50 ways to get your life in order

There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of chaos in your life. As Albert Einstein once stated, “Three rules of work: out of clutter find simplicity, from discord find harmony, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Unexpected challenges are what make us stronger, so don’t avoid them. Keep in mind the following 50 tips and you’ll be able to streamline your life and get back on track in the New Year. 1.Recycle old papers that are filling drawers in your house. If you’re anything like me, you have drawers overflowing with old receipts, junk mail, records, and notes to myself. Get rid of all of this. Invest in a paper shredder to reduce clutter and maintain privacy. 2.Mentally prepare yourself for change by visualizing your ideal self. Who do you admire the most? How do you envision yourself in the future? Who do you want to be? Visualize yourself to be that person. 3.Realize that unexpected events can be a good thing. As the Dalai Lama once said, “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” 4.Ask people you admire how they got where they are today. I’ve always admired my grandfather. Learning more about how he started up his business, dealt with difficulty throughout his life, and maintained grace throughout it all has helped me in my personal endeavors. 5.Cut back on alcohol, cigarettes and other vices. These can be crutches that cloud judgment. The money saved by not purchasing or cutting back on this type of material can then be put into something rewarding such as a vacation. 6.Remove elements of negativity from your life, be they people or a job you don’t want to do. If you have friends who are bringing you down, there’s no need to keep hanging out with them out of obligation. Cut your ties and cut your losses. 7.Start each day with a clear to-do list along with your cup of morning coffee. Knowing what you need to do in the day ahead helps keep you on track. 8.Clean your house from top to bottom and throw away anything outdated. Not only receipts, as mentioned above, but any old junk that should be donated to charity or sold in a garage sale. 9.Institute a clear filing system for your personal records. Investing in a simple filing cabinet and folders with labels is something you don’t need a personal secretary for and makes your life much easier when you are looking for a specific item. 10.Do your grocery shopping for the week on the day it’s most convenient. Make a list, budget, and get only what you need to save time and money. 11.Take a career test that will help you identify your strengths. If you are unhappy with your career but don’t even know where to begin in the process of moving on, this can be a good way to identify strengths and new possibilities. 12.Meet with a professional counselor if there are issues you need to discuss. Many people are struggling with dead weight from the past or emotional baggage that is holding them back. Deal with them and move on with professional assistance. 13.Go through cabinets and throw out expired medications or food items. The last time I did this, I found everything from 3-year-old curry powder to 5-year-old aspirin. Throw them out. 14.Make a clear diet plan with an emphasis on whole grains, fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet plan has a tremendous effect on your overall energy levels. 15.Add vitamin pills to your daily diet. Vitamin supplements can help reduce the possibility of cancer and osteoporosis, among other disorders. 16.Work out a clear exercise plan with an activity that you enjoy such as dancing or biking. My girlfriend loves yoga, and I am a soccer enthusiast. As long as it’s active, it counts. 17.Set appointments you’ve been putting off. It’s easy to put off going to the doctor or dentist until we are sick, but preventive care is extremely important in overall health levels. 18.Take up a mental exercise. Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, or other word games along these lines are more than just a good way to pass time. They have been shown in studies to help improve overall mental capabilities. 19.Publish your own book. This is easier than ever before with Internet publishing. You can get your ideas out there and start making money from them. I’ve published my own eBook, The 77 Traits of Highly Successful People, check it out. 20.Make a reading list and join a book club. Most people state that they want to read more, but without an actual plan you may not make the time to do this. Joining a book club not only serves as a social activity but also keeps you up to date with your own reading list. 21.Spend time with yourself each day. Susan Taylor states that “spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.” 22.Practice breathing exercises or meditation. Stress can have an overarching effect on our overall productivity levels. When stressed, I personally forget to breathe at times. Take the time to take deep breaths and improve oxygen flow to the brain. 23.Speak and act with honesty. Are you able to stand by what you do and say? If not, it may be time to reexamine your own words and learn to articulate your thoughts in an open, honest way. This helps eliminate mistakes down the road. 24.Learn from past mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Usually, we make a lot of them during our lifetime. As long as they aren’t repeated too many times, and are looked at as a learning experience, they can in fact be a good thing in the long run. 25.Volunteer to help others in your community. Helping others is a rewarding way to get your own life together. 26.Take up a new language or hobby. 27.Read inspirational biographies. For new ideas, find out how others got their lives in order. 28.Talk to a stranger. Unplanned conversations can be surprisingly inspiring. 29.Reconnect with friends and relatives who live far away. Call those people you miss but keep putting off calling. With the Internet and Skype at your disposal, even an online chat can help you reconnect. 30.Change your toothbrush. It can be a hotbed of bacteria. 31.Take more naps. Sleep is often sadly underrated in its ability to boost energy, mood, and keep reaction times sharp. 32.Drink at least 6 cups of water per day. Staying hydrated helps keep energy levels up. 33.Organize your photo collection. Get both digital files and physical printouts in albums. If you’re anything like my family, your photographs could be sadly sitting tucked away in shoeboxes in the closet, taking up space. 34.Take an interest in art in your community. Visiting galleries can help introduce you to the artists in your community and help stimulate thinking. 35.Join a hobbyist club. My friend decided to learn more about building model airplanes and was so deeply into it that he recently obtained his commercial pilot’s license. You never know where a simple hobby can lead you in life. 36.Keep a calendar with commitments. Having a visual reminder in front of you can be extremely helpful. We are all different types of learners. 37.Don’t put off difficult conversations. Deal with problems directly and immediately. This will result in a much lower level of anxiety for all involved. 38.Make a list of priorities and do what makes you happy. If you have lost touch with your own priorities lately, it can be beneficial to take the time to sit and think about what actually makes you happy. Work toward achieving this as much as possible. 39.Spend more time outdoors. Nature has an ability to help soothe a troubled mind and clear your thoughts. Taking a walk in the woods or climbing a mountain, at any level of difficulty, gives a sense of pride and accomplishment. 40.Attend lectures. These could be science lectures or other types, but it’s helpful to keep up-to-date on what’s going on in the world and plan accordingly. Keeping the mind active helps you in all aspects of your daily life. 41.Take the time to stretch muscles. Get a massage to improve muscle tone and circulation, then use this new energy and apply it to your work routine. 42.Make laughter a priority. Hang out with some of your most entertaining friends for a good laugh, or simply sit back with some favorite old comedies. Laughter counts as exercise and has been shown to expand your life span. 43.Clear some time each day to do nothing. As a child, I remember that we had “free time” scheduled into our school activities every day. This could be used for reading, drawing, or simply staring into space if that’s what we felt like doing. What a novel idea, and one that keeps the brain at ease. 44.Schedule a much-needed vacation. 45.Learn new tips for entertaining. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to throw a great dinner party, and learning how to be a host or hostess with minimal effort can give a big boost to your confidence levels. 46.Throw out old clothing that doesn’t fit. Too many of us are squeezing into outdated clothes that are doing us no favors. Look and feel your best with clothes that are tailored to fit. 47.Live in the present, not the past. The past is over. Move on and enjoy every moment as it occurs. Take stock of what needs to be accomplished and move forward with this information. 48.Learn from past mistakes and move forward with your life. Get your life in order by looking forward, not back. 49.Get your car checked up. You go to the doctor to have your body checked up. Don’t wait until it is too late to perform maintenance on your car. I once got stuck on a road trip to Ipoh (Malaysia) as a result of this oversight, and it wasn’t pleasant. 50.Budget for possible home repairs. Set aside some money in the proverbial cookie jar to keep home maintenance within the realm of possibility in this coming year.

Whirlwind

It is hard to believe it is December already. Maybe that is because it isn’t snowing in right now and I’m not very used to December in Iowa without snow (which I am thankful for every day of right now). This time of year is always crazy. As soon as you get to Thanksgiving and all of the traveling that happens during Thanksgiving and the Holidays it is just a jam packed period of time. During college this was the crazy end of the semester blitz and in high school this was the end of the semester and the heart of basketball season. I think the last time this wasn’t the busiest time of the year for me was maybe before Junior High. Now this season is filled with end of the year reports and traveling for the Holidays. I have done more traveling this Holiday season than what will probably be normal but this is still just a busy time. Even with all of the business and the difficulty to stay on top of the things I want to get done personally especially goal setting I am still very excited about this holiday season. House-giving was amazing and I think house Christmas will be even better. I really hope to focus on time with roommates, friends, and family this December. Because of all of the extra things going on and the time all of those things take up I have to be extra intentional to work hard to use the small amounts of time I have wisely to continue on towards my goals. Because honestly my life might not even slow down very much once the Holiday season is over because I might be doing some traveling in January to see friends. Thankfully I will be around town the next two weekends and I need to make the most of them. So its time to throw down two great weeks of chasing down my goals and crossing them off of my list as well as enjoying some downtime around the house. Can you say Christmas Movies???

10 things I'm thankful for.

The Thanksgiving Holiday is over…. 361 days till my favorite holiday happens again. I think I had one of the most enjoyable Thanksgivings in years. But one thing I feel like I missed out on this year was really taking some time to be thankful, I mean that is what the holiday is about, isn’t it? So I’ve decided that this early Monday morning after Thanksgiving would be a good time to reflect on some of the things I have to be thankful for and to start the week with a good perspective. 1. I’m thankful for living in America. I feel like I spent a decent amount of time discussing the Occupy Movement, Politics, the Penn State situation, Capitalism, and religion this Thanksgiving. So much of the discussion seemed negative and so much of politics is frustrating to me but I appreciate that I live in a place where we have an opportunity to vote and to be educated and to create change in the system (Even if it is more difficult than I would like). 2. I’m thankful for my health. This is probably the only positive that comes out of being sick (Except for being able to skip class in college). Being healthy and having the physical ability to take part in sports and activities that I truly enjoy is something that I take for granted way too often. 3. I’m thankful for family. My family is frequently I source of stress and frustration for me but my family has also given me so many opportunities and has helped me out in so many different ways. Growing up in a home with two parents that believe in Jesus Christ, have a good work ethic, and are good stewards of their money has taught me many valuable lessons. 4. I’m thankful for my internship. Working at Principal has been a huge opportunity. I feel like I have gained so much knowledge and experience to start out my career and will most likely have an opportunity for a fresh start in a new department pretty soon. 5. I’m thankful for safety. Safety is another thing that I constantly take for granted. I’m so used to being able to leave a front door unlocked, go for a run without telling people or worrying about where I am going and for always feeling pretty safe. 6. I'm thankful for Recreational Sports. I love sports and I love having the opportunity to continue to do things that I really enjoy. 7. My living situation. I feel extremely blessed to be living in the quality of place that I live in and to be part of a group of guys that desire to be good friends and help each other out. I love that I live with guys that desire to have a special bond because we are roommates. Some of the best times I have had since moving to Des Moines have been when we have had roommate nights or house Thanksgiving. 8. I’m thankful for my Friends. I’ve been very lucky to have the number and quality of friendships that I have had. I hope that each one of those friendships will grow deeper this next year. 9. I’m thankful for Coffee and Books. I love both of those things! 10. Goal setting. Goal setting/accountability/ living life together has been a roaring fire and smoldering coals at times in my life the past 3 months. More often smoldering coals than I hope it will be moving forward. It has been a constant source of encouragement and motivation for me that has helped me to continue to pursue “True North”. I pray that it only continues to become more encouraging, motivating, helpful and challenging as we invest more time in it. Thanks for being a brother Charlie! 3 months man can’t wait to celebrate 6 (and 3 for that matter).

Back on track

Nov. 2nd. That is the last time one of us made and entry. :( That is sad. We have missed opportunities in the last 3 weeks. We have slowed down, dulled, stalled, regressed... but no more. Getting back on track is one of the hardest things but getting back on track shows true determination. "THE CHIEF CAUSE OF FAILURE AND UNHAPPINESS IS TRADING WHAT YOU WANT THE MOST FOR WHAT YOU WANT NOW" Zig Ziglar The first time I read I was shaken by how true I think it is. I feel like this sentence so adequately summarizes why I have struggled with consistence, determination, commitment and reaching my goals. If I can continue to remind my self of this truth then I will push forward and keep the right perspective that will make it easier to reach my goals and help me push on through the difficult times. Today is a difficult time. I have worked a 12 hour day at work. I spent the weekend traveling, my room is a disaster, I am behind on sleep..... alright that is enough excuses. Life happens and I will choose to make sacrifices and show determination to achieve my goals. I will own this day (well what is left of it). Time to go own the rest of this day.

Slam your fist against the table..

“The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want the most for what you want now.” Zig Ziglar Wow what an incredible quote. When I read this it just rang so true for me and my life. How often has what I wanted in the moment kept me from staying on the course toward what I truly wanted, how many times have I said I was going to loose some weight and get in shape and then I had a momentary want for unhealthy food? Or a momentary desire to not exercise because I was tired in the moment? I believe that people who have this perspective are often people who are truly happy and successful or are more likely to be. The people that consistently overcome momentary desires in order to achieve a longer term goal or accomplishment are the people that get where they want to go in life. It is kind of amazing to me how good I was at doing this for sports. I don’t enjoy working out or two-a-days or lifting and there were many days I didn’t want to do those things but I had an iron clad commitment to the goal of being a better athlete and making my team better because of it. I was also very passionate about sports and enjoyed sports. I think the lack of passion is what made school so difficult for me. I was seldom passionate about what I was studying and I didn’t have the long term commitment to getting good grades so I could get a good job… etc. I’m trying to figure out what the driving forces in my life are and how to harness those driving forces. I have a desire to be successful and that is what motivates me day in and day out to try to become better. Maybe even more than a desire to be successful I have a fear of not being successful. I have a strong sense of fear that I could waste my life. I am afraid of looking back when I am old and thinking I wasted my time. So is that the driving force in my life, or one of them that will cause me to overcome obstacles or persevere through difficulties and achieve the things I desire? Maybe that isn’t the best driving force or maybe that is only one of many. I think perspective can be a driving force. When you are able to put things into perspective it helps you to make decisions that are based on long term desires or true desires instead of temporary desires. I believe goals help with perspective and help to be a motivator and that I was I am committed to making, tracking, discussing, tweaking and ultimately achieving my goals. But to find real joy in life I believe that passion can not be removed from the equation. It makes sense doesn’t it? I believe we were created by the Creator and given talents and passions or tendencies towards certain things. And it brings glory to God when we use our talents and passions to the fullest. Let me preface that last part about passion. Last night I was at K-life and Ric was giving a message but we were also supposed to discuss some of the topics he was bringing up. Well one of his points that struck me was “What are you passionate about?” which then we were asked to discuss in our small groups and Dana asked me to kick it off. I quickly created some answer while I was trying to figure out my real answer that sounded something like “well, I am passionate about progress, the process of becoming better at things, I’m also passionate about relationships and continuing do grow and deepen the relationships that I have been blessed to have in my life. I am also passionate about my faith.” I don’t know why but I felt very fake during my answer, I don’t necessarily think that the things I said were untrue but I think I was just still very unsure of what I thought. Ric used the analogy of “what makes you slam your fist against the table? What gets you so worked up that you would slam your first against the table” Honestly my instant reaction while I was thinking was nothing. I started trying to think of things hoping something would just pop into my head and nothing did which made me think nothing. But I know that isn’t true. So on the drive home I continued to think about this idea of “What makes you slam your fist against the table?” To be honest I’m still very much wrestling with my answer, as well as the guilt that my initial response wasn’t “The advancement of the Kingdom of the Lord.” Since that wasn’t my answer or even an answer that feels real right now I’m stuck with the why. Why don’t I feel that way? Do I want to change that? How do I develop that passion? Can I develop that passion? That is a lot to think about and I don’t want to get to removed from my starting point. So what are the things in my personal life that make me slam my fist against the table? I’m going to pause here because I’m going to spend some time considering my answer and write a follow up blog. So I guess the most logical ending is to ask “What makes you slam your fist against the table?”

Remembering to Celebrate

I have not done a great job of celebrating my successes in goal setting since we started 2 months ago. I think it is because I can become very task oriented and I'm glad to cross it off the list and feel good about it but I don't take time to say "hey that was a product of goalsetting and I did it" I finally took the bike I have been borrowing into the shop, which doesn't seem like a big accomplishment but I had been intending to do it for 2 months. So it felt really good to get that taken care of on Friday and finally cross it off my to-do list. Also getting my bike fixed up got me to go for a ride on Sunday because the weather was so nice and the bike was ready to go. I was thinking this morning about writing a blog and wasn't sure what I was going to blog about that was when I decided to focus on something I have accomplished. But as I have been thinking about this blog I started thinking about what a friend told me 2 1/2 years ago when we were working at camp together. She was talking about her faith and about how we so frequently are focused on the "big events" or big moments of our faith. Which is interesting because big moments are such a small percentage of our life. She was trying to focus on living in faith through the mundane, because the largest percentage of our time is the day to day stuff. I have been thinking about this and how it applies to faith as well as success and goalsetting. It is the small decisions in life that I have struggled greatly with and at times of kept me from attaining different things over a longer period of time. It is something that is so easy to overlook because the are decisions we make so often but if I want to be healthy that small decision of eating meal after the bar or not made many times has a real impact. I think this idea of being intentional in the mundane is what I have been striving for. I want to increase the amount of good small decisions I make and the consistency with which I make a decision witht he view of "spending vs investing". I want to be someone who has an investing mindset because I think that its one of the keys to success and being a good steward of your personal resources. Consistency is what really develops something. Being consistent over a long period of time will develop whatever you are being consistent doing and who you as a person are. If I am consistently nice for a long period of time I will be a nice person because it will become part of who I am. I will be intentional with the rest of my day and be focused on making small decisions that are in line with my larger purpose.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Proverbs 13:4,

"The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied"

I might be the dumbest person on earth. Or as our recent favorite Greek yogurt commercial put it, "possibly the dumbest person on earth".

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results, I know I am quite sane. However, knowing the results of my actions, while holding a deep desire for said results, and not doing the same thing over and over is just stupid. Let me explain.

Scripture has always been a source of life for me... Feeling close to God has lead me to the most prosperous periods of my life. I look at times in my life when I have felt the best of about everything that has happened to me, and I recognize that they all resulted from a spiritual tranquility/vitality. I know that spiritual fuel is more important than any other source of strength, however, it is often the last thing I think of needing when I feel overwhelmed or in need.

Reading my Bible this morning shed so much light on so many things in my life, and that verse hit me square in the face of what we're trying to accomplish. I know that so many of the things I do on a daily basis would be so much more effective if I took the time to pray and spend time orienting myself spiritually (In my mind this is a fact, not contested at all), however, I fail to do this every day. Stupid.

I know what I want, I am convinced of the things I need to do to achieve my desires, and I don't do it... I am really frustrated. I think about our goals, and part of me thinks that I should make it a goal to be disciplined more and commit to reading my Bible every day, however part of me thinks that mere discipline isn't the answer to this issue. If you have any advice or thoughts on this I would greatly appreciate it...

I do have some thoughts for this week...

I am going to try and spend time every morning or evening in scripture or dedicated prayer.

I want to get some groceries and commit to paying for prepared meals only once a day.

I want to try and drink beers at Hotsy only 2 nights this week, focusing on productivity for the other evenings of the week.

After spending some time here this afternoon preparing for the week at work, I want to have goals for this week at work ready to go, and attach them as comments to this post.

I want to clean out the garage and have it ready for someone to park in for the winter.

I want to exercise 4 times this week.

I want to have breakfast with Dave Applegate.

These are just a few of the things that come to mind at this point... More may follow, but I feel good having a handle on how I expect things to shake out.

I am going to try and have a vision of my day in mind every morning when I leave so I will be ready and prepared for all that I have to accomplish.