Get Uncomfortable

It’s been a while since I posted something so I am back from a long hiatus to help change the world one post at a time

Being comfortable is good when you are laying in bed, taking a shower, in sticky situations and around people you don’t trust.  However, its not good any other time.  I am talking about the comfort rut of life that we all experience.  In anything life related: Business, relationships, work, friendship and decision making.  We tend to get comfortable and make the comfortable decisions.

I am here to challenge that mindset.  Get uncomfortable!  Don’t make the easy decisions, don’t take the easy road, search for risk and do something everyday that you normally wouldn’t do in something in your life.  It can be as easy as going to a restaurant you have never been before instead of the normal place you always go.  Follow through with something you always wanted to but were afraid to or “just didn’t have the time.”

Do something everyday to get uncomfortable and make a conscious effort to do so.  Tell yourself this is my uncomfortable decision for the day and then follow through.  I guarantee your life will change, your confidence will peak, you will attract things you would have never though possible and your wildest dreams will come true.

Going New School….

After my tearing apart of the education system my last two posts (here and here) I have an idea.  I want to start a school.  Yeah I said it.  The person that thinks the education system is flawed wants to start a school.  This school is like no other school though.  It’s a public school that anyone can go to.  Any age, any level of education, any income class.  There are no restrictions.

The unique thing about this school is that there are no classrooms.  It is just an open warehouse that is filled with infintie tools and resources.  It’s a school where people go to help put their dreams, ideas, passions into motion.  Those who lack the resources, the extra push, the mentorship, the finances, the creativity to get their ideas off the ground can come to this school and make their dream a reality.

The school will be staffed with some of the finest professionals in music, art, design, business, finance, wellness, photography, cinema, multimedia, accounting etc.  They will provide expertise, mentorship and help to propel individuals into creating their own business, idea, movement or whatever it is they are trying to accomplish.

The best part of the school is that it is totally free and all the funds are available for real life people to create real life results.  Is this a feasible idea?  What tweaks can be made?  What am I missing?  Couldn’t this type of “school” change the world and enlighten people to succeed?

Informational vs. Transformational Learning

This is the second of 3 related blog posts about the education system and schooling.. Number one is here.

There are two ways of learning. Informational learning and transformational learning.  Our education system creates and informational learning system for us.  What exactly is informational learning? It’s teachers talking, students listening, taking notes, taking tests and getting that ever important “letter” grade at the end.  It’s about memorization and regurgitation.  Whoever can master that can master the schooling system.  One could go their entire schooling life and never really learn anything, they just master the system of remembering the right things for the right tests.

Transformational learning on the other hand is all about letting individuals figure out the answer on their own.  It’s a much slower way of learning but it triggers more creativity, empowerment, problem solving and real world applicability.  Boundaries are more open and the mind is able to collect, gather and create as it wants.

We need transformational learning in our society.  This can be applied to teaching someone something or giving them mentorship advice.  You can supply them with the canvas but make sure it is blank! They will fill out the rest and create something greater than you and they ever imagined.

 

 

The Assembly Line and Education System

This is going to be a first in a series of 3 kind of related blogs.  Been reading a lot of new books and wanted to share some insight I have gathered.  The subject goes back to the good ol’ education and schooling system.

Henry Ford created one of the greatest systems in existence.  The Assembly Line.  What made the assembly line so unique was the fact that it was the most efficient system for producing the same results over and over again with little resources.  You could put anyone in a position, quickly train them and they could produce the same results every time with no mistakes.  They didn’t even need to be “skilled” workers cause anyone could listen to directions/be trained to do the work.  There was a line out the door to work in that atmosphere cause the job paid extremely well.  Workers knew that so they made sure they put in a great effort cause they didn’t want to lose their well paying, secure and rinse and repeat job.

Does this system/idea sound familiar?  How about the education system.  It’s structured like an assembly line.  Not only is it physically set up like an assembly line where all students are placed in evenly spaced rows and in certain areas where they cannot get distracted by others (i.e friend hence assigned seats.)  They are then given a set of simple rules to follow so they stay on task.  Then they are given a system to present to them information, them to memorize it and then regurgitate it back onto a test.  Its efficient cause everyone can learn it.  Also, there doesn’t have to be “smart” people cause everyone is given the information in the same efficient system and at the same time.  Everyone is created equal.  If you fail you just drop out and the system keeps going.  Its a well oiled machine that doesn’t let anyone break out of the normal and question what and how they are doing things.

This might be a problem?

The 3 “AHA’s”

We all have had an AHA moment in life.  When you realize something that is life changing, hit that goal you have been striving for or finally figuring out what it is you truly want to pursue in life.  I believe their are 3 AHA moments in finding your true passion, pursuing it whole heartedly and becoming successful in your dream.

AHA Moment #1:

The fist AHA moment is the moment in life when you actually figure out what it is you truly want to do.  It’s comes into focus and you whole heartedly decide what it is you are truly going to pursue and where your passion is going to be.  This can happen at age 18 or can happen at age 50.  There is no formula for figuring it out it just hits you and you have an “aha” moment.

AHA Moment #2:

The moment you figure out exactly how to pursue your passion.  When you figure out the tools, skills and daily method of operation to conquer your passion.  This is where the trial and error also happens.  Small failures happen here too.  This is where most people quit.

Most people get to this AHA moment but never experience the third.

AHA Moment #3:

A physical AHA moment when you get that big account, make that huge contact that changes the scope of your passion.  It is the big break that excels your passion from just a hobby to a full-time, full blown, significant thing.

If you stay disciplined in #2 for long enough AHA moment #3 will be inevitable. Most people think that someone gets there through a “lucky” break.  Luck is just the universe providing for those who are willing to sacrifice and maintain focus/discipline in moment #2.

 

Mountains Of Success….

Got this in an awesome book called “The One Minute Millionaire.”  If you haven’t read it yet, you must do so.  It is the best book about wealth, business and life that I have ever read.  Highly recommend it.

The idea is that there are 4 mountains to wealth.  You must pick which one you want to conquer to make your millions or climb them all.

The mountains are:

Real Estate: Buying, Owning, Selling Real Estate.

Investments: Stock Market, Mutual Funds, IRA, Other investments in which has a rate of return.

Business: Owning a small business that creates revenue

Internet: Creating something on the internet (website, e-book, blog) that creates revenue

As individuals we must pick which mountain of opportunity we want to climb and what mountain will bring us our first million dollars.  Or combination of mountains.

Which Mountain Of Wealth Will You Conquer?

Cafeteria Line Analogy…Get In Line, Stay In Line

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Borrowed this concept from Keith Cunningham.  The literal “Rich Dad” that Robert Kiyosaki talks about in his book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”

The picture represents a cafeteria line.  The dynamic of a cafeteria line is that everyone must wait patiently and work their way up slowly to the top of the line.  When they get there they are rewarded by becoming the next person to fill their plate with anything they want.

But we all know that old elementary school trick where we try to cut in the line and get to the front.  Well we instantly lose our spot and get sent to the very back of the line and have to start all over again.

This analogy is probably one of the best life applications I have ever heard.  In life we must do things one step at a time.  We must go through the process to get to our final end result whatever that might be and we can’t take any shortcuts.  It comes down to doing ordinary things on a daily basis.  These ordinary things done on a daily basis create extraordinary results.  Work hard every day, one step at a time and you will end up at the front of line filling your plate with abundance.

“Get in line, Stay in Line”

“Inch by Inch is a synch, yard by yard is hard”

Wellness/Fitness…In A Deck Of Cards….

Written By Patrick Wurtz:

It’s been a while since I posted a “Wellness” blog so I am going to share an awesome life changing work out that you can do anywhere even on the road while traveling.  All you need is a standard deck of cards.

This workout is taken from Crossfit but its called the “Deck of Death” and there are various different movements but here is the basic.  The entire workout is done with just body weight.  Sounds easy huh…Just give it a try.  So each suit is a different movement for example:

Hearts= Sit Ups

Spades= Air Squats (Squat down low and stand all the way up)

Clubs= Push Ups

Diamonds= Burpees (Throw yourself to the ground hit your chest and push yourself back up to your feet and do a small jump off the ground while clapping your hands behind your head)

and the number of reps corresponds to the number on the card where face cards are always 10 and Aces are 11.  That’s the workout.  The other nice thing is that you can test your improvement by timing how long it takes you each time.

Want to get more creative.  If you have a pull up bar you can add pull ups for one of the suits.  Also you can add a movement for Jokers (like a sprint, Pull ups, Handstand push ups, Row, Jump Rope, etc.)

A full body workout and all you need is a deck of cards.  Enjoy!

Life and The Chess Board

Don't Trap The Queen

Heard a great analogy from a friend the other day pertaining to life and the game of chess.  I talk a lot on patrickwurtz.com about taking risks and just going for what you want and this analogy summed it up perfectly and its something that is easy to remember that you can remind yourself of daily, weekly or in specific situations when you just need a push.

It goes like this:

In the game of chess the idea is to protect the queen.  The reason being is that the queen is the most versatile piece on the game board.  It can move in any direction, diagonally and as many spaces as it wants.  In chess if you lose your Queen your chances of winning the game decrease ten fold.  So most conservative and smart chess players keep their Queen surrounded in the back so that it is protected at all times.  They only use it and risk losing it once the game is thought to be won.

The Queen is yourself in life.  You are the most important piece on your life game board and you can move in infinite directions.  But you protect yourself by surrounding yourself in your comfort zone and thoughts of doubts.  We are afraid to move our piece (ourselves) out into new territory and take risks cause we are scared, don’t want to fail, don’t want to be wrong and don’t want to lose.

Move your Queen! Get it out from the protection of whatever and go destroy the game board.  We are the most powerful piece on the board it is not worth wasting.

 

The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease….

The wheel on the car that is making the noise gets the grease……

Same applies with a person.  The person who makes themselves noticeable, unforgettable and makes noise gets what they want/need.  Put yourself out there, take risks, be loud, be daring, create good controversy, be creative and talk.  If you do this you will get the grease which could be the promotion you wanted, a new job, the thing that propels your business, a raise, a new idea, a new relationship, a new outlook.  It can be anything.

Just remember to not be annoying and to know when to hold em and when to fold em