The Easiest Way To Tell If You’re Getting Sick

March 5, 2020 By Robert Leave a Comment

Have you ever wanted a fast and easy way to tell if you’re about to be sick? What about an effective barometer for determining whether or not something is plaguing your subconscious?

Today’s article provides a simple trick which will diagnose both: develop one habit that you do daily.

This doesn’t need to be anything complicated or crazy either. You don’t need to shower in freezing water, do bench press 315 pounds, or write 1,000 words. Your routine can be something as simple as practicing Duolingo or solving a puzzle.

The important part is having something you do consistently.

Why?

Because you’re going to get out of sync with your routine long before anything is noticeably “off.”

If you find yourself skipping your daily routine, it’s time to mentally evaluate what’s going on. And by doing so, you get a head start on the problem before it spirals out of control.

Personally, I end up procrastinating or forgetting normal everyday habits whenever I start getting sick. Or, I’ll drag my feet on a project if I subconsciously feel defeated. Of course, admitting there’s a problem is the first step towards fixing it. And by secretly gauging yourself, you can address whatever health or mindset issues plague you.

The Advantages Of Predicting When You’re Getting Sick (And Monitoring Your Subconscious)

Most people mentally shield themselves from even imagining that they have any shortcomings.

As such, they live in misery, unwilling to take on the problems which are ruining their lives.

By keeping tabs on yourself, you can prevent your problems from compounding into bigger issues. And, you’ll often find links between obstacles you’re currently facing.

Here are three examples:

Brain fog – Probably due to diet and exercise. Modify these areas and improve your thinking abilities.
Lack of motivation – May be hormonal (health) or could be subconscious (fear, feeling like a loser, stress about upcoming event).
Disorganization – Might be health related (often happens before getting ill, or dealing with poor diet / sleep). Can also be caused by worrying about external events.
General disruption to normal routine – Typically a good sign that you are getting sick or have a very stressful situation to deal with (maybe one your conscious mind hasn’t even picked up on yet).

Recognizing that their is a problem is the first step towards solving it. By recognizing your behavior is out of the ordinary, you’re already clued in to the existence of an issue. At this point, it’s a matter of zeroing in on the cause and addressing it directly. Doing so keeps the situation under control and prevents things from escalating.

Final Thoughts

Most folks never recognize a problem until it’s too late.

Think about all the obese people who never think about their health until after they’ve had a heart attack or other serious aliment.

Likewise, there are many individuals living “lives of quiet desperation” because they simply cannot mentally confront whatever it is that makes them miserable or holds them in place.

Establishing a simple routine (like practicing a foreign language for 10 minutes per day, keeping a to-do list, or solving a word search) works as an early alarm to warn you when things are going astray. When you start veering from daily habits, it’s a good idea to look at what’s taking you off course.

This way you confront the problem early enough to keep it under control.

What Hobby Writing Is Actually Like

February 22, 2020 By Robert Leave a Comment

When it comes to hobbies, writing is one of the best. It engages your brain, forcing you to think deeply about ideas and how to communicate them. It can also be done virtually anywhere. A pad of paper or note taking app allow you to get your thoughts out while in traffic or standing in line at the grocery store. And, writing feels good. Finishing up an essay or article gives the same endorphin rush as doing your final set in the gym.

Because of this, I wanted to share several personal experiences and lessons from writing online for, almost, the past 10 years.

Writing Is More Prevalent Than You Think

Most people write as much, if not more, than they talk. Texting, social media, email, written reports, and dating sites all revolve around using the written word to communicate. Despite this, a lot of folks put zero effort into improving their communication skills.

The number of English speaking adults who write incoherent messages is truly baffling. Likewise, there are many people who just flat out suck at being engaging or getting to the point. You probably receive dozens of rambling, go-nowhere emails each day. And, if you browse social media or using dating apps, you’re inundated with dull and unoriginal content.

While you don’t need Delicious Tacos level of linguistic mastery, you should be able to convey your ideas in an efficient manner.

Hobby writing helps you mentally prepare and review your message. This is a skill which leads to more responses on Tinder, higher amounts of Facebook likes, and clear delegation of work tasks.

Practicing writing is like practicing public speaking. It allows you to improve a critical skill, but – unlike standing up to give a presentation – there’s way less pressure.

Think of it like a low-stress activity with massive benefits.

Very Few Writers Actually Make Money (But, There’s A Catch)

Let’s suppose that you create an eBook and price it at $50. If you sell 10 copies per week, which is a lot, you’re making $2,000 per month. That’s not bad, but it is a lot of time and effort for what’s essentially the same income as someone working a $12 an hour job. You could go work as a security guard or receptionist and make significantly more.

Writing is rarely the passive income goldmine it’s made out to be.

While it’s fun to look at David Ogilvy’s chateau and say “writing bought that,” the statement” “Franchising bought that” is much more accurate. Most successful writer’s (novelists, marketers, journalists, etc…) make their money through licensing deals and speaking arrangements. J. K. Rowling probably collects more off her Jelly Belly and LEGO deals than she does individual book royalties (the Harry Potter television airing rights alone went for $250 million).

The flip-side?

Writing profits are generally divorced from time input. That was a pretty nerdy sentence, but it basically means you can collect money off things you’ve written a long time ago. Starting a blog or penning some eBooks is an inexpensive way to start earning residual income. Something that’s traditionally reserved for real estate investments and stock portfolios.

The Biggest Benefit: Networking

Writing allows you to meet people outside of your own geographical area. This is nothing new. Thomas Jefferson penned letters to John Adams, and H.P. Lovecraft had a whole writing circle who communicated through the mail. In modern day, however, the Internet makes networking infinitely easier.

This is especially nice for expanding your worldview and connecting with successful people. If you want to get healthy, you can find whole communities of like-minded people to support you. If you want to learn about real estate or investing, there are multimillionaires posting free advice on forums. Business? There are literally thousands of blogs, YouTube channels, and social media groups dedicated to the subject.

Participate in any of these and you’re going to make new friends and learn valuable information.

Having a blog, or Twitter account, is like owning your own PR firm; one where you’re the main client. You control your own narrative and advertising your expertise (or potential) to make connections with others.

Writing Publicly Forces You To Deal With Criticism

(Not Every Reader Is As Nice As Jeff Bezos)

Outside of subway rides and sporting events, there’s very little chance random strangers will heckle you in person. Nobody is walking up to you on the street to call you names, and people aren’t throwing temper-tantrums whenever you say something they don’t like. The Internet, however, is a different story.

Sometimes you’ll get legitimate criticism (always appreciated), but more often you’re faced with hysterical weirdos who rant and rave about seemingly innocuous issues.

Your first “hate reader” (who shows up on every article to comment something negative) is a surreal experience. Stalkers are for hot girls and celebrities. The idea that you (a hobby blogger) will attract the same type of crazy people Bella Hadid, or Tom Cruise, file restraining orders against is crazy.

And yet it happens.

Luckily, stalkers and weirdos are the fringe minority. Most people, like yourself, are perfectly cool and normal individuals. And I sincerely thank you for reading.

Writing Makes You Think Deeply About A Subject And Better Understand Yourself

Writing is the art of refining your thoughts and communicating them with others. Putting your ideas on paper often allows you to better understand the material yourself. This goes for material you publish as well as private notes.

I started Sad No Coiner off the (faulty) assumption that swing trading crypto coins was easy. Writing about investing forced me to constantly learn more about investing. And, through learning about financial statements and corporate reports, ended up teaching more about business and how to run a successful venture.

An hour a week blogging and $500 in a Coinbase account was worth more than most business degrees.

Same goes for any topic. If you want to write about fitness, you’re going to end up researching new workout methods or learning about new diet plans. And this is going to greatly expand your knowledge. Likewise, in order to articulate your ideas, you need to form comprehensive thoughts on a subject. Doing this forces you to think deeply and look at an issue from multiple angles.

Writing out ideas or explaining concepts to others will often teach you just as much, if not more than your audience.

Final Thoughts

in terms of hobbies, there are very few which offer the ROI that writing does. If you collect Funko Pops, for example, you don’t actually grow or develop from your activities. Same goes for most video games or other consumer activities.

Writing, exercise, art, music, and similar creative endeavors all contain valuable lessons which teach you about yourself and the world around you. If you enjoy reading articles, posting to forums, and browsing social media; I highly suggest you take writing up as a free-time hobby. An hour per day or a weekend a month putting thoughts to paper, and you’ll greatly improve your own thinking abilities. Plus, you might even pick up a couple buck and a few new friends along the way.

What two weeks in the Midwest taught me about mindset

November 26, 2014 By Robert 7 Comments

“If you start with the mindset that you know nothing, you will learn a lot that nobody knew before.”

– David Moranis

What two weeks in the Midwest taught me about mindset

After two weeks in Iowa my bags are packed and I’m ready to leave. It was nice seeing my relatives, but that’s about the only good thing from my trip home.

Going back to Iowa was like re-watching a movie you’d enjoyed as a child but hadn’t seen in years. The flaws stuck out immediately.

And while I do have some complaints about the weather and things like that, my main concern was the average person’s mindset.

Positive thinking might sound corny, but it does wonders. About half the problems that I heard people whining about could have been fixed with a change in mindset.

Here are some of the biggest factors that contribute to mediocrity in the middle of the map.

Negative responses

A lot of people are (for lack of a better term) haters. Tell them you’re going to do something and they’ll try to shoot you down. It doesn’t have to be difficult either. Going to the gym, starting a business, and talking to random girls are all “impossible” and foolish endeavors.

“I’m moving to Peru.”

“You won’t make any friends and you’ll get food poisoning. Then someone will kidnap and murder you.”

Tell someone about a cool thing you learned online and you’ll be met with dismissive remarks.

I faced this one a lot as a teenage and it made me mad. Now it just makes me feel bad for the hater.

The people who try to undermine you have nothing in their own lives. They’re jealous and narrow-minded. Conforming to their worldview will make you just like them.

Victim mentality

If I run a business into the ground or make a poor choice, it’s my fault. I’ve made less than $500 for an entire month before and there was no one to blame but me.

Yet a lot of people can do no wrong. They forgot to set their alarm clock and accidentally missed class for the entire semester, didn’t know drunk driving was illegal everywhere, and keep getting tricked into buying stupid things.

Coincidentally, or not, their lives are in shambles.

Failing to take control forces you to become a slave to circumstance. You get blown around from one bad situation to another. Taking a stand is the best preventative for “bad luck.”

How to deal with a negative environment

Move. Seriously, just leave and head off to greener pastures. Asia, Los Angeles, New York City, and South America are all filled with go-getters who are starting new businesses, inventing new technologies, and pushing the limits. You aren’t going to get that same support in most other places.

When you enter an environment where people actually care about what you’re doing, and want you to succeed, your productivity explodes. When I went to Peru my writing got infinitely better. There were other people doing the same thing and I had resources. You could share ideas and grow, not defend dreams and stagnate.

Mindset matters. Go forth and grow rich with your vision.

Easiest way to boost your brainpower

August 25, 2014 By Robert 12 Comments

“Changing the way you breath changes the way you feel.”

– Urban Tantra

Easiest way to boost your brainpower

People love lifehacks. They’ll do all kinds of stupid and impractical things in hopes that it somehow increases the quality of their existence. However, one of the most important things you can do is often completely forgotten. Breathing is underrated. It’s something you do all the time but aren’t conscious of. Most people actually try to breath less than they should. I used to be guilty of this when I’d bench press. Instead of inhaling and exhaling I’d hold my breath. It was something that took a lot of time to correct.

About two months ago I decided to learn more about Eastern religions and their practices. While a lot of this information has been corrupted by lazy hippies and middle-aged women, there’s still some good stuff to learn. A really cool little technique that I picked up involved using your breath to become more alert and energized. While there are several different breathing routines, I’m going to share my favorite with you:

The Breath of Fire

This is something that’s used in Kundalini yoga. It gives you a massive surge in energy and will really wake you up. If you do this exercise for about two minutes every morning you’ll feel incredibly energized and focused. While there’s some mystical nonsense behind it, I’m just going to share the technique itself:

Set a timer for about two minutes.
Sit down somewhere and use good posture (you’re supposed to have a straight spine for the exercise).
Exhale through your nose (in this routine all breathing is done through the nose).
Let as much air out as you possibly can by sucking your chest in towards your spine.
When you want to inhale just release your chest. Your body will automatically refill itself with air.
Increase your tempo so that you take one breath every second.

Benefits that I have noticed

Because yoga is filled with all kinds of kooks, there are tons of ethereal claims about various techniques and routines. People will talk about clearing your aurora or developing a magnetic balance, but I think a lot of that stuff verges on being mystic woo woo. What I’ve experienced has been a lot more practical:

1. Clearer sinuses.

Breathing like this is going to clear out your lungs. When I started I’d end up coughing and sneezing about halfway through the exercise. After a few sessions I noticed that my sinuses felt a lot cleaner and I didn’t feel congested as often.

2. I felt smarter.

When you breath like this you’re bringing more oxygen into your brain. You feel more focused and dialed in. You definitely get a better, and healthier, buzz from this than you would from a soda or energy drink.

3. More energy.

After doing the Breath of Fire you’ll want to run around. Finishing the routine would make me want to hit the gym, go for a walk, or do some other form of physical activity.

While a lot of yoga and Eastern religion is a bit too mystic for most people, I’d actually suggest doing this breathing routine. It’s easy, takes very little time, and has some tremendous results. Doing this once a day for a week will set you back 14 minutes in total. You aren’t going to be out anything from trying the Breath of Fire.

Summer fitness goals

May 30, 2014 By Robert 2 Comments

“The reason fat men are good natured is they can neither fight nor run.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

Summer fitness goals

Over the past month I really slacked off with lifting. I didn’t make it to the gym for a whole week do to car troubles, and I ate horribly as well. Ice cream, pizza, cereal, lots of carbs. I ended up looking like fatter version of Caillou.

Now that I’m able to drive again, I’ve been going hard. In the mornings I wake up and knock out some bodyweight exercises before going for a jog. In the afternoon I hit the gym. While I’d obviously like to build more muscle, my main goal right now is to develop my back.

While most guys go to the gym and develop some weird obsession with biceps and abs, I’ve always liked working on my legs. Squats are my favorite exercise and I’d make every day leg day if it were possible. Back exercises have always been my weakness. On one of my first trips to the gym I tried to deadlift and ended up cutting my leg open on the bar. Ever since then I’ve had a weird phobia about deadlifting and have never been able to give it my all. Additionally, my current gym is all about free weights and doesn’t have any of the machinery that most places would.

In order to work on my back I decided to add pull-ups to my routine. I sorted through my Navy SEAL FitDeck and looked over all of the different pull-up and chin-up exercises. A couple of them are now part of back day, while the rest are spread out across the week.

Having the least physically exerting job of all time, I also decided to start taking breaks throughout the day in order to get some exercise. My lunch break is now a two-mile walk, and bust out a few push-ups and sit-ups every few hours. While some Muscle & Fitness zealot will try to complain about this hurting my gains, it isn’t like I’d be getting a whole lot of exercise otherwise.

Lastly, I’m getting a pair of Ringside Apex Boxing Gloves from a client. Aside from using them in the gym, I plan on setting up a heavy bag in my basement and throwing some punches every morning when I wake up. It’s a good way to get the blood flowing and start the day.

One of the nice things about working for yourself is the fact that you don’t have to pretend to look busy when there’s nothing going on. If you finish up an assignment, you can slip off to the gym or go for a run. There’s no need to set in an office and give off the appearance that you are hard at work just so that no one will complain to HR.