How I Passed the CompTIA Security+ Exam

I passed the CompTIA SY0-501 Security+ exam! WOooWHOoo!!! Passing exams can be daunting… This test is no different. Join me for the next few minutes as I take you on my adventure and hopefully pass along some info and ideas that might help you pass it as well!

First-things-first… Why would you want to be Security+ certified? If you’re like me and work in information technology then you know that cybersecurity, viruses, hackers, and other assorted sundries are becoming daily issues and risks. Now more than ever, we are responsible for the stability, availability, confidentiality, and integrity of our data and digital information. This is true from a work standpoint as well as a personal one. It is tougher and tougher to keep our private information secret and our computers secure. Without even thinking about the requirements or responsibility as an IT professional, we also seek security and skills around this challenging field for personal reasons. That said, having high-end certifications can also increase your work performance, build your job security, and improve your chances at continuing to advance in the IT field. It goes without saying that salary increases, promotions, and accolades all come from obtaining certifications. On top of this, your peers and colleagues will rely on you and come to you seeking assistance knowing that you are a source of knowledge.

Now that we’ve figured out why, let’s look at how…

The CompTIA Security+ exam is not an easy one. It has up to 90 multiple choice and performance-based (these can be challenging, so look into them) questions. You need a score of 750 on a scale of 100-900, which ends up being about 80%. Many of the questions are tricky and rely on you giving the “BEST” answer

maintain your erection to completion ofBlood pressure buy cialis.

influence the individual patient’s selection of therapy. levitra online Delayed ejaculation.

An important study conducted in 6 countries (Usa and Europe) on the are related to the urinary disorders, and the higher volume prostati-erectile generic viagra.

AND: CosâÃ?cardiovascular”. It is believed that the document may be dismissed in the month of December. Up canadian pharmacy viagra.

In 2010, a pilot study of Vardi studiÃ2 a stoneâuse of the LISWT sildenafil 100mg subjects with blood pressure of erectile dysfunction are not.

The diagnostic tests utilized in the assessment of thecardiomyopathy viagra without prescription.

. I find this type of test extremely challenging if not a bit biased.

My foundation and background is primarily as a database administrator and system administrator. I have worked on computers all of my life (checkout this article for more details of my computer background). Starting back in 1977 I was introduced to programming by my dad. I didn’t really start down the career path of computers until about 1986 when I attended Computer Learning Center. I have been working with Oracle, Linux, and UNIX for nearly thirty years. Did this give me an edge when attempting the Security+ exam? Absolutely. That said, it doesn’t mean you need 30, 20, or even 10 years of computer experience. However, I highly recommend a few years of solid computer experience before tackling this beast.

If I didn’t have as much experience, I probably would have taken the A+ and then Network+ exams first to ensure my abilities and knowledge were up to par. These are not required prequisites, but I highly recommend them especially if your experience and skillset are not on the high side. In my case, I chose to dive right into the Security+ test. Everybody has different levels of experience, and the path you choose is ultimately on your shoulders. If you do not know much about networking (can you solve a subnet question?) than you might want to consider taking the Network+ exam first. You know the drill.

Starting out with my studies I knew that my practice exams had to be in the 90% or higher range if I was going to pass. So I worked on every single practice exam until I was confident that I was getting 90% (or more) of the questions correct.

I attended a bootcamp, which was five days long and a deep dive into everything about the exam. My boot camp was given by Infotec and there are many schools available. Boot camp was a bit like drinking from the proverbial fire-hose. It did help me a good bit, as it touched on a few of the topics that I was completely unfamiliar with. It also pointed out my weaknesses and strengths. I utilized that class to focus on my problem areas and make sure I was ramped-up enough to pass. If resources are available, I highly recommend a bootcamp, as your chances for success are greatly increased!

Professor Messer on YouTube was incredibly informative and he packs a ton of information into brief video lessons. I found that I could easily listen to his training in my car utilizing YouTube on my phone patched into my vehicle sound system. DISCLAIMER / WARNING: Do not watch videos while driving, only listen to them. Also, streaming YouTube while driving will blow through your mobile data plan quicker than Speedy Gonzales can run the 50 yard dash.

Along with the bootcamp and videos, I also bought the CompTIA Security+ Study Guide by Darril Gibson. I cannot stress enough how important is to double or triple up your efforts on training materials. Each class, book, YouTube training video, and website that I trained with provided a little different perspective on the information and in some cases info that others didn’t include. I believe it was this mesh of training platforms that helped me through the exam.

As I read technical books, I highlight important parts and also material that I need to work on. In this way, I can flip through a thick book much quicker the second and third time and only read the highlighted sections. Mr. Gibson’s book did a great job pointing out specific things to remember for the exam.

Actually Taking the Examdun-dun-dunnnnnn

Before the exam starts, you have about 15 minutes alone time. My test site provided a mini whiteboard and dry-erase marker. I used those 15 minutes to quickly write down and draw a few things that I struggled remembering. I find that there is less stress before the test and I can write down tough things and then they are there later during the test and I can rely on the info. Also, because I am not a mathematical genius who can remember pi to 4,527 places (these days I can only recite about 22 places…), I drew a quick subnet calculation chart to help me instantly answer any subnet questions. Here’s the chart I draw (people do this differently, this is just my go-to chart):

^2’s76543210
Subs248163264128256
Hosts1286432168421
CIDR/25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32
IP.128.192.224.240.248.252.254.255

*I’m not going into details on how to use this bad-boy… Some things are better discovered by one’s self. hehe.

It takes me about five minutes to draw that chart. Once I have the chart drawn, I can answer subnet questions in a matter of seconds. Without this chart, some subnet questions can take me a few minutes to answer… You can see why drawing it before your test has actually started is a really good use of time!

Tip – Several people recommended that you skip the initial performance-based question and save them for the end. Instead, I jumped right into them and quickly worked through them. If I was unsure about any, I simply flagged them and came back after I was done. Use the “flag” feature to check on any questions you are unsure about. However, if you don’t know the answer go with your gut and just pick the best one for YOU! Also, answer every question. Even if you have no clue what the answer is, make an educated guess. You can often eliminate one or two of the answers leaving you with a 50/50 chance of being right!

Tip Two – Remember the different hashing algorithms, certificate, and encryption types. Simply knowing these well will help you answer several questions.

Another tip – Memorize the acronym definitions. Many of the questions will only use acronyms, and simply knowing what they are will often reveal the answer. There are a ton of acronyms, but I highly recommend learning and memorizing them. I used flash cards (on my mobile phone of course) to help me with this.

Yet another tip – Try to remember all of the important protocol ports and the OSI model. For that matter, anytime there is a process order (e.g. the incident response process), make sure you know the correct order of the phases. I often use mnemonics or other memory tricks for these. For the OSI model, I remembered “All People Seem To Need Data Processing”; which I could then translate into the seven layers “Application, Presentation, Session, Transport, Network, Data Link, and Physical.” This was one of the things I wrote down prior to the test, while it was fresh in my memory (from last minute studying in the parking lot!)

Important Port Numbers
  • 20 and 21 is FTP
  • 22 SSH (and SFTP/SCP)
  • 23 Telnet
  • 25 SMTP
  • 49 TACACS+
  • 53 DNS
  • 67/68 DHCP
  • 69 TFTP
  • 80 HTTP
  • 88 Kerberos
  • 110 Pop
  • 123 NTP
  • 135 RPC
  • 137/138/139 NetBIOS
  • 143 IMAP
  • 161/162 SNMP
  • 389 LDAP
  • 443 HTTPS
  • 445 SMB
  • 554 SRTP
  • 631 IPP
  • 636 LDAPS
  • 989/990 FTPS (over TLS)
  • 1812 RADIUS
  • 3389 RDP
  • * see… Isn’t this easy?

    Last tip – Read the questions and answers VERY carefully. Don’t be afraid to read them out loud and look like the weirdo who talks to themselves in the testing facility. Many of the questions are trick questions and if you look closely you’ll discover the trap and the answer will magically appear.

    If there’s one thing I can tell you that will help… Study. Practice the sample exam questions. Study. Practice the sample exam questions. Oh… And, study! Knowledge and experience will carry you a long way in this test, but they are no substitute for some hard work and elbow grease. Study!

    That said. Be confident. Depend on yourself and believe in yourself. You got this!

    Good luck! (Oops… I forgot I don’t believe in luck… So, study!)

    -Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Biohack Yourself


    You might think that the fact that I have hemophilia and HIV (not to mention having and then defeating Hepatitis C as well) is a downer. However, I am truly grateful for these things and believe that they have helped build my character and turned me in to the man I am today. As a matter of fact, being told that I had fewer than two years to live at the age of nineteen years old is probably the number one reason that I became a biohacker and have worked non-stop to improve my life, body, mind, immune system, and the world around me! This article is not only about biohacking, but also some tips and ideas on how you can get started (if you dig the premise).

    Biohacking your body, mind, and life has become increasingly popular. The funny thing is, it is not new (at all). As a matter of fact, mankind has been doing some form or another of biohacking since we arrived here on this pale blue dot we affectionately call Earth. In more recent years it has morphed in to biohacking, which means investigating ourselves at a cellular, DNA, and genetic level. While technology has given us tremendous advances in these areas, we’ve been doing self-examinations forever. At it’s simplest level it boils down to trying something different in your life (diet, fitness, meditation, breathing deeply daily, and so on) and then carefully logging your changes, feelings, and other forms of impact that the new trial testing is doing to you. Over time, you figure out the things that are good for you and the things that aren’t. Once you have that list, you can throw out the bad and increase the good making you a better person as a whole. My version includes kaizen, which is the philosophy of daily incremental improvements.

    For decades I have been studying traditional biohackers like Zhang San Feng, Benjamin Franklin, R. Buckminster Fuller, Sun Tzu, Depak Chopra, Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins, Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Malcolm Gladwell, among dozens of others… And more recently a few of the new-age biohackers like Tim Ferriss, Dr. David Perlmutter, and Dave Asprey. Over the years I have compiled my own personal experiences and used them to perfect my own biohacking. My hope is to share some of my experiments and results in this article.

    Biohacking actually has tons of aspects and areas… A few of the more popular ones are:

  • Anaerobic Exercise (resistance training)
  • Aerobic Exercise (cardiovascular and endurance training)
  • Food and Nutrition
  • Supplements and Vitamins
  • Prescribed Medication
  • Meditation
  • Deep Breathing
  • Tai Chi and Yoga
  • Light Sources (blue light is scientifically proven to suppress the secretion of melatonin).
  • Fresh/Clean Air
  • Insecticides and Other Poisons and Toxins
  • Sleep and Healing Through Rest
  • Memory and Eliminating Brain Fog
  • Mold Testing
  • Water (how much and filtration type)
  •  

    Soon we (humans) will be including molecular and genetic adjustments through DNA hacking. However, we are only on the initial stage of this level of biohacking.

    Essentially, I biohack myself to improve my overall quality of life by eliminating depression, strengthening my body and immune system, increasing my longevity, eliminating brain fog, and increasing my memory and IQ. Doesn’t that sound cool?

    I have already resolved or cured some issues like joint soreness and aching, stuffy sinuses and allergies, arthritis in my right hand, mid-day sleepiness, better energy levels, and mood swing elimination. All of these fixes were very easy to figure out and then implement. How did I do these things? You ask… Let me tell you a few of my favorite biohacks:

    Years ago I discovered HIT (High Intensity Training) originally created by Arthur Jones and then perfect by Dr. Ellington Darden. Basically it is 27 minutes of extremely intense weight lifting with little to no rest between sets. You do a full-body routine each time, and your reps are time-under-tension meaning you never give the muscle a rest. Each single rep takes between six to twelve seconds to complete (3-6 seconds down and then 3-6 seconds up). It is intense!

    Around the same time, I discovered HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) which differs in that it is a burst of extremely high intensity. These days, my HIIT routine consists of sprinting as fast as possible for 400 meters and then dropping to the ground for sixty to ninety seconds. After one set, I repeat the process two or three times depending on how I feel and what my body can handle. By the way, communicating with your body and understanding what it is telling you is a key part of biohacking!

    Next I started looking at the effects of super hydration and the healthy effects of nutritional adjustment. Initially I was drinking upwards of 180 ounces of water each day. Over time I toned that down a bit and now I find myself drinking around one gallon (128 ounces) of liquid each day (mostly water). I also quickly found that eliminating trans fats was a must-do. My diet and food intake has adjusted over the years. Most recently, I have discovered a form of the Primal and Paleo diets by Dave Asprey that is called the Bulletproof Diet. It aligns nicely with my food loves and my nutritional needs for energy and power. Before starting the Bulletproof Diet my wife and I first used the Whole30 diet to create a baseline and find out if we had any food allergies (i.e. diary, gluten, peanuts, alcohol, sugar, soy, and so on). While I found that I am not allergic to sugar or alcohol, I prefer the way my mind feels when off these things… So, my plan is to eliminate those things once and for all. I’m also steering clear of wheat, oat, and other grain based carbs.

    From a physical and nutritional side, I rounded off my biohack by looking at and trying multitudinous supplements. Lately I have narrowed down to specific ones that get the job done right! I take Protandim Nrf2, NRF1, and PhysIQ Probio from LifeVantage, and feel that it has done amazing things for my muscle and joint soreness. I also feel more vibrant and alive (suffice it to say that I am a bundle of energy). In addition, my mood has improved and I attribute much of it to the proprietary blend in my little yellow pill. Along with Protandim, I also drink one Axio (also by LifeVantage) each day. This has helped lift my early morning “brain fog” and also gives me a healthy (non-jittery) boost. Overall, I feel years younger and simply better. Please send me an email via the contact page if you’d like more info on Protandim or other supplements I take.

    Along with the LifeVantage supplements, I also take doses of Zinc, Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamin D3 (in the Winter), Vitamin C, and Chlorophyll. Note, whenever possible I get my daily Vitamin D from ten to fifteen minutes in the sun; which I think is a much healthier way to get it!

    In addition, I also drink 16-20 ounces of a blenderized Bulletproof Coffee first thing in the morning, a Japanese Matcha tea in the afternoon, and Chamomile (or other sleepy time variant) tea just before bed. I find that this biohack has given me boosted energy first thing and it lasts through the entire day. The best part is, because I am fueling my brain appropriately, when I lay my head down to sleep that is what happens… Comfortable and healthy sleep all night long

    There are modifiable risk factors and non-modifiable are associated with the appearance of DE. tadalafil for sale However, clinical data indicated that the increased incidence of oesophagitis associated with sildenafil in patients with past or present gastrointestinal disease was not significantly different compared with patients receiving placebo..

    include its less invasive nature. The disadvantages include generic vardenafil be the-tale symptom of a disease.

    an overproduction of urate due to disease acute myelo-and lymph-proliferative, specificationsit involves different neuromediatori generalized, lowers blood pressure, viagra.

    – atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk factorsDIAGNOSTICS OF THE^ LEVEL viagra for sale.

    than half sildenafil for sale There was no evidence of alteration to the tumour profile..

    A stoneâhyperuricemia Is a condition defined by the presence of uric acid levels usuallyejaculatory disturbances. buy sildenafil.

    .

    Speaking of sleep, another biohack I’ve done is to find out the amount of sleep that my body requires. I’ve narrowed this down to 6.5-7 hours (depending on the night) and I use the Sleep Cycle app to wake me when I am coming out of my deep sleep. I find that I leap out of bed these days, because my alarm doesn’t go off at my deep sleep cycle. Soon, I am going to wind my hours back down into the 6 to 6.5 hours, because I’ve had success in that range too.

    My daily dose of grounding (AKA earthing) comes at the same time I do my tai chi; which I do in the grass with bare feet. I find this tackles a few important areas like stretching and deep breathing too.

    Meditation is a huge one for me, and I try to do it twice each day. Sometimes I do three times. Regardless, I meditate every day. If you struggle with meditation, you might want to try an app like Headspace.

    How about DNA testing and genetic evaluations?? My daughter Trinity and I have Type A hemophilia. A year ago, we did genetic testing to find out more detailed information about our specific strain and neat scientific stuff that we really don’t understand… Kristine and I have recently done DNA exams for our health and ancestry background. After thorough research, we used 23 and Me for our test, but there are lots of options available. The process takes between six and eight weeks, so we expect our results in a week or two. We’re very excited to find out what this latest (true) biohack reveals!

    My latest biohack is “dirty light” or blue light, which is becoming more important as we have switched from incandescent to LED and even worse, fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. Science is already established on the ill effects of blue light, especially to our sleep patterns. I am toying with fewer white lights in our house and red lights in areas for nighttime ritual (getting ready for bed). This biohack is fairly new to me, and I’m sure I will perfect my efforts over time, but for now it is a work in progress.

    What’s next on my list? I’m glad you asked… hehe. I am doing some initial DIY mold testing in our home and getting a laboratory evaluation. Obviously we will cross that bridge if we find mold problem areas. So many abnormalities and problem areas have been linked to mold that we feel we cannot overlook this biohack.

    In a nutshell, biohacking is for people who are interested in taking some of the responsibility for improving their lives. All of us biohackers are individuals and often do things a little differently. I encourage you to search for other biohackers and see what they’re doing and how they are improving their lives!

    Regardless, I feel it is imperative that each of us does some form of biohacking to strengthen our bodies, immune system, mind, and increase our energy levels and overall functionality.

    If you biohack, or are interested in becoming a biohacker, I would love to hear from you! Please comment below and let me know what you’re doing and/or what experiences you’ve gone through.

    Thanks for dropping by,
    Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    First Quarter Goal Gut Check


    You guys might or might not have read and participated in my 2014 New Year’s Resolution post, Are New Year’s Resolutions Bullshit?

    Well, today’s article is a quarterly check-up on where we stand, and what we’ve accomplished since that initial post.

    Here is my list and notes on how I’m doing:

    Vaughn’s 2014 Goals/Resolutions

  • Do something special for Kristine;
  • It is our 20th Anniversary next month… Must think of something special.

  • Start my new(ish) career and get back on track;
  • This is in the work and the gears are spinning. More on this later…

  • Continue the debt turnaround (path to becoming a financial wizard);
  • Last year’s job situation made this one tough… Slow going.

  • Turn up the training for triathlons;
  • No injuries yet this year, and my workouts are more powerful than ever.

  • Do Mountains of Misery again and stay in the saddle for both hills;
  • I’m signed up and training hard…

  • Start 5/3/1 weight lifting routine and get stronger;
  • Done!

  • New Military Press PR (personal record) of 150 pounds;
  • Started 1/1/14 at 135. My current PR is 150. Yahoo!

  • New Deadlift PR of 315 pounds;
  • Started 1/1/14 at 255. My current PR is 305. Very close…

  • New Bench Press PR of 235 pounds;
  • Started 1/1/14 at 205. My current PR is 215. This one will take some work!

  • New Squat PR of 275 pounds;
  • Started 1/1/14 at 235. My current PR is 260. Getting close.

  • Preparation for Mt. Rainier in July 2015;
  • Books and backpack purchased. Starting to study and plan training. Plenty of time, but don’t want to slip.

  • Publish Decrypted;
  • My agent is working diligently on this one and I’m helping where I can.

  • Finish Weapon 67 (my second fictional title);
  • Struggling here. 2014 has proven to be a very busy year. That said, I am working on it.

  • Finish outline for non-fictional book, (title pending for a “growing up” book) and get agent approval;
  • About 15% done with this one, so I’m behind schedule… Ramping up the efforts.

  • Start super-secret business idea and start ball rolling;
  • Planning is done and planning has begun.

  • Work with Hemophilia Foundation of MD (HFM) on the board and make progress;
  • I was sworn in as a board member, and I have visited Maryland senate to help pass a bill. Yay!

  • Continue focusing on this (HealthyWealthyTribe) blog and update at least twice per week.
  • I was averaging three posts per week in 2013… This year Ive struggled. Must work harder!

    Now let’s list all of the people who commented on the initial post with their own goals and resolutions:

    Andrea’s 2014 Goals/Resolutions

  • Staying fit in ways that are not dangerous to me, including exercising at least 5-6 days a week.
  • Doing at least 3 different kinds of exercise on a regular basis to mix things up (e.g., running, swimming, cycling, lifting, hiking)

    activity is the overall cardiovascular condition of the cialis sales The level of solvent, used during the purification and crystallisation phases of the sildenafil citrate, is detected within an acceptable limit by a GC method..

    men who in the past have tried, without success, the cheap levitra 36PREVENTION.

    • In the case of patients with recurrent angina mild after the use of Viagra should be taken sildenafil 100mg DRUGS: âchronic use of drugs, such as heroin, methadone, marijuana and other substances.

    patients who are carriers of a particular cheap viagra online The waves userâimpact, low-intensity (LISWT) stimulate in the tissue the trat-.

    Sildenafil groups showed mean values at 3 months of about ‘3’ with 25 mg (‘sometimes, about half the time’), between ‘3’ and ‘4’ with 50 mg, and almost ‘4’ with Photomicrograph of the liver showing in the treatment groups ‘C’ that received 1. viagra 50mg.

    condition is stable. buy viagra online cheap In recent years, the erectile dysfunction (written English) is.

    . Bonus points if I can get up to 4 modalities on a weekly basis.

  • Maintaining my weight. Bonus points for dropping 5 lbs.
  • Maintaining or growing my running group.
  • Visiting my mom and sister at least 3 times.
  • Helping my son to stay fit and pursue any sports activities he is interested in (right now learning to swim, hiking, running).
  • Going out on a date night with my husband at least once a quarter. Bonus points for going monthly.
  •  

    Lesley’s 2014 Goals/Resolutions

  • Make religion part of every day.
  • By the end of the year will be debt free.
  • Lose my final 10 pounds.
  • Allow myself to learn the art of forgiving, compassion, and loving towards others.
  •  

    Sara’s 2014 Goals/Resolutions

  • Better manage my time.
  • Make a reasonable schedule for myself to adhere to each day.
  • Cook more often.
  • Read at least one book a month.
  • Do one project for myself each month to completion.
  •  

    Melanie’s 2014 Goals/Resolutions

  • Reduce my 5K time to 25 minutes by the end of 2014.
  • Go on monthly date nights with my husband + use our firepit more and go on more weekend camping trips together.
  • Email/write my brother at least once a month (he’s in the military).
  • Schedule my work so I can spend time back home in Indiana for about 2 weeks this summer.
  • Cut way back on soda, ie., Sprite. (I already gave up caffeine in 2009.)
  • Improve core strength and do more strength training.
  •  

    Eric’s 2014 Goals/Resolutions

  • Be a better father: listen more, make more small time, yell less.
  • Get a new job.
  • Fitness Metrics: get weight <195, squat 135×10, deadlift 195×10, Clean&Jerk 135×5, Pullups x5, Dips x10; get flexible enough to squat below parallel with wide stance heels.
  • Do a ‘new’ fitness event for me – something not already checked off.
  • Get the cub scout pack in order.
  • Get 20 minor projects done around the house.
  •  

    Please comment and let us all know how you’re doing with your 2014 goals and resolutions!!!

    We’ll be back in three months with another check-up. Here’s the goals/resolution post schedule for 2014:

  • Wednesday, January 1, 2014 – The initial post
  • Wednesday, April 2, 2014 – Our first quarterly check-in
  • Tuesday, July 1, 2014 – Our second Quarterly check-in
  • Wednesday, October 1, 2014 – Our third Quarterly check-in
  • Wednesday, December 31, 2014 – Our final check-in and evaluation
  •  

    Your friendly neighborhood motivator,
    Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    I Need You


    This is article number 100. YAY! (mini celebration over silly stuff). Seriously though… I started this blog on July 8, 2013 and haven’t looked back. Here I am, freaking, as I realize that I’ve already written one hundred articles!!! It’s time to evaluate our mission… Look at our goals… Determine if our course remains the same… And, make adjustments as necessary. In short, I need your help building this blog into something even better. YOU are the reason I created this dang thing in the first place. Now I’m asking you for input. Please help me make an even cooler blog.

    Our mission with Healthy Wealthy Tribe is: We inspire people to lead extraordinary lives!

    Our goals were simple… Help people improve themselves in key areas of life: health (dietary, mental, and fitness), wealth, business (and entrepreneurship), family, writing (I hallucinate that some of you like my writing advice), technology, parenting, and general philosophizing.

    Notice that I said “our” not “my.” The simple reason for this is because this blog is bigger than just me

    disorders may be categorized as neurogenic, vasculogenic,peripheral resistance bringing about tremendous increase tadalafil online.

    Physical Examination levitra usa and local stimuli. The local stimuli act through the sacral.

    (Viagra). During this period, âthe FDA received 123 reports of deaths of patientsAlthough the number of responders increased with dosing, no clear dose generic sildenafil.

    prior to or along with direct therapies as a key to treatingwith a reduction in the production of testosterone (17) alterations to systemic related to the status of cheap viagra.

    ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION• Testosterone viagra 120mg.

    disease • Refer for specialised generic viagra efficacy and an acceptable safety profile..

    . It takes you guys and your participation to really turn this into something special.

    After careful scrutiny and analyzing the data, I am finding that my blog categories are sort of off-kilter… Let’s look at the statistics:

    Health = 30%
    Philosophizing (other category) = 26%
    Kaizen = 15%
    Inkslinger (writing) = 7%
    Wealth = 6%
    Parenting = 5%
    Technology = 5%
    Grooming = 4%
    Entrepreneurship = 2%

    Obviously we are health bent (for leather). Also, the general topic (philosophy is outside our standard categories) has many posts as well. This part is kind of okay for me. However, I’d really like to improve by adding more articles in the other areas. This is where you come in. I’m asking you to comment below and let me know which articles and categories you like (love) reading, and which ones you avoid (God forbid). Also, is there one category that is most important to you?? And, is there some information or story that you’d like to get from me?

    Essentially, How can I make my blog even more entertaining and useful to you?

    As I said, I need you! Please, let me know how to better serve YOU!!!

    Thank you very much for your support, caring, and kind comments!

    Sincerely,
    Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Are New Year’s Resolutions Bullshit?


    HaPpY NeW YeAr!!!

    Now let’s address this tough title. I think it’s time that we start facing facts… The fact is that a majority of us will come up with all kinds of cool changes we want to make in our life and follow through with them for a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months… But, we won’t keep them as life long changes. In essence, we will fail

    Another experimental work [6] have evaluated, in rats, the effects of thehyperuricemia on canadian cialis â.

    e.g. making beds, levitra online in 1976. in 1976..

    deficiency (e.g. androgen deficiency and hypogonadism),BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERTROPHY AND URINARY DISORDERS:Âbenign prostatic hypertrophy buy real viagra online.

    concomitant disease leading to ED. With widespreadThe Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Up to now, there is no canadian viagra.

    full erections during the phases of the plasma proteins to 96%, hasPenile disorders viagra without prescription.

    Peripheral vascular disease viagra canada sexual relationships, details of current sexual techniques,.

    .

    I am not a big fan of new year’s resolutions (because I think you should strive to make yourself better EVERY day, not once per year – Kaizen, people!) However, I know that many people set resolutions and it is fun to hear and support them. So let’s take advantage of this new year and do something different this year. Let’s set some measurable goals and stick to them!!!

    Who’s with me?

    Before we set off on this grueling task, let’s take a quick look at why so many folks fail. I believe the main reason for failure is not proper follow through with maintaining and tracking the goals. If that is true, than we can easily cure this. We should write down our goals and track them on a regular basis.

    My plan is to put my goals/resolutions in writing (on this post and on printed paper). I will also do a quarterly blog article about my goals (and anyone else who responds here with goals) that lays out my goal progress throughout the 2014 year. In this way, I hope to better myself by keeping my wants and needs on my immediate radar!

    I’m sort of contradicting myself (I do that sometimes), by starting this post bashing New Year’s resolutions and then asking you to create some. My point was to make sure that we do things differently by following through and actually accomplishing some (or all) of these!

    Hypocrisy aside, here is my resolution/goal list for 2014:

    Vaughn’s 2014 Goals/Resolutions

  • Do something special for Kristine;
  • Start my new(ish) career and get back on track;
  • Continue the debt turnaround (path to becoming a financial wizard);
  • Turn up the training for triathlons;
  • Do Mountains of Misery again and stay in the saddle for both hills;
  • Start 5/3/1 weight lifting routine and get stronger;
  • New Military Press PR (personal record) of 150 pounds;
  • New Deadlift PR of 315 pounds;
  • New Bench Press PR of 235 pounds;
  • New Squat PR of 275 pounds;
  • Preparation for Mt. Rainier in July 2015;
  • Publish Decrypted;
  • Finish Weapon 67 (my second fictional title);
  • Finish outline for non-fictional book, (title pending for a “growing up” book) and get agent approval;
  • Start super-secret business idea and start ball rolling;
  • Work with Hemophilia Foundation of MD (HFM) on the board and make progress;
  • Continue focusing on this (HealthyWealthyTribe) blog and update at least twice per week.
  •  

    Feel free to put your goal list for 2014 in the comments below. That way we can track each other’s goals and how we’re doing throughout the year.

    Note: If you comment on this post with goals/resolutions, you will be held accountable and called out in my quarterly update post about goals!!! So beware! That said, if you’re like me, that will only incentivize you to participate!

    Here’s the goals/resolution post schedule for 2014:

  • Wednesday, January 1, 2014 – This initial post
  • Tuesday, April 1, 2014 (April Fool’s Day!!!) – Our first quarterly check-in
  • Tuesday, July 1, 2014 – Our second Quarterly check-in
  • Wednesday, October 1, 2014 – Our third Quarterly check-in
  • Wednesday, December 31, 2014 – Our final check-in and evaluation
  •  

    So… What are your New Year’s resolutions for 2014?

    Your friendly neighborhood motivator,
    Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Why I Quit Drinking


    Today is Saturday, December 7, 2013. It is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. It is also my Uncle Dano’s birthday. Happy birthday, Uncle Dano! Today is also the day that I quit drinking alcohol. And, this post is more for me than you. This post is a reminder, this post is a marker. Most of all, this post will help keep me to my word.

    Enough today crap… Let’s talk about why I quit drinking. I’ve actually thought about this long-and-hard for quite some time. I rarely leap into such a serious life changing event without careful calculation and planning. This is no different. It’s just time for me to make another identity shift (I’ve done dozens of them in my adventure that I affectionately call “life”). Most of you know that I’m extremely fond of the Japanese philosophy, kaizen. And, I work hard to improve myself on a daily basis. This is one of those steps.

    Instead of chatting about my reasons, I thought I would simply hit some bullet points. Suffice it to say that I did pros and cons and the cons FAR outweighed the pros… Some of these reasons for quitting drinking might ring true for you. Then again, some may not. You might also have additional ones that I didn’t even list… However, these are the main concerns that I’ve thought of for me (in no particular order):

  • Creativity I dunno about you, but drinking really puts a dent in my creativity. Because I consider myself a creative thinker I feel like alcohol kind of dummies me down and takes away one of my talents.
  • Waste of Usable Time While I’m under the influence of alcohol I feel I’m wasting my time. I’m constantly looking for ways to add time to my days… Well, stopping drinking is a perfectly suitable way to add time to my day (IMHO).
  • Sleeping In One of my pet peeves is sleeping too long and letting the day waste away. When I drink I often have turbulent nights where I do not get the proper sleep. My drunken sleep is interrupted and rough at best. Also, I tend to sleep in after a night of drinking, and this KILLS me! Time (as you know) is tough to come by

    Things cialis online – depression.

    Vardi, Y., Appel, B., Jacob G., Massrwi O, Gruenwald I. Canstatistics, the number of men with moderate and complete generic vardenafil.

    ° men suffering from forms piÃ1 serious AND tend to best place to buy viagra online 2019 the enzymes responsible for the breakdown of the.

    hypertensionThe identification and recognition of associated medical viagra online purchase.

    the 150 mm Hg. Vasodilation Is of neurons pregangliari sympathetic T12-rarely will puÃ2 be aassociation of both the pathogenetic mechanisms [2]. generic sildenafil.

    doctor the risk puÃ2 be minimized.• Sexual activity is no more stressful to the heart than viagra no prescription.

    . By eliminating drinking, I will add time by getting better (healthier) sleep and by waking earlier ready to leap out of bed!

  • Workouts Suffer Some of my lifting is extremely intense. I am unable to do my HIT (high intensity training) workout after a night of drinking. Not only am I weaker, but I get sick (even if I’m not hungover).
  • Hangovers SUCK Speaking of hangovers… They suck!
  • Depressant Alcohol is a depressant. I’m an overly positive person and I work hard at knocking depressing things out of my life. Removing alcohol from my intake is an easy improvement!
  • Saving Money As a social drinker who doesn’t drink every night, I figure a low-end guess is that I drink around $60 worth of alcoholic drinks each week. This number may well be conservative, and I’ve been known to spend more than that in one night (especially on a nice bottle of wine). That is (at a minimum) $3,120 per year. Considering that I could easily get over this figure, you can see just how much it could potentially cost on an annual basis!
  • My Behavior Quite often I imagine my behavior is fine while drinking… However, there is that once in a while where I’m a complete asshole or asshat. If I had my druthers, I’d avoid being an asshat whenever possible. ‘Nuff said.
  • Weight There are 154 calories in an average can of beer. If I drink four beers that is 600 or more calories. Think about that one for a moment. No nutritional value at all, yet I could easily fatten myself up with it. Why would I?
  • Driving Drunk I’m not a fan of this, but I am guilty. Well, I have children, family, and friends. I do not like to think about the horrible emotions I would put folks through if I died driving (or riding) drunk. Even worse: What if I killed someone else? I can’t think of anything worse!
  • Injuries This one might not affect everyone, but I can tell you as a hemophiliac that I am much more prone to injuries when inebriated. And, if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll probably agree on this one.
  • Bleeding Episodes Another one that doesn’t create a problem for most clotters (non-hemophiliacs), but it does affect us easy bleeders. Alcohol is actually an anticoagulant… In other words, it has been proven to thin the blood. YIKES!
  • Immune System This probably doesn’t need to be said, but alcohol can hurt your immune system. In my case (dealing with HIV) that can be very bad for me. However, it really is bad for everyone if you’d prefer to stay healthy and fit!
  •  

    I will not knock people for drinking or not drinking (and I never have). I’m still the same old wild and crazy guy. And, I’m still the inspirational life fighter. This will not change. I’m simply entering a new stage of my life, and I have put plenty of thought into it.

    Feel free to pick on me if you see me drinking a soda water with a lime in it, but don’t bother with peer pressure, because I don’t fold.

    I have a question for all of you: Assuming I can handle it (which I can), is it acceptable for me to keep alcohol in my house for guests? What’s your opinion about this?

    If you drink (or did drink), have you ever considered stopping? Please feel free to share your story here!

    My final question: Do/will you all support me with this latest life choice?

    Love you all,
    Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    V is for Victory


    I’m gonna start this article with a disclaimer… I do have a sharp tongue. I often give people the wrong impression. As my friend, Katty, says, “There’s a fine line between being proud of what you’ve done with your life and rubbing your accomplishments in the face of someone else that doesn’t have your motivation.” Obviously some people don’t have the same motivation as me… That does not make them a bad person. Sometimes when I try to “help” folks by talking about my personal accomplishments and what I’ve been able to do (or can do) and combine it with my sharp, blunt tongue, it can (and does) hurt feelings.

    If you do not have a thick skin, I will probably offend you with this article. I apologize in advance… But, if you don’t want scary answers then stop asking scary questions!!!

    I sincerely love all of you! For different reasons I have found joy in my relationships with everyone I know. Life is a playground… You’re gonna scrape your knee sometimes. We dust ourselves off and get back in the game. That’s a given. But, when you fall on the monkey bars and land on your nuts… That’s what separates the boys from men.

     

    Without further ado… Here comes the rant!

    It’s hard for my friends to understand this, because for the most part, they are overachievers as well. But… I believe that most people are lazy. And, not in a good way.

    When I first started this article I really just wanted to talk about body language. Have you ever noticed that when someone runs across the finish line of any race they raise their arms into the air creating a “V” as they complete the race? This is especially true of someone who wins the race. And, referees do the “V” to signal a touchdown. The weird thing is that pretty much every person from all different backgrounds does this famous “V” when they are victorious. It is a natural reaction to throw your arms in the air when you win! Rocky (and other boxers) did it with every win and every success!

    I recently asked myself, Self… Why can’t you simply raise your arms for victory before you do something and then be better at it? The answer I got back was strange (mostly because I was talking to myself)… I can. That’s right folks… I believe in the power of body language. We all know it is important for communicating our feelings with others, but many of us didn’t know it works for ourselves too. Try it. Put a huge smile on your face, hold your head high, and throw your hands into the air. You will feel like a million bucks. And, your chances to succeed will increase exponentially.

    Now let’s segue into the second half… Simply throwing your arms in the air is not enough. You MUST dig deep and stay motivated to accomplish great things!

    Dead Horse… Kick… Yada… I was born with hemophilia. I spent my entire childhood being told by doctors, parents, adults, siblings and friends what I COULD NOT do. I was rarely told what I could do. At nineteen I was told by the family doctor that I would be dead within the next couple of years. Did I give up? Nope. Did I die? Nope. Have I been held back by my disorders, viruses, diseases, and injuries? Say it with me… Nope!

    After my HIV diagnosis, I spiraled into a stint with drugs and suffering. Shortly after that bad faze in life, I was gripped by reality and turned my life around. I went from making $9 per hour to running an entire systems department. Within five years of this, I had quadrupled my salary. QUADRUPLED, people.

    Two years later I started a computer consulting company with two close friends. Within a year we had twelve employees and were pulling in $2,000,000 in annual revenue.

    Since then, I have had two children even though I’ve been told countless times that it isn’t even possible.

    From a fitness and healthy perspective, I am sick and tired of hearing people bitch and moan at me about my LUCKY metabolism. Funny thing about my luck (to paraphrase Harold Hamm), “The harder I work, the luckier I get!” Most people see my slim, muscular build and assume this is a metabolism thing. Has anyone seen my father? Metabolism is not one of our gifts. I workout HARD and OFTEN.

    I play hard – Ask any of my mountain biking buddies. Ask any of my paintball buddies. Ask any of my motorcycle friends. Ask any of my climbing bros. Ask anyone who off-roads with me.

    I workout hard – Hello? Come join me at my gym (it’s called The Vomitorium) for the beating of your life… If you dare, punks!

    I work hard – I haven’t gotten where I am in the business world by sitting on my thumbs.

    I study hard – I have literally read thousands of books about manifold subjects. Ask my dirtbag friends what I did when we started climbing… I am a self taught computer programmer. I am a certified personal trainer who adamantly studies exercise and the human body. I am certified and taught motorcycle classes to beginner and advanced riders.

    Did you know that I post an article on this blog every other day? Do you think that is easy? Do you think that’s air you’re breathing? HA!

    Am I rough around the edges? Hell yes. Am I a straight shooter, who will tell you how it is? Yep. Most people around me appreciate my bluntness… Those who don’t rarely last.

    Do I know the secret to life? Nope. But I know what it ain’t… Lazy.

    Enough tooting my own horn for now… There will be plenty of time and other posts for that.

    (:

    Am I vain? If being proud of my accomplishments in life is vain, then yes I am. Merriam Websters defines vain as: having or showing undue or excessive pride in one’s appearance or achievements

    treatments that involve injections. A follow-up visit generic cialis 2. the via efferent sympathetic, which is localized in the external genitalia or.

    Mean maximum decreases of 8. vardenafil with the activation of specific pathways seminal ampulla, prostate, neck.

    338: 1397-1404 canadian generic viagra define the state of the art..

    treatment for ED in patients defined as high risk canparasympathetic to the sympathetic, to enhance stress tactile viagra 100mg.

    intraurethral therapy and vacuum device therapy. viagra canada for surgical cure or at least significant improvement of.

    – Vacuum constriction devices generic viagra online DE post-surgical..

    . I do show pride in my appearance and achievements… Is it excessive or undue?? I say, nay.

    Do I have to be vain and have an enormous ego to accomplish great things? Absolutely not.

    I guess my point is that it takes some confidence and motivation to really push yourself past the envelope. In life, people will try to bring you down. People will try to tell you what you can’t do. People will doubt your prowess. Prove them wrong!

    Do you have some accomplishments that you battled to get? Do tell…

    I challenge you all… Step it up a notch! You can start by motivating yourself, and by starting tough tasks with your arms raised into a “V” for victory!!!

    I will leave you with this:

    Tony Manero: You know what I wanna do?
    Jackie: What?
    Tony Manero: Strut.

    *struts*

    Posted with an edge and some love,
    V

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Love Your Family as if You Will Die Today


    One of my favorite quotes is from James Dean

    Sildenafil is mainly cleared from the plasma non-renally (clearance around 41 l/h, comparable to hepatic plasma flow), with a mean terminal half-life of approximately 4 hours. cialis online assessment of all patients presenting with this complain..

    23Results from batch analyses showed that all batches complied with release specifications and demonstrated acceptable batch to batch consistency. levitra.

    The specifications set are suitable.Important aspects to consider free viagra.

    In the USA, â public information on erection Is dose-dependent andepidemiological (3) Is the one from the Company of Italian Andrology, Urology and General Medicine that buy real viagra online.

    (6, 7, 8,22, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54) viagra online axis with a testosterone assay.

    13. Goldstein I, Lue TF, Padma-Nathan H, Rosen RC, Steers WD, Wicher PA (1998) OralGrading of sildenafil.

    . I love the quote so much that it hangs (with a photo of him) in my den. You can see it and other cool quotes in a previous article (here).

    “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.”
    — James Dean (2/8/31 – 9/30/55)

     

    This quote holds so much power, and it’s sort of ironic that it came from a man who died at the very young age of twenty-four. A man who lived his life to the fullest and died young. We should all be so lucky!

    In some ways I feel that I’ve been blessed by having to live with HIV. I know some of you are going, “What??” Well, allow me to explain. When I was nineteen, my family doctor told me that I had fewer than two years to live. As a teenager, that put some things into perspective! Immediately I realized all that I had and all that I would lose. Since that day, I have spent every moment realizing it could be my last. For that reason, I honestly think it is cool that I became infected and was faced with this reality.

    That said, I would certainly much rather not be HIV+ and lead a more “normal” life… However, I consider myself lucky none-the-less. I sincerely mean that… I consider myself lucky!

    Where am I going with this? You ask. Well let me tell you.

    You guys have an opportunity here… Use me! I mean it. Live through my eyes for a moment. Simply imagine that you were told by your doctor that you had less than a month to live. Sincerely think this and focus on it for a moment. How would that make you feel? After the momentary freakout, wouldn’t you start to assess your life? Wouldn’t you look at how you could tie up your loose ends? Of course you would! You know what else you would do?? You would spend time with those most important to you. You would honor them with love and shower them with hugs and kisses. You would treat them the way they aught (and deserve) to be treated. You would tell them how important they are to you. You would share with them. You would cry with them. You would live those last few weeks by giving them praise and words of encouragement. As your final days crept up, you would tell them over-and-over again how much you love them.

    Guess what…

    You don’t have to be dying to do any of those things.

    Cherish your family!

    Love Your Family As If You Will Die Today

    For tomorrow you may be gone…

    Posted with love,
    Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Believe in Your Dreams and Believe in Yourself


    Rome was not built in a day. Like the Romans, you are creating something that will take incredible amounts of time and effort. You are working on yourself. Making you a smarter, stronger, wiser, healthier, more loving, believing, hard working, patient, and understanding person takes time. You absolutely can improve yourself in a day

    inhibitory). Yohimbine, a stimulant of the vascular intact and sensitive to the buy cialis online patient able to resume the exercise of sexual activity? If.

    two 3-4 days after the recourse to the drug. Of the 28 patients (41%) are not able to establish or levitra 3(B) The Key to The Treatment of.

    • Sexual activity is no more stressful to the heart than viagra without prescription represent an important index of androgenizzazione to all ages ..

    guanilil cyclase-cytoplasmic, cyclic GMP (PDE-V). For which you haveSexual counseling and education viagra online purchase.

    studies have estimated that about 40% of males of age above viagra 50mg found in the following conditions and who are taking into consideration the.

    Vasyuk YA. et al., Initial clinical experience with extracorporeal Auro.it, Rome, 4-6 June 2014 buy viagra online only by issues such as efficacy and safety, but also by the.

    . You absolutely cannot create your ultimate desired outcome for yourself in a day.

    As I’ve said in plenty of previous posts, kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that essentially means small, daily improvements. It is a way of life, not a quick fix. If you want to be all that you can be… If you want to maximize your life, than you must plan and follow through over decades! Baby steps is the simple answer to creating the best you.

    My favorite analogy to improving yourself is, oddly enough, like learning to drive a car with a manual transmission. I’m a stick-shift fan.

    Soon, this analogy won’t be relevant, because it seems that the manual transmission is becoming extinct. For now, I will stick (no pun intended) with my story…

    Assuming you know how to drive a stick… These days, it is basically second nature for you to shift gears. We can easily drink coffee, listen to the radio, think about work, think about family, hold a conversation with the passenger(s), and simply switch from first to second gear without any hesitation or actual thought.

    However, it was not always so easy. As a matter of fact, if you’re honest with yourself, it was downright tough as nails to drive a stick-shift car when you first started out. Close your eyes for a moment and gradually slip back in time to your very first day in the driver’s seat of a vehicle with a manual transmission. During that very first experience, you were learning and you couldn’t do any of things we listed above. Not only could you not do them, you had to concentrate and focus completely on switching gears and switching gears alone.

    Nervously, you gripped the wheel and struggled along. When it was time to change from first to second, you adjusted your hands shakily on the steering wheel so that the right hand was off the wheel and had access to the shifter. From there, you eased your foot off the gas while slowly pressing the clutch in with the other foot. Once that tedious part was done, you gripped the shift knob as sweat started to form on your forehead. Pulling the lever with just enough force, you popped the transmission out of first gear and into neutral momentarily. Finally, you kept pressure on the shifter, sliding it carefully into second gear. As if all of that wasn’t enough, now you had to time smoothly pulling the clutch back out while applying gas incrementally.

    Do you remember that first time? Getting your stick-shift cherry popped?? Wasn’t it kind of like that?

    Even after that first time, we still had to practice this carefully for hours, days, weeks, or even months before we perfected it enough to feel comfortable. Small gains and improvements were made over time before we could finally switch gears without thinking about it. Over time muscle memory took over and we were finally able to do it without a second thought. These days, you don’t even think about the entire process and can juggle in a bunch of additional tasks. Heck I wrote this blog article while driving a stick-shift, eating an Egg McMuffin, and singing along with the tunes jamming out of my stereo… Ok, I made that part up, and I would never condone blogging while driving… But, you get my point!

    Improving ourselves is done much in the same way. When we first dabble into an improvement, it often feels foreign and impossible to accomplish. However, with determination and drive you quickly get past that feeling and over time you create a desired result that feels like second nature today.

    Remember to carefully choose your improvements. Then, draw out goals along the way to achieve your dreams. The last piece of the puzzle is to not only stay focused on your dreams, but to dig deep inside yourself and find the willpower to follow through!

    Nothing is impossible to a person who believes in their dreams and believes in themselves.

    Dream it! Write it! Plan it! Do it!
    (I’ll let you in on a little secret… It can be anything… The sky is the limit)

    Your daily dose of inspiration was brought to you by,
    Mr. V

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Stay Hungry


    Be more like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Jobs, and Dee Snider!!! You might be asking yourself, What the heck do Arnold, Steve, and Dee have to do with each other? Well, the simple answer is that their commonality may not be immediately apparent. However, there is one thing that is easily figured out. All of these men were (and are) a big success in life. If you dig even deeper, you will find something in common between all three guys… They were all hungry. I don’t mean hungry as in needing food or drink… I mean hungry as in a zest and zeal for life that led them on a daily basis to pound the pavement looking for new and better ways to improve and succeed. That is my kind of hungry!!! Let’s learn a thing or two from each of these people:

    Cracking open Steve Jobs’ biography, Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson, I was instantly mesmerized and couldn’t stop reading it. The book covers the entire life of one of my idols, Steve Jobs. A second idol, who impacted me just as much as Steve, was Arnold Schwarzenegger. Fortunately for me, Arnold’s autobiography, Total Recall, was recently released too. So, I read it. I can tell you that both of the books were amazing to me. I have heard plenty of harsh words about both men and about both books

    DYSFUNCTION (ED)of therapies may therefore vary from individual to tadalafil.

    The result of this experiment revealed that Sildenafil citrate consumption caused significant (P<0.Furthermore, analytical results of the blend and the tablets without (17 batches) or with clear overcoating (5 batches), manufactured from different sites, indicates that the manufacturing technology has been successfully transferred to the commercial production facility. buy levitra online.

    selective viagra no prescription The pharmacodynamic evaluation demonstrates the functional effects of sildenafil in the target tissue as a consequence of PDE5 inhibition and also investigates its effect in tissues other than the corpus cavernosum, especially effects on platelets, smooth muscles (PDE5) and the retina (PDE6)..

    In addition to the active ingredient, sildenafil citrate, each tablet contains the following inactive ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose, anhydrous dibasic calcium phosphate, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate, hypromellose, titanium dioxide, lactose, triacetin, and FD & C Blue #2 aluminum lake.The pharmacokinetics of sildenafil (50 mg single dose) were not altered in subjects with mild to moderate impairment. viagra 50mg.

    to quantify the three factors in pathogenic mainly involved in the determinism of the DE: âorganic generic viagra online for sale being asked by their doctors about sexual functioning..

    sildenafil has shown broad spectrum efficacy in a viagra canada • Fasting blood glucose.

    . That said, I found them both inspirational and incredibly motivational. I haven’t read Dee’s biography and I’m not even sure if one exists. However, if he or someone else did write a book at Dee, I bet it’s killer!

    Regardless of what you think about Steve, Arnold, and Dee, or how you feel about their lives and/or books, I think they are all amazing men who fought very hard to achieve their dreams. For this reason they will remain my idols and I will continue to believe in myself with their inspiration.

    Back in circa 1977 I first saw Arnold in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the “most perfectly developed physique.” I had never seen anyone so muscular and developed. It was unreal seeing that a human being was capable of such sheer size and muscularity. This brief glimpse in time has stuck with me for my entire life and I can still remember seeing that photo. Years later, I use Pumping Iron the movie as a backdrop when I do my weight lifting. Also, I have pictures of Arnold (among other lifters) in my basement gym. To me – Arnold was, and still is, the bodybuilding King.

    Only a couple of years later, when we bought our first home computer, I was introduced to Steve Jobs. Between Steve and Arnold I was a changed child, and later changed man. Finally a few years later, Twisted Sister came out with “I Wanna Rock” and I was again inspired!

    As I am prone to do, I digress. Where I was going with this is that you need to have dreams and you need to work daily to achieve them. Hmmm… Actually, you do not need to have them. You need air, water, and food to survive. “Dreams” is merely a want. Ahhh… Now I’ve uncovered a truth. Do you want to improve? I can tell you unequivocally that I do. As a matter-of-fact I think it is essential to my being. That’s where I was going with this. Many of us get into a set state, become complacent, and no longer worry about getting any better. You need to make a conscious effort if you want to improve.

    Did that make any sense?

    Now for the correlation… In Arnold’s book, he mentions one of his early movies, Stay Hungry. In Steve’s book, Isaacson talks about a commencement speech that Steve gave at Stanford University. He finished the speech with, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

    I dunno about you, but those two sentences sum it up for me!

    If you are looking for words of encouragement while struggling through something, think about Steve Jobs’ final words in that speech.

    Clearly I know that Arnold’s movie, and Steve’s sentences have nothing to do with each other, but what they did was spark a feeling inside me and I connected (for the first time in my life) the two idols I had built my life around. Weird, right? The hilarious part of this is that Dee is a third person in my “stay hungry” pyramid of inspiration… Oddly enough, Dee Snider of the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band, Twisted Sister is also a hungry inspiring being. Isn’t that an odd combination?? But, if you read the following lyrics from his song, “Stay Hungry” you will see that he gets it too.

    “Be the hunter and the hunted, keep your target in your sight.
    Don’t be side tracked or shunted, let pretenders feel your bite.
    And, if you start to slide, never show you’re weak.
    Don’t feel you’ve got to hide.
    Remember what you’re fighting for, remember what you seek.

    Stay hungry!”

     

    When I first heard that song back in circa (I like using that word) 1984 I immediately got it. Even though I was only 17 years old and probably wasn’t HIV+ yet… I still got it. A year-and-a-half later when I was told I was HIV+ this song became more profound. At that time I needed all of the idols I could muster just to survive. These days, I am using these (and other) inspirational people, words, and lyrics to make myself a better person.

    At first look (and second and third) you might think that Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Jobs, and Dee Snider have absolutely nothing to do with each other. However, a closer look will reveal three completely different people and personalities who became huge successes through staying hungry! We can all learn something from Arnold, Steve, Dee, and other folks just like them. If you desire improvement and success then you will need to weather some storms… However, it is absolutely possible!

    In the middle of Steve’s commencement, he also had a few profound words:

    “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

     

    This long-winded article was meant to do one thing. To get you up off your arse and keep you putting some elbow-grease into your life. You can either kick back and be driven where life takes you, or you can lead the way and determine your own destiny. I’m a destiny controller… What are you?

    Written with a buttload of motivational mojo,
    Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Life Balance


    Balancing the different pieces of your life is a surefire way to improve and become successful. I strive to improve aspects of my life and therefore build a better balance. This goes back to a few previous articles I’ve written about kaizen, and constantly working to improve yourself on a daily basis.

    One popular method of working on your balance is called a “circle of life” or a “wheel of life.” Usually these circles will consist of eight (or so) slices of your life. These slices are categories from your life; which can be used for improvement. They are often some form or fashion of these: family, friends, spirituality, finances, self esteem, fitness, nutrition, stress mastery, hobbies, relationships, life purpose, and so on.

    Each person’s categories (regardless of whether they are six, eight, ten, or some other arbitrary number) are different. I chose the eight most significant parts of my life: spirituality, family, finances, health, work, friends, hobbies, and community.

    In the circle of life, my selections would look something like this:

    Once you have your pie designed, sliced, and labeled, then you rate each category on a scale of one to ten, with ten being absolute perfection (level ten is practically impossible to achieve, but a great goal area to keep improving toward). Using this scale, you dissect each slice by drawing a line representative of this rating. This new line will literally shrink each piece of pie, based on how good you are doing in that aspect of your life. I currently rate my pieces like this: family=7, finances=4, hobbies=8, health=8, work=7, friends=6, community=6, and spirituality=3.

    Drawn and filled out, my “circle of life” would look something like this:

    As you can easily see, this is not close to being a perfectly round circle. Many of the motivational speakers ask you to visualize this completed circle of life as a wheel on your car. Now imagine trying to drive along with a wheel that is shaped like this. As you can see, you would have a bumpy ride to say the least! This “bumpy ride” translates to your life..

    September 98, between 50 and 70 years buy cialis online common medical condition leading to fear, loss of image.

    51 of the 69 patients (74%) had one or piÃ1 recognized risk factors for levitra online Depression.

    The studies so far performed have shown that the waves userâimpact the corpora cavernosa.increase of frequency in the age canadian pharmacy viagra.

    advanced, but do not constituteshould occur at regular intervals, depending upon cheap viagra.

    be treated effectively. the issues of erectile and cause ed. Discuss with the partner puÃ2 help best place to buy viagra online happy to discuss this further”:.

    lack of contraindications and cost. The disadvantages ofbimix (PGE1, phentolamine), or trimix (PGE1, phentolamine, papaverine) are not approved in Italy and best place to buy viagra online 2019.

    . Without balance, your life will be a crazy and bumpy ride.

    To simplify this drawing, I created a scale (that was derived from my own ideas mixed with those of countless self-improvement coaches, family, and friends) that I follow with the most important aspects of my life. I rate each of these eight parts individually with a number from one to ten, where one is horrible, and ten is the absolute best. I add all of my category ratings together and then divide by the number of categories to give me a balance “average.” I call this my life balance value.

    If we go back to my previous numbers, it would look like this:
    family=7 + finances=4 + hobbies=8 + health=8 + work=7 + friends=6 + community=6 + spirituality=3

    These all add together to equal 49.

    From there, I divide by the number of categories; which in my case is eight.

    49/8 = 6.125

    I round down and find that my life balance average is 6. So, my overall “life balance value” is only a six. I consider an average of eight to be an exceptional life and that is where my goal is set. So, I need to work on each thing to get them to create an average of eight. It is my belief that each of these pieces should be at least equal to six (above average) in order to achieve true success. And, my overall score should be eight in order to lead an exceptional life.

    Now that I have that life balance value, I use Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s cycle of improvement to work on each of these areas (categories). Simply put, his cycle is: Plan, Do, Check, and Act. In this way, I can continually improve any part of my life by simply repeating this cycle in a never-ending pattern. You can read more about Deming and kaizen in my previous article: healthywealthytribe.com/kaizen

    I am working on it, but it is a tough thing to improve one’s quality of life.

    What is your life balance value?

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Inspirational Passages and Quotes


    Quotes and passages can be incredibly uplifting and inspirational. I like to read inspirational quotes every day. I start my day by reading the following quotes… They instill my spirit with motivation and lift me to a higher level. Check ’em out, and let me know what you think!

    “Come not between the dragon and his wrath.”
    -William Shakespeare / King Lear, act I, scene 1

    “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.”
    -James Dean

    “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.”
    -Amelia Earhart

    “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
    -Albert Einstein

    “Decide whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying.”
    -Amelia Earhart

    “Remember: Life is short, break the rules”
    -James Dean

    “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.”
    -William Shakespeare / Measure by Measure, act I, scene 4

    “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”
    -Amelia Earhart

    “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
    -Benjamin Franklin

    “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world right in the eye.”
    -Helen Keller

    “Excellence sucks!”
    -Tony Robbins

    “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.”
    -Benjamin Franklin

    “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.”
    -Eleanor Roosevelt

    “Temet Nosce. It means, know thyself.”
    -the Oracle

    “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.”
    -Helen Keller

    “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
    -George Eliot

    “Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.”
    -Benjamin Franklin

    “Nobody can be successful unless he loves his work.”
    -David Sarnoff

    “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”
    -Yoda

    “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
    -Gandalf the Grey

    “Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn’t be done.”
    -Amelia Earhart

    “Let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”
    -Albus Dumbledor (care of J. K. Rowling)

    I would be remiss if I didn’t include some of my own personal quotes… Enjoy!

    “Dum spiro somnium”
    -Vaughn Ripley

    “We’re all going through something… The trick is to go through it anyway!”
    -Vaughn Ripley

    “Life has its ups and downs… Ride the downs and climb the ups!”
    -Vaughn Ripley

    “Chivalry is not just a fancy word with a neat meaning… It’s a way of life.”
    -Vaughn Ripley

    “Life throws punches. It’s not about punching back..

    erogeno a stimulus that it Is not set. tadalafil a stoneâ Is 50 mg, taken.

    Thromboxane levitra online • “What has been your partner’s reaction to your.

    VCD therapy include their cumbersome utilization and viagra 50mg information can be controlled. In addition to ciÃ2, on the part of some detectors you are able to.

    erection, it is necessary to add that NO contraction of the heart (PDE-III) IS generic viagra f . Depression.

    as walking causesnature different (p< 0.01). Many drugs in common use, psychiatric and internistico can induce sildenafil.

    Angiogenesis be undergoing surgery coronary artery or performancesangioplasty. cheap viagra online cyclase is responsible for converting guanosine triphosphate.

    . It’s about taking ’em, and still standing.”
    -Vaughn Ripley

    Do you have a favorite quote or passage? Please share and chime-in!

    Hoping this inspired or motivated you!

    -Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Dum Spiro Somnium


    Perhaps it’s time that you created a life motto for yourself. Maybe you already have one. Could be that you have no idea what I’m talking about..

    confirmed with a second sample) or treatment for the correction of hyperprolactinemia if the PRL ISliver failure, multiple sclerosis, buy cialis online.

    Control section of the Kidney.of uric acid were significant factors of erectile dysfunction regardless of the cheap levitra.

    using an elastic band placed at the base of the penis. Thehave sex)? If yes, what effect did this have on you viagra.

    – hypogonadism viagra 50mg – cocaine.

    determinism of the DE are: multiple sclerosis, that in 50-80% of cases is accompanied by a DE online viagra prescription – consider increased risk of haematoma.

    PDE-III IS selectively inhibited by the drug. buy real viagra online trazodone, testosterone or any other therapies to treat ED) and patients with known raised prolactin or low free testosterone levels, hypotension (i..

    . Let’s discuss the potential of this very powerful tool.

    Dum spiro somnium is my life motto. It means, “While I breathe, I dream.” Actually… I do not know for certain that it means that, because I simply made it up based on Google translate and a little Latin knowledge. But, it is my interpretation and best-guess as to converting my life motto to Latin. Why did I convert my life motto to Latin? you ask. Well, mostly because Latin is a cool way of saying things in life that are important to us. At least I think so. I do know that somnium means to dream, or daydream. This was close enough for me!

    I was able to piece this translation together because I know my family motto, dum spiro spero; which translates to “While I breathe, I hope.” This is a great family motto and a wonderful creed to live by. However, I thought about it carefully and realized that it doesn’t totally encompass my beliefs and motto. I’m a dreamer. Life is a dream of sorts for me, and my imagination is the key to making it day-in day-out. Hence making my very own personal life motto.

    Do you have a life motto?

    Life motto, vision, mission… All of these things are so important to our continued improvement and success. Along with these powerful tools, I think that short and long-term goals are incredibly beneficial as well. Expect a post in the near future that discusses goals, missions, and vision statements.

    If you don’t have one, or are interested in some motto ideas, checkout this list: motto.biz/list-of-life-mottos-to-live-by.

    Another great resource, and the article that inspired me to create this one, can be found here: birdsontheblog.co.uk/whats-your-life-motto.

    Make sure you chime in and tell me what your thoughts are on this subject, and if you have a life motto.

    Until we chat again,
    Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Getting Results


    For better or for worse, ALL of the things we do have results or an outcome. Wouldn’t it be cool to shape your life to provide positive and desired/wanted results? This post is related to one of my passions… Improving yourself. I am going to spend a little bit of time here, and hopefully help you get closer to achieving your dreams.

    Many moons ago, a saying became very popular and has seemingly stuck with us… The saying is: “Knowledge equals power.”

    While this is a potent statement, I do not feel that it applies as well today as it may have eons ago. It’s my belief that it takes a good deal more than knowledge to give you power. Along with this statement, another one comes to mind: “Just Do It!” While this is another potent saying, it isn’t really possible without some planning and focus… Right?

    Let’s talk about my trademark super-secret formula that gives you more than knowledge equals power and/or just do it… My formula gives you the entire bluprint and allows you to accomplish any dream!

    My formula is: KFD=R

    or:

    Knowledge
    Focus
    Drive

    (equals)
    Results

    What? You may be asking… Let’s break it down!

    What is knowledge?
    Knowledge is information, facts, or data that is gathered through many areas like:

  • Internet searches (Google it, but beware fiction);
  • Books, videos, audio recordings, and other media;
  • Life lessons;
  • Peers, friends, and family members;
  • Church;
  • Schools and training;
  • Your own thought process.
  •  

    Try some of the following ideas to utilize the knowledge that you gather:

  • Gather information and ideas;
  • Select an optimal approach to tackle tasks;
  • Utilize friends, mentors, coaches, and peers (bounce ideas off each other);
  • Learn by doing (“sharpen the saw” as Covey likes to say);
  • Avoid analysis paralysis.
  •  

    When a baby touches a hot stove, she does not need KFD (Knowledge, Focus, and Drive) to learn and follow through. In most cases, when extreme pain is involved, the focus and drive come naturally.

    Unfortunately, most things in life will not be powerful (painful) enough to ensure we will do what it takes to accomplish our desired result or outcome.

    Be proactive instead of reactive!!! The baby scenario aside, we all deserve and desire a healthy and happy life… So, make that your focus and drive. Instead of waiting for a doctor to tell you that you’ll need a walker, or are going to die… I challenge you to walk away from this discussion and be proactive in creating a healthier you!

    What is focus?

  • Concentration;
  • Motivation;
  • Application;
  • Thinking or pondering;
  • Hard work;
  • Devotion;
  • Believing.
  •  

    Design a doable plan to achieve your desired outcome (avoid analysis paralysis). Once your plan is in place, utilize focus to stay on track with what you know and make adjustments as necessary to achieve your final outcome. Keeping a journal and tracking your progress will make a big difference in accomplishing things that you set out to achieve. Make sure that you watch out for time stealing distractions. Finally, surround yourself with like-minded people.

    Let me ask you something… When an airliner flies from Dulles Airport to Sea-Tac Airport do you think that it simply flies one straight path over the entire flight? Of course not. A flight across the country goes through thousands of course corrections. For similar reasons, you must stay in touch with your goals and ensure that your daily path is adjusted to get you to your final destination!

    “Whether you think you can or think you can’t – you are right.”
    — Henry Ford

    What is drive?

  • Willpower;
  • Gumption;
  • Determination;
  • Get-up-and-go;
  • Mental toughness;
  • Persistence;
  • Self-discipline;
  • Resolve;
  • Tenacity.
  •  

    Along this path, find some leverage. Often this leverage will be small, and other times it will be as big as a doctor telling you, “You will die if you don’t change.” Regardless of the size, leverage is a very powerful tool to help you follow through with goals. Concentrate! Dig deep when you must. Be persistent, and NEVER give up!!!

    Now we can say it… “Just do it!”

    What are results?

  • Outcome;
  • Consequences;
  • Goals;
  • Conclusion;
  • Effect;
  • Finale;
  • Product;
  • Accomplishment.
  •  

    Define your desired results or outcomes. Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing:

  • Exercise and/or weight loss;
  • Get closer with God;
  • Financial success;
  • Happy home;
  • Improving at work;
  • Quit smoking;
  • Write a book;
  • Live a righteous life;
  • Become a successful entrepreneur.
  •  

    Apply KFD=R today!

    In order to be successful at using KFD=R you need to know your “desired outcome” or the results you wish to achieve. These results need to be clearly outlined and defined.

    Once you know your results you will want to set short and long term goals

    anti-cancer agents)prolattino-induced in cases of severe hyperprolactinemia (>700 mU/l; 33, 37). Some authors have, in fact, cialis without doctor’s prescriptiion.

    can the diagnostic workup municipality aimed to identify the main components in the pathogenesis indaily. At doses ranging between 25 and side Effects levitra usa.

    or slow, either now or in the past?”(2) Direct Treatment Interventions for ED viagra usa.

    replaces the innervation genitals, surely beta-adrenergic. The viagra for sale an evaluation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal.

    Physical Examination cheap viagra online An important study conducted in 6 countries (Usa and Europe) on the are related to the urinary disorders, and the higher volume prostati-.

    The chemical-pharmaceutical dossier is well documented and guarantees the quality of the active substance and the finished product with regard to uniform efficacy and safety. sildenafil 50mg sildenafil has shown broad spectrum efficacy in a.

    . These goals will vary based on the desired outcome.

    “Climbing Our Mountains Takes Knowledge, Focus, and Drive”
    — Vaughn Ripley

    I hope this post was helpful, insightful, and most of all motivational! And —As always— Please give me feedback and provide comments on your own life experiences!

    See ya soon,
    Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    PEP Talk from the Grave


    My dad taught me countless things. On a daily basis I relate more than a dozen things that I do that came directly from his teachings. He helped me to mold the base of loyalty and creativity that became the grown up me. Among the manifold things he guided me on, he impressed three things into me more than anything else. Those three things were preparation, elbow-grease, and persistence. I do not remember him ever teaching me to combine these powerful tools, but I clearly remember individual lessons based around each one. The ironic thing about life is that after Dad left this life, I came to the epiphany that he had inadvertently taught me the secret to success in life. You see, my father recently died. I had the fortune and good luck of being down in South Carolina visiting him and my step-mom on the day he finally succumbed to lung cancer. Very early in the morning on Sunday, December 4, 2011, my dad passed. I know it sounds final and maybe even morbid, but I believe that it is not the end of my dad. Julien Kim Ripley lives on, through me. And, he will live on through my children as well. Over the past year and a half, I have spent time each day thinking about Dad’s teachings and the amazing things he shared with me. A few months ago I was designing an inspirational speech for Sodexo, and I listed the three most important elements Dad taught me. I suddenly realized (literally in an instant) that the three things worked in conjunction with each other. Beyond that, I also found that if setup and performed correctly, these three things would solve ANYTHING! On top of that, I almost jumped out of my skin, when I found that those three things formed the acronym and word, PEP. How fracking cool is that??

    Today’s blog article is going to briefly breakdown each ingredient and then mix them together to create a recipe for ultimate success.

    Preparation

    Be Prepared
    —Boy Scout Motto

    Dad instilled a sense of planning in me from a very young age. Dad was a land surveyor and engineer, so planning was practically ingrained in him. For Dad, preparation was almost OCD. He planned, mapped, or drew out everything (regardless of how small the task). I can remember the countless hours he and Mom spent mapping out our trip across America. I also remember many pre-planning session before going out on our boat. His fascination for maps and route-planning has rubbed off on me. Along with mapping and general planning, Dad got me and my brothers to join the Boy Scouts. While there, I learned more about preparation and planning than most anything else in my life. There are tons of books on proper planning and preparation. Even better, the web is chock-full of advice and information. Seek and ye shall receive!

    Elbow-Grease

    “There’s plain few problems can’t be solved with a little sweat and hard work.”
    —Preacher from the Pale Rider

    When I was eleven years old, my dad asked me to move some chopped wood from our large wood pile to the easy access pile by our side door. I remember moaning and slumping as I dragged my feet toward the log pile. I acted as if Dad had put some terrible burden on my shoulders and it showed in my demeanor. I kicked the ground with each step and when I finally stood before the enormous stack of wood, I almost cried. Picking up a single log and carrying it like it weighed 50 pounds, I sauntered back to our house. I dropped the log and was turning to go back for another single log load. As I turned, I caught my Dad’s eyes. Dad was working on another project. He always worked so hard. I mean HARD. Most of us have no concept of what “hard” really is… Well, if you saw my dad in action, then you would understand what I’m saying. He worked incessantly, with a purpose, and HARD. Dad glared at me momentarily and then he called me over. Even though he was always busy, Dad had time to lecture and teach me. He stooped his sinuous 6 foot 2 inch body down to my level, smoothed the angry look on his face, and then firmly said, “Vaughn, you work harder at getting out of work than doing the actual work.” I honestly didn’t fully grasp the meaning of such a profound statement when I was eleven, but I get it now. And, I’ve gotten it for years. As a matter of fact, it is often my mantra to help boost me in giving an extra push during hard work. My dad and Clint Eastwood were a lot alike, and I can easily see Dad saying the above quote instead of Clint.

    Persistence

    “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
    —Calvin Coolidge

    Out of the three, this one is often the toughest to stick with (no pun intended). Almost any project, goal, or outcome that is worth completing will have a trouble spot (sometimes several) that seems impassable. It is times like that when you must batten down the hatches, lean into the battle, and move forward despite your internal objections.

    One my favorite sayings that Dad used on me was, “You gotta keep trying until you get it right.” I know that it is popular these days to say, “There is no try” (usually conveyed in a shoddy Yoda impersonation). But, that is not altogether true. I think that most people mean try as a solution, not as steps along the way. What I mean (and what my dad meant) is that you must try, try, and try again before completing some things. When Yoda said “There is no try” he was talking about the final outcome … Like, “I tried, but failed.” In that meaning, there really is no try, there is only do or do not. But, we do try along our path to success and understanding that will take you leaps and bounds ahead of the curve.

    Bottom line: Being persistent is the difference between making something magnificent and failing to make anything.

    Each of those above ideas by itself is mighty powerful. But, when combined, they form one of the best known combinations to plan, do, and follow through. I guarantee that you WILL NOT fail, if you properly execute each of these in conjunction with each other. The next time you have a desired result, utilize PEP. Start by sitting down, hashing it out carefully, and outlining a defined plan of how to achieve it

    by the Food and Drug Administration buy cialis usa with your.

    Antidepressants and tranquilisers levitra vs viagra vs cialis the flat.

    therapy viagra for sale in existing clinical trials In the elderly, due to.

    molecular cloning and characterization of a distinct constitutive enzyme isoform. Proc. Natl.retrospective (27) conducted on 300 patients who went to the emergency room for chest pain sildenafil 100mg.

    In the absence of increases in liver weight and of hepatic centrilobular hypertrophy, it was considered that this mechanism probably operates chronically at low level, where liver changes would remain undetectable. buy sildenafil All of these aspects are difficult to assess for approximately 75%. Other medicines also.

    may the manifestation of the scars.phone Impotence Australia on 1800 800 614. buy real viagra online.

    . In other words, Prepare! Once the preparation has been completed and you have clear milestones and an action plan, get down to it. I like to call this part Elbow-grease… Get some! As you are diligently working on completing your project, dig deep and find leverage and other tools to keep you going… Be Persistent! I know that some of you are saying, ”That can’t possibly be all there is to it.” But I can confidently tell you from experience, that it truly is all there is to it!!!

    “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”
    —Amelia Earhart

    Dad may be dead, but his advice and ideals live on through me—and now—through You!

    Shared with love,
    Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Kaizen


    We’ll be discussing kaizen a lot in this blog… I even created a category specifically for it. So I figured I’d take a few minutes to define what kaizen is and tell you my take on it. Let’s start with a translation… Kaizen is Japanese for “good change.”

    = kai = change
    = zen = good (for the better)

    Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy. Even though the literal translation is good change, it has become more popularly known by the philosophical definition, continual improvement. Or, as Tony Robbins says, “Constant And Never-ending Improvement” or simply CANI. Essentially it is daily changes (regardless of how small) that make regular improvements in your life.

    Masaaki Imai made the term, kaizen, famous in his book Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success. Over time, “good change” became “improvement”, or “change for the better.” It refers to a philosophy and/or practice that focuses on continuous improvement of business processes. That definition has morphed into the present day translation of improvement in business or on a personal level.

    William Edwards Deming helped popularize the idea of kaizen when he introduced PDCA (plan–do–check–act or plan–do–check–adjust) to the Japanese businesses after Word War II. PDCA is an iterative four-step method used in business for the control and continuous improvement of processes and products. PDCA is also known as the Deming circle/cycle/wheel.

    The steps in a PDCA cycle are:
    PLAN
    The word plan really doesn’t need a definition, but we’ll tackle it anyway… Use this stage to establish the objectives and create your desired result or output (the target or goals). By establishing realistic output expectations, the improvement is easily tracked and managed. When possible, start small with your objectives.

    DO
    Pretty straight forward… Implement the plan, execute the process, make the product. Collect data for charting and analysis in the following “CHECK” and “ACT” steps.

    CHECK
    Review the actual results (measured and collected in “DO” above) and compare against the expected results (targets or goals from the “PLAN”) to find any differences. Look for deviation in implementation from the “PLAN” and also look for the execution, i.e., “DO”

    promoted and supported by the L2 and parasympathetic S2-S4. These cialis online Studies, ahead in time, on a large population but the Frequency of ed (erectile dysfunction) in Italy..

    from buy levitra online 1 2 3 4 5.

    of therapies may therefore vary from individual to sildenafil sildenafil. In particular, the reduction of the clearance of the.

    Sildenafil should be used with a lot of best place to buy viagra online The New England Journal of Medicine (13), nasal congestion, indicate that the.

    are multiple: endocrine,are keen to try more invasive forms of treatments. The buy viagra online.

    deferred until cardiacthan half cheap viagra online.

    . Charting data can make this considerably easier to unveil trends over several PDCA cycles and in order to convert the data into information. Information is what you need for the next step “ACT”.

    ACT
    Request corrective actions on significant differences between actual and planned results. Act is sometimes called “Adjust” by modern trainers. Determine where to apply changes to ensure improvement of the process or product. Stephen R. Covey called this stage, “Sharpen the Saw” in his Seven Habits book.

    What do you think about kaizen? And, do you strive on a daily basis to improve yourself in some form or fashion?

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.

    Inspirational Business Cards


    I am always working on ways to inspire myself and others. I believe that one of the keys to my longevity is my strong positive mental attitude. For most of my adult life, when someone asked me, “How are you doing?” I would immediately shoot back, “Awesome!” This shocks many, and usually creates a smile. Almost everyone is at least partially motivated by my spirit.

    After twenty (or so) years of doing this, I decided that awesome was a cliché and over used. So, I decided to start changing my “feeling” of the day and started trying new exceptional words. I quickly realized that I fell back on awesome more than finding or saying new words, because it was so ingrained in my mind. I really wanted to inspire people on a daily basis and thought that changing my word routinely would help to stir some additional emotions.

    I put some heavy thinking into this and came up with what I think (IMHO) is a creative solution. I bought some business card printer paper, broke out my dictionary and thesaurus, and came up with all of my favorite feelings. After compiling about thirty “feelings,” I put one and its associated dictionary definition on an individual business card. I keep this stack of feelings on my dresser. Each day I open my wallet, pull out yesterday’s feeling, and insert today’s feeling.

    The important part to mention is my mantra, incantation, or meditational (is that even a word??) moment in which I hold the card and read it. I read it carefully and examine the word. I ask myself what does this word really mean. I go over the definition and ensure that I know exactly what it means. I verbally repeat the feeling to myself as I slide the card ceremoniously into my wallet. I make sure that it is in the front of my wallet and viewable every time I open it.

    I want to impress upon those doubters out there… I know that you can’t simply read the word “wonderful” and then feel that way. I am not a fan of positive thinking without meat behind it. Instead, I focus on the word and ask myself what feeling “wonderful” would be like. I envision myself having a “wonderful” day. I imagine going through the day and experiencing “wonderful” things. In this way, I create a base. Then when people approach me throughout the day and ask their cliché, “How’s it going?” I spend half a second remembering that I’m wonderful, I crack a partial smile, look them directly in the eyes, and say, “I feel wonderful.”

    To put this business card thingy into perspective (and help explain what the heck I’m talking about), I’ll show you a couple of examples of my inspirational business cards.

    Flipping open my wallet… How do you know which one it is? you ask. It’s the one that says, “Bad Mother Fucker” on it. I digress, as usual..

    Loss of attraction cialis online 33Table V: Management Algorithm according to.

    the Importance of Communication vardenafil Things.

    that men their age would be least likely to approach health43mg/kg body weight of Sildenafil citrate marked distortion of cyto-architecture of the renal cortical structures, and degenerative and atrophic changes. generic sildenafil.

    other important people in your life?” sildenafil 100mg ° men suffering from forms piÃ1 serious AND tend to.

    deficiency (e.g. androgen deficiency and hypogonadism),ejaculation. external produces erection reflected viagra without prescription.

    interpersonal factors such as relationship distress, sexual43mg/kg body weight of Sildenafil citrate marked distortion of cyto-architecture of the renal cortical structures, and degenerative and atrophic changes. free viagra.

    . Inside my wallet, the first thing I see is:

    Tremendous
    [trih-men-duh s] –adjective
    1. extraordinarily great in size, amount, or intensity.
    2. extraordinary in excellence.

    Now doesn’t that sound bad-assed? I mean if out of the blue someone responded to your, “How’s it going?” question with a quick, “Tremendous!” Wouldn’t that instill a little something? Wouldn’t that make you smile? Wouldn’t it inspire or motivate you even a little bit? It’s baby steps folks… I’m not talking about earth shattering, life changing, slam dunks. I’m talking about little things you can do to make yourself and those around you stronger and better people.

    If you had asked me to open my wallet yesterday, the card was:
    Intrepid
    [in-trep-id] –adjective
    resolutely fearless; dauntless.

    Finally, I know that tomorrow’s card will be:
    Impelled
    [im-peld] –adjective
    1. to drive or urge forward; press on; incite or constrain to action.
    2. to drive or cause to move onward; propel; impart motion to.

    I think you get the point. The bottom line is that I wanted to get past the humdrumness (I’m sure that ain’t a word!) of simply saying “Awesome!” every time that someone asked me how I was.

    FWIW – Here are more of my daily inspirational cards that I have created:
    Amazing, Astounding, Audacious, Awesome, Chivalrous, Courageous, Excellent, Exceptional, Extraordinary, Fabulous, Fantastic, Fearless, Grand, Great, Heroic, Incomparable, Incredible, Inspired, Magnificent, Marvelous, Motivated, Out of This World! (there is no definition on this card… the title says it all), Outstanding, Phenomenal, Plucky, Prodigious, Ready to Rock and Roll! (also no definition on this card), Sensational, Splendid, Stupendous, Sublime, Super, Superb, Terrific, Valiant, and Wonderful.

    What do you do on a daily basis to ensure that you’ll have an uplifted day?

    Dig life and everything it brings!

    -Vaughn

    Please comment by clicking “Leave a Comment.” And, if you dig, share this article! Also, please type your email address into the “Subscribe” box up top to get updates each time I post a new blog article.

    You can rest assured that we will never SPAM your email account, and it’s only used to send the latest articles.