Archive for June, 2008

June 30th, 2008

All of it is The Same: Blogging and Freelance Writing…

I just came to the realization that it is the same. I have been going back and forth with my leap of doing freelance writing on the side for well over 2 months. I didn’t do this much thinking and analyzing the situation when I started blogging over 2 years ago. I just simply got behind the keyboard, found blogger to start my writing and wrote. I believe my first post was about starting things and not knowing where it will go. Damn I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t start this blog. I have a couple of people that read what I write, made some great friends along the way, has given me direction and insight into what I think about, and a way for me to express myself through a way that i had no clue that will help me out ever. So that is what I have to do with this freelance writing gig. Take a chance, take a risk, and just do. Don’t worry about the future, don’t worry about if you are making enough money, don’t worry and just make life of whatever I make of it.

So this week and starting now I am an officially a freelance writer. I will write articles about whatever I feel that is interesting because writing is a passion that I haven’t totally figured out that will be a part of my personal legend. Oh yeah I will get monetary value because of what I like to do. Damn that is really powerful. Getting money for something I love to do.

Here my very first post:

“Man oh man, there is so much to life to be continuing being in a routine. Not just I’ll do this on monday, tuesday, wednesday, and so on night, but hell I will do this every single day. I am glad that I have also started this blog. I have been talking about starting and never did until now, I believe this is a breakthrough for life not just today.”

June 29th, 2008

The Journey Has to Be Just as Important as The Destination

I realized this the past couple of weeks where I didn’t plan any goals and specific task also while I was finishing up a great book called, The Alchemist. There are a couple of ideas and concerns that were floating in my head about things that I have started and not finished and also about things I want to start and haven’t got the urge to do so. I have also realized that I need to start asking the question why and not what when it comes to passions that I like or think that I might like due to outside involvement.

The past 3 weeks I have been keeping a personal journal of myself and writing about where I am at in my life right now and why I can’t finish when I start a “so-called” passion. The whole process was mind blowing and really helped me understand my mind and actions as they are. It has been some time now since I did a personality test, but I thought the results were dead on. The idea of me being a good initiator got me thinking of all of the projects, business ideas, and passion and hobbies that I have started and not finished. I started asking questions about myself of if I really wanted to do those things or they just sound good to my ears and to other people?

Then I read this quote that summed up pursuing goals, mission, and passions that weren’t really goals, mission, and passions:

Source: The Alchemist

June 27th, 2008

Criticism… how do you deal with it?

I was just recently review for work and I pretty much knew how it would go and then my boss said something toward the end that stuck. It was, “It is hard to take criticism from your peers and it takes time for one to accept it”. Over the past few years I would secretly take criticism really to heart and got down on myself about it. But now that isn’t so. I think the main reason is because I am much harder on myself than anyone else can be on me. I am now living up to my own expectations. That statement alone is very very important. Whatever someone says something about me I think about my actions, think how they are looking at the situation, and see if I have thought this way about myself and why I haven’t done anything to change.

The words provide action…

No matter what someone says to you something is always done. You either change or you don’t. If you change that means that you feel that it will be helpful to you in the long run in the way it shapes your life as a person. If you don’t that probably means that you either didn’t feel that isn’t a weakness you need to fix, to stubborn to look at what others are saying about you, or flat out what one is saying doesn’t apply to what the majority of people are saying about you.

Are you going to take what they say and do something about it?

June 15th, 2008

The experience of lifting 295 lbs…

I didn’t think I would reach this accomplishment this quickly, but it did happen this past friday. I looked at the bar and said to damn I really am about to bench press this amount of weight. So here it is in on words of how I felt before, during, and afterwards.

The last exercise of the evening and I was feeling pump. I ran through my military press, deadlifts, and took a much needed break after the 20 squats of 265 lbs. I was exhausted and knew that it was time to get underneath the iron for a couple of bench presses. I am in no means a body builder and don’t even look like I could lift that amount of weight, but I can and it gives me a rush to continue to lift twice a week.

I start off slow. I put on 245 and lift it 5 times with no problems. Then 265 and the same outcome. Then 275 and feelin the burn. I am pumped, scared, and ready to lift my new limit 5 times. I get a glass of water, think about what I am about to do and relax. Yes I am stalling, but you would be to if you were going to lift 295 5 times. My friend was spotting me if I needed it and cheering me on. The thing that really got me going was that when he said that I lifted 285 the bar was flexing in a frown expression. That very imagination helped me to realize that I was really putting my body into some shock and got my mind right on the very fact that I can really do this and that I was lifting 95 lbs over my body weight.

It was time to put the weight on the bar. I plate went on each side, another 45 lb plate went on, and then a 35. I was getting anxious, getting thrilled that I was going to end my workout on a high note and sleep well, I mean like a new born baby yapping and crying all day. I looked at the bar again and said damn it is time. My muscles were tight some and my mind very clear of what I was going to do. I was imaging that I have already lifted this amount of weight. I put on my gloves, positioned the bench to make sure it was even with respect to the bar. I rolled the weight forward and placed my body on the back of the bench and I paused…put one hand on the bar…took it off…took a couple of deep breaths, tighten up all my muscles, hold in my stomach, and get ready. I am telling you it is crazy how calm I was before the lift and how that quickly changed when the bar was in the air under my power. My whole face was also tight as I lifted the crazy amount of weight and was that way as I slowly lowered it down to my chest and then with force, steadiness, concentration, and pure will to not let the weight stay planted on my chest and look like a dumbass in front of my friend and him secretly telling others that I dropped nearly 300lbs on my chest. I was almost done lifting 1, 2, 3, and then 4 but that fourth one was crazy fuckin heavy and knew that that would be my limit for now and do another one in a minute or 2 to finish off the 5 that I said that I was going for. The amount felt heaver as it went on and I was really thinking of stopping after 3, but that voice of my friend and the will to live my dreams was pushing me and the excitement that I felt afterwards got me up and ready to exercise some more and do some other things that other people would envy or would only image of doing.

June 2nd, 2008

Losing bets…5-0 in paintball…22 slices of pizza: The weekend and a realization

This past weekend was great. I relaxed with my girlfriend, hung out with the boys over paintball and strip joint (not a fan of them, but this night was pretty fun), and had a good sunday to transition into the week. I could have done more with writing, but didn’t plan to though. My goals and mission for the year are going well and do see them all being completed. I have been thinking what I would right about next and figured that I shouldn’t force anything, but let it come out. I realized something though that got me to thinking why this is so.

As human beings we are motivated, but differently and with strong determination to do when others push us against the wall.

Why is this the case? Why do we perform better with a little of anger inside our soul? Is it because we are used to completing a task or goals that we don’t get much excitement from it? Or is it that person, the enemy, thinking that we can’t do?

I witnessed this this weekend. I asked a friend to see if he could find information at the local college about any creative writing classes. I texted him to see if he did so and said that he didn’t and that I should just write more and read books on the subject to improve my writing. I was and still ticked off that he said that and determine to prove him wrong. Yes I will write more but nothing speeds up the process more than having constructive criticism from an actual person who has done it before and still writes that way. I am also fuckin tired of reading books to solve the problem, why should I keep on reading and reading and still won’t have that person talking specifically about my work? So I am more than ever to find a creative writing class and be the writer that I want to become.