10 Ways to Stop Procrastinating Now!

There are tons of reasons we procrastinate in our lives. Rarely are they ever good reasons. If you don’t find ways to stop procrastinating you are going to lose precious time and energy that can be used to get one step closer to your dreams.

It happens to the best of us. No matter how far in advance that I know about a trip, I will inevitably be packing 5 minutes before we have to leave. It seems as though I am incapable of packing ahead of time. I hate every second of it, but it happens every time. I put it off and put it off and then I’m rushing around scrambling.

If it wasn’t for my wonderful fiance gathering together my clothes, I would have no shot!

Sound familiar? Do you put things off when you know you need to get it done? Do you go through the cycle? You know you have to have something done. You have plenty of time to accomplish this task, yet you put it off to do something else. You get down to the last minute and barely finish, and get extremely upset with yourself that you didn’t get it done earlier. You vow to be better about it next time.

Next time is here…and your putting it off again.

You must break the cycle! To be successful, you need to be able to focus on the little actions that will move you closer to accomplishing your goals. Procrastination is something you do to yourself. It is a mental wall that can be knocked down if you want it badly enough. Imagine how good you will feel when you break down this wall!

Here are 10 tips to help you with the demolition:

1. Set a deadline - No not the time it has to be done. Set an absolute deadline that is some time before the actual due date. Stop at nothing to reach this deadline. Eventually it will become a habit to get things done early.

2. Get some accountability - Talk to someone you trust, and tell them about the task. Explain to them that you are trying to tear down this wall and that you need their help. Have them make sure they stay on you to get it done and not stop until it is finished.

3. Break it down - Break down the task in to bite size pieces. Then start mowing through them one by one. When you have a small tasks to accomplish, the big picture doesn’t seem all that daunting and you can knock it out easier.

4. Make a list - I love lists! I make a list for just about everything I need to do. It gives me comfort. And I feel a great sense of accomplishment to see that list as it gets smaller and smaller throughout the day!

5. Reward yourself - Set up an award system. Every time you get something knocked off the list early, reward yourself. Sometimes all we need is a little motivation.

6. Do the easy ones first - Some people may disagree with me here. They say to do the longest or the hardest thing first. I think we self-motivate when we have little victories. Get a few easy ones under your belt and build some momentum!

7. Just get started - This is sometimes the hardest part. Just beginning. It’s simple, just get started. Do something, anything and you will soon find yourself rolling along. Action breeds more action!

8. Organize your life – When everything around you is a mess, you won’t want to do anything. When you are organized, you get a natural energy that just comes with everything being in its place. When the tools you need to accomplish something are where they should be, its hard not to just finish it and move on.

9, Find your WHY - Know why you are doing this task. Realize the benefits to getting it done. Understand the consequences if you don’t. A compelling reason, can solve many problems.

10. Decide to change - You can think you will follow all these tips as much as you want, but until you commit to changing, you never will. Commit to changing your life and you will. Stop at nothing!

You can beat procrastination. But you have to want to change, it won’t happen by itself. If you are serious about reaching your goals and accomplishing everything you set out to do in your life, you have to be willing to change. It’s the first step, and arguably the most important. Get started now, there is no time to waste!

You may like this article on action:  “I Will Act  Now”

Do you have any tips you can add to the list? Leave a message in the comment section – I’d love to hear from you!

21 Reasons to Stop Smoking Today!

I plan on writing some posts on how to quit smoking very soon, but for right now lets talk about the why you should quit smoking part.

I quit smoking about 2 years ago.  I had no intention of quitting really, it sort of just happened.  I had been trying to quit for some time, with very little success.  There would be short periods where I could stop but something would always happen that would lead me right back in to it.

One day something very wonderful happened to me.

I couldn’t breath!

I had been smoking so much that it lead to me developing asthma!  I couldn’t believe it.  I had been an athlete my whole life and had never had a problem with breathing.  It was the smoking.  I have never smoked another cigarette in my life.

I can’t!  It could kill me!

Don’t let it get to this point with you.  You have a choice.  And while quitting may be the hardest thing you ever do in your life.  It will also be one of your greatest achievements.  You have to do it!  You can do it!  Don’t give up.  Keep fighting for your freedom.

Here are 21 reasons why you need to quit smoking now!

1.) Save some money - If you think prices won’t keep going up you’re crazy!  They can and they will.  Start saving that money you burn while smoking your pack a day.  You could be saving almost $2,000 per year!!

2.) Sleep better - You go through tiny withdrawals every night that negatively impact your sleep patterns.

3.) Improve your sex life - Smoking reduces circulation.  Circulation is exactly what you need to get, um, aroused!

4.) Less chance you’ll die of brain cancer - Turns out that the brain is a great place for lung cancer to spread.

5.) Look younger - Smoking shrinks the blood vessels, causing circulation to go down and aging to go up.

6.) Taste your food - Food is a magical thing.  I love it dearly.  When you quit smoking, you’ll actually be able to taste what you’re eating.

7.) Save your puppy - Studies show that secondhand smoke may be associated with lung and nasal cancer in dogs.

8.) Add more time to your day - Those 10 minute smoke breaks all day long add up fast!

9.) Avoid Bronchitis - Smokers are the highest risk for this disease

10.) Stop killing other people - Your smoke is hurting me, and I don’t appreciate it!

11.) Go through menopause when you are supposed to - Smoking may advance the arrival of menopause in some women.

12.) Stink less - I can smell you from here…please stop!

13.) Keep your eyesight - Smoking doubles your risk for developing macular degeneration.

14.) Don’t get asthma - Trust me, you don’t want it.

15.) Lower your Cadmium intake - Cigarette smoke has around 4.000 different chemicals in it.

16.) Improve your chances of getting pregnant - Smokers have a higher rate of infertility.

17.) Freedom - Don’t you hate being a slave to something?  Get control of your life back!

18.) Avoid Alzheimer’s disease - Smoking speeds up mental decline

19.) Lower chance of heart attack - Quitting smoking will drastically reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

20.) Stop getting winded opening up your car door - If you are breathing hard doing just about anything – it’s probably time to quit.

21.) Oh and you won’t die…at least not as early - Every cigarette you smoke takes 11 minutes off your life.

These are just a few reasons to quit smoking.  This list could go on for hundreds and hundreds of reasons.  Do you have any good reasons to quit that you could share?  Leave them in the comments!

5 Questions To Ask Yourself About Your Workouts

Are you asking yourself the right questions about your workouts?  Reflecting on your diet and exercise program, even if it is working, is essential to long term success.

If you workouts are lacking and you are not seeing the results you were hoping for, this is even more important.

I know that when I start a new workout program I am full of enthusiasm and excitement about achieving my goals.  I usually make it about 4 weeks on this “new program high” before I start to drag.  Then the motivation dies off and the excuses come pouring in.  I start to miss workouts and the ones I do make it to don’t go very well at all.

This is pretty common and one of the major reasons why people fall back in to the bad habits that got them to the place they hate.

There is an easy way around this.  If you are in a state of constant reflection and analysis of your program, you can keep the motivation up and the progress coming.  You have to be diligent in making sure you are doing what works and stopping what doesn’t.

Here are 5 questions you should be asking yourself from the beginning of your program to the end of your program.  Be honest with your answers, and fix the problems as they come up.  If you do this, you are one step closer to achieving your goals.

1.)  Am I working hard? -

I have always thought I was working hard at the gym.  I thought that I was going in there and taking care of business and getting the best possible workout in that I could.  Then I went to a trainer.  That turned my world upside down.  From the very beginning I was huffing and puffing.  The breaks were short and the exercises were intense.   I had no choice but to push myself to levels I had never seen before.   What I realized was that I could do this all the time.  I didn’t need to pay $50 an hour for this to happen.   I could do these same things on my own time and take my workouts up a few notches.

So ask yourself the question:  Am I working hard?  Don’t kid yourself.  If you are not exhausted at the end, you aren’t working hard.  If you have time to think about things while you’re there, you aren’t working hard.  If you notice anything about anyone else in any detail, you are not working hard.  So change it.  Take the intensity up to where it needs to be and watch the results follow.

2.) Is there variety? -

It is a fact that your body adapts to the stresses you put on it.  If you did the same weight for the same reps every day for a year, you probably are not going to see much difference in your body.    It will adapt to the stress and not have to grow to meet the new challenges.  So you increase the weight and change the rep count to force your body to react to it.   You have to do the same with your workouts.  Change it up.  I don’t use the same workout routine for more than two weeks at a time.    Keep your body guessing and you’ll appreciate the changes it makes.

3.)  Do I have great goals? -

You may have started working out on a whim.  You may have started with a detailed plan.  But without well established, detailed, SMART goals, you are not going to get where you want to go. Without goals, you’re driving without a destination, who knows where you will end up?  Do you have great goals?  Once you do, you should be constantly reviewing and revising your goals.  They should push you, but they should be attainable too.  Make sure your goals are going to get you to where you want to be when you achieve them.  And don’t forget to enjoy the journey.  As Jim Rohn says,

“The most important part of a goal is what it makes of you to achieve it”

4.) What is absolutely not working? -

Make a list of everything you hate about your exercise program.  Write down your frustrations and complications.  Write down what is simply not working.  Then change it.  The beauty of having control of your workout program, and reflecting on it, is that you can change the bad stuff and replace it with good.  You can change bad habits, eliminate bad exercises, and change workout routines.  So figure out what is not helping you reach your goals, and change it!

5.) Why am I working out? -

This is the most important question to ask about any workout program is: Why am I doing this?  What is your motivation for getting in shape? I hope you went through this exercise before you started your plan, but if not, do it now!  If you don’t have a compelling reason to be working out, then you won’t.  It’s that simple.  So write yourself a letter and explain why you want to do this.  Why you need to do this.  Is it because you want to see your grand kids grow up?  Or because you want to look good at the beach?  Or because your doctor said you have to or you will die soon?  Whatever it is, be descriptive because this is what will keep you going when you want to quit.   Read this as much as possible, especially if you are thinking about skipping a workout or quitting all together.   This is your motivation.

Reflection is a critical part of a successful fitness program.  You need to continually asking questions and improving your workouts.   Asking yourself these questions will keep you motivated and keeping you pushing towards achieving your goals.

Do you have another question we should be asking about our workouts?  Leave a comment and let us know!

5 Personal Development Blogs to Check Out!

It’s link day again and today I wanted to share a few personal development blogs that I have stumbled on.  I love finding new sites to read and learn from.  Some end up being great and some don’t, so I’ve started a list of sites that I think you may really enjoy and I will share some of them with you every Thursday and I hope you head over and check them out.

Today’s links are all sites related to personal development, something I value extremely high in my own life and I hope you do too.  Never stop trying to better yourself, even the greatest minds in the world have more to learn.  So without to much rambling, here are a few sites to check out…

1.) Change Your Thoughts -

This is a great personal development site!  I really appreciate that he invites guest posts which gives us a variety of voices to learn from. 

2.) Pick The Brain -

I particularly enjoyed the section on productivity…

3.) Positivity Blog -

I was very surprised by this one.  Make sure you check the archives…Tons of great info here!

4.) The Simple Dollar -

So in my day job I’m an accountant.  Not my dream but it pays the bills.  I can tell you with some authority that this is one of the best blogs I’ve seen out there on personal finance.  There are TONS of tips on this site that you should be following right now!  Get over there and make sure you are making the best financial decisions you can.

5.) Illuminated Mind -

 A lot of the posts on this blog will make you think.  What more can you ask for from a personal development blog? 

These sites come highly recommend from me.  I’m a new reader of these sites too, so tell me what you like and don’t like down in the comments section.  Either way I do hope you check some of these out and you find something valuable for yourself there!

4 Ways to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Now

Over the course of my young life, I’ve read a lot of books on finding your life’s purpose.  Constantly searching for the inspiration that will lead me to what I am meant to do.  Everyone always says, “just do what you love”, but I find that to be a little vague.  I love many things, but there isn’t a lot there that I would say is my purpose in life.   How do you find what you are meant to do?  What should I be doing with my life that won’t leave me empty and regretful at the end of my journey here?

Some people know from a very young age what they are meant to do.  They love it whole heartedly and are passionate about their careers.  I have had a different experience.

When I was younger, I had one passion and one passion only: sports.  My goal in life was to make my dad proud by all the athletic accomplishments I could rack up.  Unfortunately, after high school it became quite evident that I was not born with the gifts to take that love of the game any further.

So I did what I was supposed to do, I went to college.  I’m very grateful I was told that I had no choice but to go to college now.  I think it was worth every second.  However, I did not give much thought to what I wanted to do with my life while I was there.  I picked finance as a major and entered the business world.  While this path does have some updsides, I’ve gained knowledge that has proven to be very beneficial to me.  But I’m not passionate about it.  Honestly, I’m pretty miserable with my career.

The good news is, I’m willing to take a risk.  I’m willing to search out what my purpose is for this life, and then go and get it.  You should be willing to as well.  I know it’s scary sometimes, thinking about leaving your livelihood to try something else, but the pure happiness and joy you will attain by living your passion and following your dreams will leave you more grateful then you have ever been before.

Life is short!  Go for it!

But how do we figure out what our purpose is?  Here are 4 methods that you can try to discover your life’s purpose.  If you don’t get there from these, don’t give up.  Keep searching!

4 Methods for Discovering Your Life’s Purpose

1)      Write your life story as if it were perfect –

Take out a sheet of paper and start writing.  Write about every aspect of your life to be absolutely perfect in your eyes.  Your house, your job, your family, everything in a utopia that you construct.  What does it look like?  What do you do with your time?  What gives you that feeling of happiness?  What activities do you do?  When you have completed this exercise, and it may take many revisions and several days to complete, if you are completely happy with this life you created, start writing what you would need to do to create this life.  It may be difficult but it can be done!  Go get it!

2)      Thoughts Map –

Get a piece of paper and at the top write “This is my true purpose in life”.  Now comes the fun part.  Start making a list of the first things that come to your mind.  It can be a question, one word, happy, sad, or crazy.  Just keep writing.  Don’t stop, don’t think, just write.  Keep writing words one line at a time until something hits you.  Keep going until something just feels so right and you are filled with feelings you haven’t felt in a long time, if at all.  When that happens, you may have found your purpose.

3)      What makes you cry? –

That’s right you are making another list.  Get ready.  This time you are going to list every single thing that makes you cry.  They can be happy things that make you cry tears of joy, or terrible things that make you terribly sad.  These are going to be things you are passionate about one way or another.  Is there a problem in the world you could work to fix?  Is there something that makes you so happy you would want to experience it every single day?  These are excellent places to start!

4)      Post-It reduction –

Grab a partner for this one.  Start writing the things that are most important to you in the whole world on post it notes, one per post-it.  Keep going until you can’t think of anything else to put down.  Now line them all up and sit back for a second.  Here is where it gets interesting.  Pick one thing that you can do without, that you can give up and hand that post it to your buddy.  When you get down to only a few post-its you are getting close to your purpose in life.  When you get down to the one thing you can’t live without in this world you have found your purpose.  If what you are doing in your life is not directly related to this post-it note you are headed in the wrong direction.  Do this several times, you’ll find that your answers will change over time.

Try one or try them all, but keep trying!  Life is too short to live a life without passion.  To not discover what you were put on this earth to do seems like a waste of the gift.   Do you have any ideas for how to find your purpose in life?  Leave them in the comments section so we can all give it a shot!

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Be Grateful!

Be grateful.  If you have the ability to read, you have an amazing gift.  If you have a computer, an internet connection, freedom, you are blessed more than you can imagine.  Be grateful for what you have.

I have been spending a lot of time on what I don’t have lately.  As I start to find my purpose in life and pursue my goals and dreams, I am constantly thinking about all the things that I wish I had that would make my pursuits easier or more financially rewarding.

I’ve realized that if I spend my time dwelling on my shortcomings, and all the things I don’t have, I tend to simply get more of that in my life.  And those thoughts breed more thoughts just like it and soon enough I’m stuck. Riding this never ending wave of self doubt and envy.

But if you think about it, if you are grateful for what you have, and you spend time consciously focusing on the abundance in your life right now; there is no room for self doubt or envy.  If you are intensely focused on how grateful and blessed you are to have the car that you drive, it is impossible to be jealous of your neighbor’s car at the same time.

When you appreciate the things in your life for what they are, and you are truly happy that you have them you can eliminate all of the negative thoughts that keep you from the life that you desire, the life you deserve.

“You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.”
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach ~

Here are 4 ways to include thankfulness in to your life:

1.)    Gratitude journal -

I am a HUGE Patrick Combs fan, and one of the very first things I learned from Patrick is to have a gratitude journal.   Every night before you go to sleep, open up your journal and write down every possible thing you can think of to be grateful for.   Then when you wake up, read back through it, realize all the great things you have in your life.  You will attract more wonderful things in to your life this way.  And in a year or two, you can look back through this journal and just smile.  You’ve had so much your whole life and you didn’t even realize it!

2.)    Picture wall –

Take pictures of all the things you are grateful for.  If you can’t take a picture of it, take a picture of something that reminds you of it.  Then create a big collage of all the things you are thankful for.  I hope you have a big wall to use because you will see it start to grow very quickly.  Make this something you see every single day.  Gazing at this wall can bring an amazing feeling of peace.

3.)    Write a thank you –

Don’t be greedy with all that gratitude you have.  Spread it around.  Write a nice handwritten thank you as often as possible.  It means so much more when you write it yourself too, although an email can be nice as well.  Do this as often as you can, the person who receives it will appreciate it more than you know.

4.)    Thankful Post-It Notes –

Carry some post-it notes around with you wherever you go.  Be aware of your thoughts.  When a thought of jealousy pops up, acknowledge it, and then pull out your post-its and write something you are thankful for on it.  Then stick it right in front of you.  This is a very easy way to break that cycle of wanting and then feeling bad about not having it.  When you appreciate what you have, you will attract more good things your way.

Having an attitude of gratitude will change your life.  It is something that is so simple, yet will make a difference almost immediately.  Take one of these 4 ideas and give it a shot, try it for a few weeks or a month and see what a difference it makes.

I hope if any of you out there have any ideas on how to develop a more thankful attitude you would visit the comment section and let us know.  There are so many different ways to be thankful every day, so let’s hear some more ideas.

My first set of links comes from a blog carnival called “Cultivate Posivity” and it features blog posts that are motivational and inspirational.  Here are 5 that I enjoyed and I think you might as well.

1.  How to Boost Your Self-Esteem (and Happiness!)  - Everyone seems to have an opinion on the importance of self-esteem. And yet, the general understanding of the meaning of self-esteem in the public arena is slippery at best.

2. Brian presents Think Positive & Fight Depression posted at How To Live a Longer Life, saying, “Thinking positive can can help improve mortality rates and assist in disease prevention and recovery but only in cases where the positive thinking is genuine. How then do you think genuinely positive thoughts when you’re fighting depression?”

3. Pay Yourself First - Anything you do requires energy. And everything you do creates energy. Anything. Even reading this article. You’re spending energy by focusing on the text, processing the info in your brain and matching it against what you already know. At the end of this process, you get some energy back in the form of new ideas, new approaches or possibly some answers. Hopefully, you’ll get some positive energy by reading this.

4.  Celes presents Cultivate Good Habits in 21 Days posted at Celestine, saying, “Have you ever thought of introducing a good habit into your life, but never got around to doing it? Perhaps you tried it for 1-2 days, but then lacked the discipline to continue afterward. This is a 21-day program which will help you cultivate good habits into your life

5.  Ali Hale presents Life: Choose Your Own Adventure posted at Aliventures, saying, “Do you feel like life’s boring, tedious or a struggle? Do you get stuck because you’re scared of making choices that might have negative consequences? Take back your life, and start choosing your own adventure!”

7 Weight Loss Myths That Are Keeping You From Success

Most of us have tried many different diets and still can’t seem to have success losing weight.  From south beach to cabbage soup there is a lot of misinformation out there, and while you can lose weight on all these diets it might not stick or even be healthy.  Here are 9 weight loss myths that might be holding you back from the success you crave.

The most success I’ve had on one of these diets was with the South Beach diet.  This is the one where you have absolutely zero carbs for a few weeks and then you start slowly dropping them back in.  This was great for a little while.  I lost 25lbs on this diet.  Until I got sick.

I got the flu and I was struggling to keep eating according to the plan.  There are just things you MUST have when you’re sick.  For me, it’s pizza.

I had to have it.  And so I did.  That was the beginning of the end.  My stronghold on carbs was broken and I started to eat them.  It didn’t take long before I was back at the weight I started at.  It came back a lot faster then it went off I know that for sure.   Pretty soon I blew past the weight I started at there was no way I was going to South Beach any time soon.

That’s depressing.

So I started to do a little research and here is what came up.

Myth #1: Carbs are the devil

Fact: Carbs aren’t the problem, calories are!  Do you really think you can eat bacon and eggs and steak all day and be healthier and lose weight?  It doesn’t work that way.  Just as your body needs protein it also needs carbs and fat too!  When you eat the right carbs you get some added benefits.  Besides being less processed, the right carbs are full of fiber.  This keeps you fuller for longer with the same amount of calories.  Just don’t pile on the sauce and butter…that’s not getting you where you want to go.

Myth #2: Low-fat or non-fat means lower calories and healthier

Fact: You have to be careful here.  Most of these overly processed products are loaded with sugar to compensate for the lower fat.  When it comes to any of these, you have to read the labels thoroughly.  Many times they don’t lower the fat at all and just change the serving size on you to make it appear lower in fat.  Be careful – the things they add here is scary.

Myth #3: Eating after 8pm causes you to gain weight

Fact:  It does not matter when you eat, it is the total number of calories in versus the total number of calories out.  It doesn’t matter what time of day you eat, if you consume more calories than you burn with physical activities your body will store that as fat.

Myth #4:  Drinking water is the key to losing weight.

Fact: Not at all. Drinking water is extremely important to a healthy life style and a healthy body but the key to weight loss?  I don’t think so.  Again its calories in versus calories out.  The upside to drinking water is that when you are hydrated you are able to keep your metabolism up, you are more focused on the task at hand, and if you drink it before a meal it can fill you up so you don’t eat quite as much.  Getting your 8 glasses a day is important but its not going to be the reason you lose weight.

Myth #5: Have a light breakfast to keep your calories down

Fact: Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day.  It doesn’t have to be huge but this is a good place to have a bunch of carbs, it will be the fuel for the rest of your day.  Try having green smoothies.  I love this for breakfast the mix of fruits and veggies fills me up and keeps me from binging later on in the day.  The energy boost is incredible as well.

Myth #6: Cut out the fat to lose weight

Fact: You need a good amount of good fat in your diet to stay healthy and lose weight.  As soon as you can determine the good fat from the bad fat you are on your way.  Saturated fat is bad, unsaturated fat is good.  Your fried chicken is bad and your baked salmon is good.  Good fats will actually keep you feeling fuller longer.  Try adding some flax seeds to your breakfast smoothie or having some natural peanut butter and an apple for a snack.

Myth #7 :  You have to do hours of cardio to get any results.

Fact: Many times, less is more.  It has been scientifically proven that high intensity interval training will actually burn more calories than your traditional hours on the treadmill.  When you are done with your 20 minutes of HIIT training, your body keeps burning for hours afterwords.  That’s the real benefit.   Just alternate highly intense bursts with less intense exercise.  For instance, try jogging for thirty seconds and then sprinting for 30 seconds.  Then rinse and repeat.  You may not be able to sprint right now, but if you try to go as hard as you can and then bring it back down to normal you will see the benefits.  You can do this on a bike or simply walking.

There is a lot of bad information out there right now.  And someone is always coming up with some crazy diet plan for people to follow that sucks us in and takes our money.

But if we keep it simple, and we do the research it doesn’t have to be difficult to lose weight.  You just need some motivation, consistency, and common sense and you can reach your goals.

Check out this post for more information:  5 Great Weight loss Motivation Tips

9 Great Tips on Budgeting

Just because money doesn’t buy happiness does not mean you should ignore it altogether.   Poor financial habits can stress you out or strain your relationship, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Follow these 9 tips on budgeting to get a handle on your financial future.

 I feel that when it comes to your finances, budgeting is the obvious place to start.  This is where your money goes, which I think is much more important then how much you bring in.  If you don’t know where it’s all going how can you identify problem areas and address them?

 I started budgeting many years ago and it really has changed my life in some ways.  It has pointed out areas in my life that needed a change for sure.  At one point I found out that I was spending $200 per month on coffee. 

 That’s crazy!

 I can’t afford to spend $200 per month on coffee.  But not only that, I should not be drinking that much coffee in a month anyway.  So I was able to find a way to slowly ween myself off of coffee and improve my financial situation at the same time. 

When you start budgeting, you will start to clearly see areas you need to fix.  You will be able to identify areas that are sticking out like a sore thumb and areas that will be agonizing to cut back on.  But you have to remember the bigger picture in all of this.  You won’t be agonizing over that coffee you are missing out on when you are on the beach in Barbados next summer.  

Saving all that money allowed you to go on an AMAZING vacation!  See it’s all worth it.  I truly hope it works out that well for you though.  So take these 9 tips to heart, use one or use all of them, and enjoy the ride to financial freedom.

 Tips on Budgeting:

 1.)    Start slowly – You don’t need to follow your spouse around with a little notebook and pencil and write down every penny they spend.  Start with just being aware of where your money goes.  Make  a list of the major spending categories and keep track of those.  Just having this awareness will help tremendously.

2.)    Use cash where possible – I will be writing more in the future on the envelope system, but for now, try to use cash whenever possible.  It’s easy to spend when you are just zipping that plastic magic wand through the machine.  Try taking out the cash you will need for the week and only spending that amount.  It’s much harder to let that cold hard cash leave your hands.

3.)    Use a spreadsheet – There are a ton of free budget templates out there for you to download.  Find one and fill it out.  You may not stick to it exactly at first but eventually you will be determined to come in under your allotted amounts each month.

4.)    Needs vs. Wants – Before any purchase ask yourself if this item is a need or a want.  When you go to the gas station, you will say that filling the tank is a need.  I can agree with that.  But the chili dog from inside, I can say with confidence you definitely don’t need that…your body and your pocket book will thank you.

5.)    Break budget into smaller units – Most people budget for the month.  There is nothing wrong with that.  But for me it always seems to be easier to comprehend if I break it down in to weekly and daily buckets.  If say I can only spend $400 this month on eating out, that means I have $100 per week and around $14.00 per day.  Knowing that keeps me aware of what I can spend each day and if I’m going to go over that number I can stop myself.

6.)    Go green! – Start moving towards a much simpler life style.  Instead of buying 3 bottles of water each day, consider buying a water bottle and filling it up each day at the water fountain.   Or consider saving on gas by walking places or riding a bike.  It may not seem like it but these types of thing add up very quickly, and you will be saving the planet!  These savings allow you to spend a little more in categories that are a little more important to you.

7.)    Check your progress – Make sure you look at your spending on a month vs. month basis so you can see if you are improving.  If you’re spending is accelerating in critical areas you may need to evaluate some root causes.  I like to look at trends. 6 months ago I was spending this much, and I’ve gotten down to this much.  Go me!

8.)    Set Goals – After you have created your budget spreadsheet and you are monitoring your spending, set some goals.  Pick an area or category and set a goal to reduce spending in this category by 25%.  Then list small steps to achieving that goal.  Post them where you can see them, (your checkbook, or your car etc.) and then when you achieve one of your goals go to number 9.

9.)    Reward yourself! – No good deed should go unrewarded.  When you set a goal or reach a milestone in your financial journey, treat yourself.  Spend a little extra for some ice cream or a movie.  Or if you hit some of these tips really hard, make that trip to Barbados I mentioned earlier your reward!

 These are only a few ways you can improve your financial situation with some planning and awareness.  I plan on writing about many more in the future.  I would love to hear some tips that you have learned over there years.  Please leave me a note in the comment section below!

5 Great Weight Loss Motivation Tips

What do you do to muster up some weight loss motivation?  Especially when a new episode of House is on TV or you really would just rather eat a pizza and take a nap?

That is one of the biggest problems I have had on my way to a body I’m actually happy with.  I know I want to workout but I just can’t seem to find the motivation to do so.   I tend to make sure I start on Monday and I’m usually pretty energized to get started, but then I get to Wednesday.  I’m still sore from Monday and all these other things seem like much better ideas.

Ever happened to you?

Well I’ve compiled a few of my favorite ways to motivate myself to exercise so that I can actually have a shot at achieving those weight loss goals I always set.

1.)    Take a before picture:  Strip down to your undies and snap a few pictures.  And then every day that you are thinking about skipping your workout for something a little more desirable, take a look at those pictures.  This can be HUGELY motivating!  I see myself standing there, unhappy and out of shape and I get a feeling.  It’s kind of a cross between a disgusted feeling and an adrenaline rush.  I feel as though I have to do something about this RIGHT NOW.   (It will also be motivating after you have worked out consistently for 4 weeks and then take the new pictures so you can see all the progress you made)

2.)    Create a calendar: I know this doesn’t seem very motivating at first glance, but give it a shot it works!  Print off a calendar from the internet or use a dry erase board.  Then put all your workouts for the month on there.  Next, as that day comes and goes, fill in the box with green if you did your workout and red if you missed it.  Put this where you and everyone can see it often.  Don’t let it turn red!

3.)    Start a competition with friends: I love this one!  I used to do this every year with my friends from work.  Everyone would agree to a wager, $20.00 a person or winner gets a free lunch.  You then have a weigh in with everyone present and set a deadline.  You will be extremely motivated to workout if your friend in the cubicle down the hall is looking slimmer each day.  Even if you don’t win, that push you get from competing with your friends might be enough to get you off the couch and out on the trail!

4.)    Sign up for a 5k: I have this dream of running a marathon with my fiancé in Rome, Italy.  She is a great runner and I’m overweight and asthmatic.  But you have to do these things step by step.  So although I can only run for 3 minutes without stopping currently,  I am going to be signing up for a 5k that is not to far down the road.  This is going to force me to go out there and run a little bit farther every single day until I can get a 5k down.  Once I reach that goal I am just one step closer to Rome!  Give it a shot!

5.)    Read an inspiring book: This one works really well for me.  I will be doing some book reviews on this site in the future on books that have really inspired me and I think everyone needs to read.  I read one of these books and I can’t wait to get out the door to workout!  The stories of transformation or great athletes and their accomplishments are undeniably inspirational.  I’ll give you a few good ones here:

1.) Pre: The Story of America’s Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine: Great book and great story!  If you want to read about a guy who had guts, this is the book.  This is the reason I want to run that marathon.

2.) The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.  This book is a must!  A team of researchers goes to the ends of the earth to find communities of people who have the highest rate of 100+ year old people.  He gets down to details to show you what they do differently that makes them avoid almost completely the top 3 killers in America.

3.) It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. Read an inspiring story about the obstacles Lance Armstrong had to overcome to become the greatest cyclist the world has ever seen.  Truly inspirational!

I hope someone finds these helpful and can get themselves motivated to change their life for the better!  If you have more tips we can all use, please share them in the comments section.