Updates, GA-freaking-LORE!

So I'm sure everyone out there is very curious and interested as to how things are coming along for me. Well here's the skinny on my life changes:

1) I have relocated to the East Coast, and am pretty darned happy about it.

2) I am currently single (more details on that later).

3) I have been interviewing like Ka-RaZy! ...(more details on that as well).

4) I am happy about my decision to quit my job a total of four months ago.

Now....For those who are still on the other side of the fence, BE ENCOURAGED!

There are some great benefits to moving on to another phase in your life and I am a firm believer that only YOU will know when and how that works for you.

TIPS:

1) Move at your own time.
 - I say this because many of us can be delayed by others opinions, or even pushed too fast and persuaded by others. Move when you feel it's time, not a minute sooner or a minute later.

2) Research.
- If you were not one of those kids in high school or college that enjoyed the part about researching for your big papers and preferred to use just one website and only one page out of a book resource, Remember: there is a lot we can learn from our school-age days, and many of us ought to strive to be learners for LIFE.

*Doing your research on a new city, new job, or new fling (you know what I mean) is usually well worth the time. Imagine it this way: many people spend more time researching a new electronic they want to buy, or which new pair of shoes they're going to get for the winter, than they do for other major "purchases" that will last much longer.

3) Face your F.E.A.R.
- You may remember I wrote a post on f.e.a.r. here a bit ago, defining it as False Evidence Appearing Real. I truly strive to live by this phenomenon and whenever I allow fearful thoughts into my head I immediately usher them out and replace with positive ones. (this is not a difficult task, it just takes a lot of mental focus and intention)

Remember the things that we "fear" are often a reflection of something much deeper and perhaps simpler than we realize. For example: Imagine you walk into a room of people you have never met before, and in your mind you say to yourself "I hate doing these kind of things...it always makes me so uncomfortable." Perhaps it does, or perhaps it does ONLY because you tell yourself it will. Shake the bullsh!$ as I like to say.

Remember this: When you shift your paradigm...your universe WILL CHANGE.

 

Day 17 - Slimming down on clutter

3 Lessons from a Guy with 39 Possessions

youmightfindyourself:

My good friend's response to this email...Enjoy!

1. Fewer choices are freeing.
Asked which shirt Hyde picks in the morning, he replies, “The clean one.” How much time and mental effort do you spend choosing what shoes to wear, what movie to watch, what dish to cook? Choice is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is often overvalued, especially related to things that aren’t aligned with what’s really important in our lives–things like relationships, health and recreation.
 

...I agree...that's why my children will have an outfit for each day of the week. On Sunday, we will do laundry and rearrange those 7 outfits to look like brand new outfits...pairing Monday's jeans w/Thursday's top and so on... I figure since the kid grows so quickly (up until about 19 for girls and 26 for boys) I will not WASTE any money on following trends, extra laundry detergent, time to wash, etc. All that money I saved NOT "keeping up w/the Joneses" (who are broke, by the way... see trailer...  ...a zeitgeist film)

2. If you have fewer things, make them good.
As Sarah Laskow wrote in Grist, living light doesn’t mean living cheap. Hyde’s possessions are all very high quality. Paring down means choosing stuff that holds up and looks good. If you have 3 shirts, you can’t afford to have that one shirt that doesn’t fit right.

...Hencewhy I shop thrift, craigslist, other people's houses...Rotate that which you thought you would use but did not...Buy LOW, Sell HIGH (but it's a WIN WIN because you bought SO LOW that buyers are EXCITED to buy at your asking price)

3. Sometimes you will not be prepared…and it’s okay.
You likely won’t trim your possessions to Hyde-ian proportions, but that doesn’t mean you have to everything for every occasion. Americans in particular like to be prepared for the worst-case-scenario, having separate cookie cutters for Christmas and Halloween. We seldom consider how negligible the consequences are when we run out of something or are unprepared. Nor do we consider how high the consequences are for being over-prepared: creating more money, space, upkeep and mental clutter.
 

...I don't get into the commercialism of every month's Consumeristic Exploitative Marketing Initiatives ("CEMI")...made that up....but anyway, whatever can be purchased and used for a host of things stays in house...everything else is SOLD!! to the highest bidder!

 

PS: I have Wi Fi in my home now...thanx to CL Seller Larry selling us his Belkin N750 Wireless Router for $55 (saved us $45...cuz he bought this 3 months ago at Best Buy for $100) YES!!! Another slam dunk! LOL

...I say if people like to get Financial Cavities b/c of all the so-called "sweet deals", let them! I'm like the scavenger that comes in after they no longer use what they thought they so desperately needed and get it for pennies on the dollar. I guess you could call me a Third Party Deal Buyer...Gotta know how the folk making money think so you can beat em at their own game! Here's to you Third Party Debt Collectors! LOL

 

 

Share your thoughts below...could you ever live with ONLY 15 items to your name?

Day 16 - Loans

so check this out...

calculating my loan payments over the last 9 months i paid a total of $1797.61 to my loans. this was at a rate of 199/month for 9 months. of that total amount $532.50 went towards the principal, and $1265.11 went towards the interest.

BEFORE:

$532.50 (principal) + $1265.11 (interest) = $1797.61 (total paid in 9 months at $199/mo)

in short: only 30% to principal, and 70% went to interest.

when i got the lump sum from the volunteer program i did and they paid $1174.60 to my loans, $1106.21 went to principal, and only $68.39 to interest. the ratio flipped: 94% to principal and only 6% to interest.

NOW:

$1106.21 (principal) + $68.39 (interest) = $1174.60 (total paid from volunteer program)

in short: 94% WENT TO PRINCIPAL, and only 6% went to interest!

In a matter of ONE MONTH PAYMENT I made a bigger impact on my overall loan balance than I did over NINE MONTHS of paying the minimum balance. that's crazy!

case in point: the less time you give to the loan to accrue interest, the more of your dollar will go towards decreasing your actual loan amount, instead of being wasted on interest.

the faster (in time) and the higher (in payment amounts) you pay your loans, the quicker you will pay off/down your loans. this part is obvious, right?

BUT...the longer we take to pay down, the less of our dollar that goes towards the real balance.

SO all this to say, I know most people aren't in the position to pay $1,000 bucks a month towards their loans (myself included) HOWEVER...even paying an extra $50 can add up over a year's time, or even $20 bucks. More is definitely better, but I encourage you to pay as much as you can muster this year and make loan payments a priority so you can BE DEBT-FREE. (who doesn't want to travel the world and live life without the burden of monthly payments hanging over your head?)

Don't settle for the "minimum payment," like I did. It's a joke and a scam.

Debt reduction is one of my big goals over the next 24 months and with this new information I've been really motivated to stick to the plan.

Hope you find this information helpful! Comment below if you have any advice or suggestions for others!

Thanks!

Day 14 - Lunching

Just got back from lunch. I'm realizing more and more the need to be mentally prepared for the fasting/cleansing/praying/food slash diet change I will soon be implementing.

 

 

I've been (intentionally) fasting from the last meal the night before to noon ish the next day; drinking 2 large glasses of water when I wake up and taking vitamins, then drinking tea and water throughout the day until lunch.

 

Then at lunch I stick to the (1-bowl meal idea) and eat veggies, hummus, 1 pita.

For example:

cucumber and olives mix (hand chopped the night before), baby tomatoes 2 hand fulls, some mashed avocado, small container of hummus, and 1 med size pita. Takes about 3 minutes to prepare the night before and does me pretty good so far. Sounds boring but I'm usually pretty full if I chew long enough. (more on THAT later also)

 

Then later I'll have either a fruit smoothie (Odwalla if on the run) or eat a bowl of fruit for dinner; or I'll have soup, or make a salad or whatever.

That's about it.

Still perfecting the list but I'ive learned SO much about how we overeat and overstuff and overwork our digestive systems way past capacity, less is REALLY more.

More about the 1 bowl/item meal and food combining (acidic/alkaline foods) coming soon.
 

BONUS: Newest "changed my whole food complex about life" piece of information:
 

Myth: when your stomach "growls" , this means that we are "hungry"

Our bodies, as sophisticated as they are in preserving life, are always in the business of self-preservation and finding ways to save and conserve energy. So, when an organ is not "in use" it shrinks just a bit in size so that energy can be used in other parts of the body. As a result, we often hear out stomachs "growling" when we haven't eaten for a number of hours after being awake. We believe this must mean we are "hungry" and so proceed to feed our stomachs and the "hunger pains" go away.
 

Truth: Actually what is happening when we hear our stomachs "growl" is our stomach is simply shrinking and this is the noise that it makes when doing so. The reason the stomach starts to shrink a bit is because the digestive system is now going into rest mode so the energy usually used for the digestion can be used elsewhere (more on that later), and the reason the sensations go away after eating is because now the body is back to work to attempt to digest the food you just ate.

 

Some experts suggest that as much as 80% of the bodies energy goes towards digestion. When digestion stops the body then transfers that energy for other uses, such as healing.

After digestion only 20 percent of our body's energy remains for cardiovascular, immune, neurological, reproductive, and respiratory functions. It makes sense to support the digestive process. "If you want to stay healthy or get healthy, you need to free up as much digestive energy as you can spare," explains Bohager.

 

TIP: Try mentally overcoming the sensations of "hunger" during your fast and recognize the "hunger pains" are actually your body's way of initiating self-healing. Better said: Growling hunger pains don't actually always need to be fed. lol

Day 15 - Goals

I believe I have reached a breeching point. Yes, this is the place where I have sauntered much much too long and now the time has come, yea I say, forcefully, to MOVE.

Laziness is a brash word that is often overused. In this instance I have simply languished in my freedom and lack of accountability from all sources. It's been wonderful. Sleepy weekends lying in bed, late brunch-lunches and all night cooking sessions. I've gotten a chance to catch up on my youtubing, watching endless hours of music videos, DIYs and online documentaries. Frivolous travels to visit lovers and friends, family members and foes. And now...it is time.

Many nights pretending I will put my P90X DVD in, not today, but tomorrow, pushing off workouts until never comes. Yes, today it must all come to an end. I have peaked at this realization that depsite my undying nature to please and be pleased, I have disastrously begun to neglect myself. I mean in the sense that my "Goals for 2012" still lay unfinished and mutely articulated, my financial plans not quite as aggressive as originally intended, and my professional ambitions sadly put off for another opportunity. I believe this is a breeching point. A time to MOVE and be moved.

So, with that so clearly stated, I will begin by marking my true goals, intuitions and ambitions here:

1) Become fluent in Arabic by 2014.

2) Save 20K in retirement by 2014.

3) Stop waiting for other people.

4) Create a dream board.

5) Write and read everyday.

6) Exercise.

7) Find peace in simplicity and learn to live and enjoy the moment.

8) Satisfy myself.

Day 13 - 20 things to know by age 20

20 Things To Know By Age 20.



1. The world is trying to keep you stupid. From bank fees to interest rates to miracle diets, people who are not educated are easier to get money from and easier to lead. Educate yourself as much as possible for wealth, independence, and happiness.

2. Do not have faith in institutions to educate you. By the time they build the curriculum, it’s likely that the system is outdated– sometimes utterly broken. You both learn and get respect from people worth getting it from by leading and doing, not by following.

3. Read as much as you can. Learn to speed read with high retention. Emerson Spartz taught me this while I was at a Summit Series event. If he reads 2-3 books a week, you can read one.

4. Connect with everyone, all the time. Be genuine about it. Learn to find something you like in each person, and then speak to that thing.

5. Don’t waste time being shy. Shyness is the belief that your emotions should be the arbitrators of your decision making process when the opposite is actually true.

6. If you feel weird about something during a relationship, that’s usually what you end up breaking up over.

7. Have as much contact as possible with older people. Personally, I met people at Podcamps. My friend Greg, at the age of 13, met his first future employer sitting next to him on a plane. The reason this is so valuable is because people your age don’t usually have the decision-making ability to help you very much. Also they know almost everything you will learn later, so ask them.

8. Find people that are cooler than you and hang out with them too. This and the corollary are both important: “don’t attempt to be average inside your group. Continuously attempt to be cooler than them (by doing cooler things, being more laid back, accepting, ambitious, etc.).”

9. You will become more conservative over time. This is just a fact. Those you surround yourself with create a kind of “bubble” that pushes you to support the status quo. For this reason, you need to do your craziest stuff NOW. Later on, you’ll become too afraid. Trust me.

10. Reduce all expenses as much as possible. I mean it. This creates a safety net that will allow you to do the crazier shit I mentioned above.

11. Instead of getting status through objects (which provide only temporary boosts), do it through experiences. In other words, a trip to Paris is a better choice than a new wardrobe. Studies show this also boosts happiness.

12. While you are living on the cheap, solve the money problem. Use the internet, because it’s like a cool little machine that helps you do your bidding. If you are currently living paycheck to paycheck, extend that to three weeks instead of two. Then, as you get better, you can think a month ahead, then three months, then six, and finally a year ahead. (The goal is to get to a point where you are thinking 5 years ahead.)

13. Learn to program.

14. Get a six-pack (or get thin, whatever your goal is) while you are young. Your hormones are in a better place to help you do this at a younger age. Don’t waste this opportunity, trust me.

15. Learn to cook. This will make everything much easier and it turns food from a chore + expensive habit into a pleasant + frugal one. I’m a big Jamie Oliver fan, but whatever you like is fine.

16. Sleep well. This and cooking will help with the six pack. If you think “I can sleep when I’m dead” or “I have too much to do to sleep,” I have news for you: you are INEFFICIENT, and sleep deprivation isn’t helping.

17. Get a reminder app for everything. Do not trust your own brain for your memory. Do not trust it for what you “feel like” you should be doing. Trust only the reminder app. I use RE.minder and Action Method.

18. Choose something huge to do, as well as allowing the waves of opportunity to help you along. If you don’t set goals, some stuff may happen, but if you do choose, lots more will.

19. Get known for one thing. Spend like 5 years doing it instead of flopping around all over the place. If you want to shift afterwards, go ahead. Like I said, choose something.

20. Don’t try to “fix” anyone. Instead, look for someone who isn’t broken.

Written by: Julian Smith inoveryourhead.net

Day 12 - How to write a resignation letter

In preparation for my resignation in 31 days... I will highlight here the best DO's and DON'Ts of leaving your job gracefully.


Once you have decided that it IS time for you to go, there are many ways to bow out in a respectful and professional way.

In-person Resignation:
This is by far the best way to begin the process. Standard courtesy is a 2-week notice in writing. This will depend on what kind of job you have as well. For example: if you have a contract that stipulates a particular amount of notice must be given, be sure to adhere to that. Occasionally, depending on your company, tenure and position, you may feel inclined to give a much longer notice, for example 3 or even 10 weeks. Be sure to gauge this wisely, too much notice CAN backfire.

Official letter: Here is an example of an official resignation letter.

Please accept this as my final notice of resignation. My last day of employment will be May 31st.


Thank you so much for (length of employment) with your organization. I have worked alongside some excellent colleagues, and have had so many opportunities to grow and develop as a professional. I appreciate the opportunities I have been given and I wish the company success in the future.


Please please provide me with information about the exit process. I am specifically interested in how my employee accounts will be settled (vacation leave, employee benefits and 401K).


I will never forget my time at (company name here). Please let me know if you need any assistance with the transition. I am available between now and 5/31 to finalize any out-processing procedures.

Email Resignation: Of course the preferred method of resignation is an in-person, written notice, however there may be circumstances that prevent you from doing so. When necessary an email may be used. This is very similar to the actual written letter of resignation, but is often used for a more abrupt closure. Remember to remain professional, direct and concise. This will go into your professional work file and as such it is imperative to proof your language and be as formal as possible in the note.

Over-the-Phone Resignation: Just remember with this one to remain as positive and calm as possible. Be polite and answer their questions clearly. State your concerns and reasons for leaving directly. Avoid rambling and bad mouthing fellow co-workers or managers. *Do not confuse this tip with honest remarks about the reason why you are leaving.* Most companies have an exit process that involves an exit interview. This may simply be a packet that is sent in the mail for you to return if you so choose. As a result, many HR managers will ask a small series of questions during an over-the-phone resignation that are also included in the exit interview. Remember there IS a valid reason for why you are leaving, and though the company may be sad to see you go, they want to prevent any further retention hits. Be honest when telling them why you have decided to move on.

Tips:

1) Do not brag about your new job - Many of your co-workers, colleagues and managers will miss you and be sad to see you go. It is best not to rub it in their face that you are moving on to bigger and more exciting things. They already know.

2) Get a letter of recommendation - I recommend getting this when you give your 2-weeks notice. (Note: You can give your in-person notice to HR directly, or to your immediate manager, but be sure to follow up with a formal written version.) This will ensure that you have your managerial teams support in your new decision, may alleviate some office hostility and will be very useful in your new position.

3) Have a plan - My grandmother always told me it is best to quit your current job, only when you have another already lined up and in the bag. Whether you are moving on to own your own business, make a significant career change, travel the world, or be a stay at home parent, taking the time to make a plan will make all the difference after "the big decision."

4) Try to save up - Another tip from grandma: "Have at least six months expenses in your savings." I recommend much more than that, based off of my standard of living. Take all your expenses into consideration: loans, mortgage, child support, travel, car notes etc. When you scale it all the way down, there's a great chance you can live off much less than you currently make, when you stick closely to your budget and you begin to eliminate extraneous spending.

Good luck!