn't turn a blind eye anymore. The internet stopped working, most calls were going straight to voice mail, the camera sucked, the speed dial didn't work...

It's been less than a year, and I've decided it's time to move back to Verizon. It's time to turn a blind eye to Verizon's Bush-era crimes. Good luck to Credo Mobile. Sorry.

And Dick Cheney, you're welcome.

Steve v4.6

2009-07-22T22:38:00.000-04:00

Steve v4.8 Weight Loss Blog

I like to give shout outs here every once in a while. In the past, I had mentioned Mike's livelife365, and more recently I wrote a post about Donald Foley's An Actor's Journey.

And today, a post about Steve.

One day, as it happens, Steve realized he had lost control. I know how that feels, having quit smoking by the ol' "Eat a snickers bar every time you crave a cigarette" method. And I too had lost control, gaining 40 pounds in two months. For me, just the shock of the rapid gain was enough to start taking care of myself, but for others, the weight gain is slow, almost unnoticeable until it hits you.

When it hit Steve, he decided to take control over his body.

The name of the blog refers to Steve's age, but also to the versions of himself. As he ages, he's taking more control over his life and his weight--losing over 150 pounds, taking up yoga, discovering nutrition, and writing great sentences, like this one:

But whether I live to the ripe old age of 48-1/4 or 148-1/4 matters little, so long as I strive to improve myself every single moment- and enjoy the scenery along the path I create as I go.

Budget and other online Personal Finance templates

2009-07-15T13:42:00.000-04:00

In the past, I wrote about finding useful Excel templates that would help me work on a family budget.

Recently, however, I've found out that the template I've been using and other useful templates can now be found online. Google Docs, which keeps improving slowly, has the Budget template. Other Personal Finance templates, like a Credit Card Payoff Calculator, can be found here.

Hope you find something valuable.

Is Everything For the Best?

2009-07-06T23:37:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to figure out the idea that everything is for the best.

Because, well, obviously not everything is for the best. You lose your job, for example. Then you don't have the money for the mortgage. You lose your house. You lose your dreams for a comfortable future.

And then you meet someone who smiles and tells you it's all for the best.

Nothing as horrible as this has happened to me, but every once in a while, when something big or small doesn't go according to plan, I think, What if it's all for the best? And then comes the test: What if something really bad happens--will things still be for the best?

Some people subscribe to a religion that tells them it's all from God. Others believe events happen because they were meant to happen, and it's not in our interest to find a reason on Earth or above.

I think what connects the true believers (religious belief or otherwise), is the idea that if something bad happens to them, that doesn't mean it's bad in the big picture.

That involves a certain amount of humility. If I lose my job, it's not good for me, but it's great for the person who was hired instead. If I lose my house, I might join a great number of people who had lost their houses, and our numbers may move politicians to regulate the mortgage industry.

Not everything is a zero-sum game in the world. Not every loss is someone else's gain. But if I truly believe in the world, then I must take a step back when I look at my own setbacks.

Online Friends

2009-06-20T01:16:00.000-04:00

Last month I've managed to cross out another one of my goals, when I finally met a person I met online. A blogger.

By definition (at least it should be a part of the definition), bloggers who have online friends still mostly keep to themselves in real life. I do believe most are introverts who usually enjoy virtual friendship even more than real one.

But I was curious, so when she mentioned a gathering of some bloggers I took her up on it.

On the one hand, it was indeed as awkward as I'd imagined it would be. It's rare that I walk among others and don't feel like an outsider. And even here, among my people, I felt the same.

But this is still a crossed out goal I'm glad I did, and now I've created a new goal: meet an online friend from a different state or a different country.

Because as much as I felt awkward, I also felt better than I do when I'm in a bar with non-blogger. The truth and honesty of virtual friendship remained, which is a very rare thing in most gatherings. Online friends are special friends. You don't even count them when someone asks you how many friends you have. But they're as real as all of your other friends, which was something I had to prove to myself.

Bank of America

2009-05-22T01:14:00.000-04:00

One of the goals I set in my list of 101 goals was to leave Bank of America. We've finally made up our minds to do that and to move our checking account to a credit union.

It's just been to easy. They have online banking... And so many branches... But enough. If I believe in myself and in this country, I have to do what's right.

When I think of the most horrible companies in the US, Bank of America is not alone. There's Blackwater, and Wal-Mart, and Haliburton, and a few others. But while these other companies set their goals and don't care how many people they destroy on the way, the business of Bank of America is to destroy people.

The family is going on a vacation. When we come back, I hope I'll be able to fulfill this particular goal. Good luck.

The Spark

2009-05-14T13:15:00.000-04:00

One day, I looked at a friend of mine and realized what was wrong.

She was bitter. She was constantly fighting with her husband, who was playing in a band and trying to become a rock star. She was watching TV for hours, not even knowing what she was watching anymore. Gaining weight. She was in her mid-20s, babysitting for a living.

Now, I'm not saying depression isn't real. I'm just saying we can do something about it.

When I looked at my friend, I didn't see a spark in her eyes. People around her were moving forward, while she stayed in one spot.

We all need to find the spark in our eyes. It's what keeps us alive.

Do something. Change your circumstances. You don't know what your next move should be? Ask around. Be brave. That spark is there, waiting for you to make a single move. It will take over from there.

Eventually, one day, my friend woke up. Just like that, she enrolled in a Montessori school teacher class. And once the spark was there, she didn't let go. She didn't apply to work as a Montessori teacher--instead, she opened her own school. She has sixty kids in her school now, and it's still growing. The wait list is over a year long.

The spark she had hidden in her eyes was bigger and brighter than everyone else's, but to find it, she had to wake up and make that change.

Donuts and the Recession

2009-05-01T20:58:00.000-04:00

A couple of months ago I got out of my local Dunkin' Donuts and headed back to the car, when a friendly WJZ reporter stuck a mike in my face and asked if there was anything I didn't need but was still going to buy during the recession. The answer was obvious: my morning donut.

I don't know if they ended up using my answer in the report, but if I had more time to think, I would have given a longer answer.

It would have included a long explanation about the way sugar calmed me down, even though I was sure it also made me more jumpy and stressed. I would have said that in better times I would have spent my money on a gym membership, not on donuts, and that the donuts were just there to fill me up physically and mentally, because as long as I could taste the sweet chocolate, no one could fool me into thinking things were that bad, right?

Instead, I smiled, pointed at my donuts, and walked to my car.

Donald Foley's Journey

2009-04-22T00:19:00.000-04:00

Donald Foley - An actor’s Journey

Sure, Donald Foley isn't a household name. And you know, maybe he never will be one. But for this computer programmer turned extra turned actor, it's all about the journey and about having the courage to make the change.

Foley's career might take its time. He might make it. Or he won't. But whatever happens, reading about his slow and steady progress toward the achievement of his dream is truly inspiring.

Good luck, Mr. Foley.

What does it mean to get old?

2009-04-16T12:57:00.004-04:00

Well, what it doesn't mean is an end to your dreams. I won't put the Britain's Got Talent video here because you already saw that, but here's Susan Boyle singing for CBS audience.

And below that, a video of a 73-year-old man who has just joined the college's basketball team.

Mink said his fountain of youth has been an active lifestyle.

Watch CBS Videos Online

(basketball video via)

A Smile

2009-04-07T14:06:00.002-04:00

A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look... You most likely turned your back on the world.

Saw this short list called Facts of Life, and had to do a little cut and paste. Click here to see the full post.

Revisit My Goals

2009-03-31T23:43:00.005-04:00

Not only am I only at 25 out of 101 goals, but I also don't keep track well enough.

Well, about the first point, someone commented (on Twitter) that it would take him 1001 days just to come up with 101 goals. So I'm on schedule there. And I do add goals when something comes up.

But as for the other part, I feel I have been lacking. Nothing will get done if I just write these goals on this blog. They need to be tracked in order to remind me I actually set myself a goal.

So here's a short recap (and I keep updating the original 101 post):

I'm actually getting close to a 5 miles jog. Unbelievable.

I'm going to set myself a task on Outlook to meditate every night for a week. And another task to do pushups.

Keeping a budget is a bit depressing, especially when it doesn't look like there's anything we could cut. But starting the budget has made me want to try to save more (and today I called Comcast and got a $70 reduction on my monthly fee. Only for a few months, but it counts).

Speaking of companies giving us what we want in a recession, I'm going to write Sirius one of them nasty emails and see if they can help me. The power of the declining market is on the consumer's side, which is a nice change.

I was romantic. Searched and searched until I found orange roses my wife loves. It's not a completed goal, but it's a start.

I observed Earth Hour.

Having some change left over from the tax-return, I paid a little extra to the credit card. Will try again next month, and hopefully later too.

Bungee, novel, script, West Coast, deck, picture, throw things away, cake, massage, baby, leaving BoA, beer in London, shirt, origami, Rubik's, French--Okay, I still have a couple of years to do that.

That's it for now. I will continue to monitor my progress and add goals. This is actually working. Who would have thought?

Inspiring Each Other

2009-03-27T00:10:00.003-04:00

Done & Dusted 101 goals in 1001 days

24retoa left me a comment after he read my first 101 goals post, saying the post inspired him to do a similar thing. Of course, I'm happy to hear that (even though I only started it after being inspired by other bloggers). And now, looking at the blog he created specifically to monitor his progress, I am inspired again. He seems to take it very seriously even as he seems to be humbly aware of his limitations, which I think is the right attitude.

And now, as I wrote him back, I will look at his list and steal some of his goals, adding them to my own list.

Observe Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-19T22:52:00.004-04:00

I did it last year, and there's no reason I can't do it again. I even added it to my slowly growing list of 101 goals.

Sure, I checked my watch a few times during the last few minutes, but in the end I did it, and was pretty proud of myself.

Things have changed in the last year. My baby is now a toddler, and probably has better things to do than be in the dark for an hour, but I can prepare, and I can even make it a great experience for both of us.

Last year I was hoping to make it a weekly or at least a monthly thing, but I didn't do it. We'll see this time. I do believe this thing is more than just a hollow symbol and it's more than just about energy and the environment. I believe it's about finding ourselves beyond technology--in a way, redefining ourselves.

Change your toothbrush

2009-03-11T00:46:00.005-04:00

We all know we're supposed to do that, let's say, 3-4 times a year, because an old toothbrush harbors bacteria and all that good stuff. But from another point, this is also an issue of renewal.

Our ancestors had their own ways to make sure their lives were cyclical and always renewed, but we seem to have forgotten everything, using ancient ceremonies as excuses for shopping (at least until a year ago. Now holidays are excuses for window-shopping). Fair enough. Things change.

But we can make our own small renewals. We can make sure every day starts anew by making sure the kitchen sink is empty at night. We can make sure every week is a new beginning by doing something special at the end of the weekend.

And we can get a new toothbrush every three months, so when we feel the fresh bristles we know we are renewed.

"That's on them"

2009-03-04T22:19:00.006-05:00

A wise woman once told me that phrase. Okay, it was my sister. I (also) didn't know what it meant, so I asked her.

It was in the context of what someone might think about something she was about to do. I would like to say I'm keeping the details secret, but the truth is I just don't remember, which might illustrate the point. What she was about to do, the thing I was afraid she would get criticized for proved to be no big deal, and as for other people's reactions, well, that was on them. It was up to them to decide to get upset over another person's actions, and therefore it was only up to them to get over it.

And if they didn't get over it, well, that's on them.

Another way of saying it is the simple idea that what people think about me is none of my business. As long as I'm true to myself, I'll be happy with my decisions. And if someone has a problem with that, well, you know.

I Guess the Numbers Don't Lie

2009-02-25T00:37:00.002-05:00

One of the goals I set for myself in my work-in-progress 101 goals was to finally create a budget and stick to it. It took me a while to find a program that was easy enough. There's a lot out there, and most programs have too much... I don't know... bling?

So I finally found this small Excel template (free, of course), and I started filling out the fields as a first stage before I prepare next month's budget.

And...

Well, Comcast is about to get a phone call. And Giant Supermarket might have to wait a little before ordering some more cookies. Things are going to change around here.

I had no idea things were that bad. How crazy is that?

I will consider this goal completed when I manage to stick to the budget. It might not be March, I admit (and thank God for tax returns), but give me a few months.

(oh, and Broadband Internet Connection, don't worry. I'll never get rid of you).

Running 5 miles (in public)

2009-02-17T23:53:00.002-05:00

When I was 18, the only thing standing between me and a good average grade on my overall final was being able to finish a 2 kilometers run under 10 minutes. So I walked to the park and just started running. And it actually felt good. My computer games could wait--I was actually having a good time.

So I went to the park every day until the final run (finished just under 8 minutes). But then school ended and I stopped.

And now I need to run again. Just because.

Because it feels good, and because it's just another proof that I'm not a finished product.

I already set my 5 mile goal as part of my 101 goals, so now comes the hard part...

But I've been doing well. I've been finding time, whenever my toddler lets me, and I've been advancing. This weekend I ran 3.4 miles, which is the most I've ever run.

It's not 5 miles, and it's not in public, but I'm getting there. Will I be able to actually make it to 5? Me? Someone who hasn't moved much in the last twenty years? And then, how will the transition outside feel? Will I feel lost without the TV? Without the electric shocks I get from my treadmill?

List of 101 Goals

2009-02-12T23:28:00.021-05:00

Following up on my previous post. For now, a very partial list of modest goals, some shamelessly stolen from others. It will be updated.

1. Bungee jump. Okay. I finally told my wife about it, which shocked her a bit, but that's okay. It's a step forward.

2. Run 5 miles (in public). ~~4/9/09: 4.4 miles (looks like it's actually going to happen...)~~ 7/21/09: ran 5 miles at home, but when I tried to run outside I didn't do that well. Still, one step at a time.

3. Finish writing novel.
4. Write a movie script.
5. Drive to the West Coast.
~~6. Meditate daily for a week (Or more).~~ 4/9/09: Done. I will continue doing that every day, if I can.
7. Fix the deck. It's... well, we always talk about how we're going to move soon. Still, it needs to be done.
8. Reframe picture in office.
9. Throw away everything I don't need (but leave the basement for now. Let's not get carried away with this thing and set unreachable goals, right?)
10. Learn to bake a cake.
11. Get that massage (I have a coupon for a free massage. I should use it).
12. Create a budget and stick to it. 2/25/09: Oh man...
13. Make another one of them babies. 10/18/09: On our way there...
~~14. Suction cup holding my wife's Satellite radio fell off in the summer. Actually, the summer two years ago. I need to learn to fix that. It will be a nice surprise.~~ 3/30/09: Sirius is not helpful. Do I really have to play the whole "Can I talk to a supervisor" game to get help? 6/15/09: Done. I'm the greatest husband in the world.
15. Do something like that for my wife. (and not just for Valentine's). 3/28/09: I brought home orange roses, which she loves. Well, it's a start.
~~16. Observe Earth Hour.~~ Done. And of course it was actually fun.
17. 100 push-ups.
18. Leave Bank of America. (Oh, just writing it here makes me happy).
19. Cut credit card debt in half. (1001 days? I can do better than that, no? Well, not right now).
~~20. Have a beer with my wife in the bar we met in when we were in London.~~ 6/2/09: Done. I love it when a plan comes together.
21. Learn that fold-a-t-shirt-in-two-seconds trick.
22. Make an origami swan.
23. Solve Rubik's Cube!
24. Improve my French. (well, that's not really a goal... Watch a French movie without subtitles and understand most of it is probably a better goal).
~~25. Review goals each week. (another goal I stole from 24retoa. I can only do these things if I don't allow myself to ignore them).~~ 3/31/09: Done for the first time today. Reviewing the goals is helping, as I now set tasks on Outlook. I'm old school like that.
26. Visit an old army buddy.
27. Watch 20 movies I have never seen, but should (stolen from here).
28. Buy a small present for everyone I know.
~~29. Get everything I need done at the dentist.~~ 4/9: The problem is that it's a little painful, you know? But I've started last week. More to come... 6/14/09: Finished the root canal + crown. It was fine. I wouldn't say fun. Glad it's over.
~~30. Buy something from Etsy.~~ 10/31: Done. I'll write a post about that soon. A friend put an awesome drawing on a t-shirt and started selling it through Etsy. I couldn't resist.
31. Organize everything on my computer or just get a new one. I mean, seriously, why do I have 5 different music folders?
~~32. Meet an online friend.~~ 5/28/09: Done. I'm as awkward as I thought. But it also means creating a new goal: Number 41.
33. Join the local library.
34. Volunteer for something.
35. Go see a classical concert.
36. Set aside $10 every week. 6/15/09: Been doing it for a while now. Which means I have another thing to panic about: losing the envelope.
37.Write a letter to a 46-year-old me.
38. Go on a date with my wife once a month.
39. Speaking of which, find a babysitter.
~~40. Make a new friend.10/18/09: Made a few, since joining the group (goal #42).~~
41. Meet an online friend from a different state or country.
42. ~~Join a group of fathers.~~ 10/1/09: Joined the group. Wrote about it here.
43. Visit the West Bank.
44. Learn some basic phrases in sign language (stolen from here).
45. Learn some basic phrases in Arabic.
46. Spend a day drinking in a cafe.
47. Take my son to the zoo, and to the aquarium. Sit in the Splash Zone, of course. 10/18/09: Done. Zoo was great. Aquarium... maybe when he's older.
48. Plan a family vacation that doesn't include the rest of the family.
49. Clean the backyard. Get some grass in there instead of weeds. Get it ready for kids to play in (not just dogs).
50. Make birthday cards instead of buying them (stolen from here).
51. Now that I've succeeded in meditating daily for a week, I will meditate daily for a month.
52. Buy a piano.
53. Buy a laptop.
54. Donate blood.
~~55. Get a Twitter account connected to this blog.~~ 10/31/09: Done. Visit me over here.
56. Find a job I can do from home.
57. On a starry night outside the city, locate the Little Dipper.
58. Walk in a maze.
59. Go to Kings Dominion in Virginia.
60. Paint first floor.
61.
101. Start a new list in 1001 days... 11/10/11 (interesting date! Was it meant to be?)

That's it for today.

101 Goals. 1001 Days.

2009-02-05T12:51:00.002-05:00

D i e n u

I saw this meme and tried to follow the links to the origin, but without much success. I did find a good example on this site, and here.

And here are the rules:

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past — frequently simple goals such as new year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Goal setting tips

1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Interesting. I might do that. Maybe actually putting this thing up would be my first goal?

There will be updates. Meanwhile, check these other sites and goals. Like me, you might end up stealing some of their goals. It's okay. It's for a good cause.