The Friday Five - June 9, 2017

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “You are a victim of the rules you live by.” ― Jen Sincero, You Are A Badass.

2.  Book I am reading - You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero will launch you past the fears and stumbling blocks that have kept financial success beyond your reach. Drawing on her own transformation—over just a few years—from a woman living in a converted garage with tumbleweeds blowing through her bank account to a woman who travels the world in style, Jen Sincero channels the inimitable sass and practicality that made You Are A Badass an indomitable bestseller. She combines hilarious personal essays with bite-size, aha concepts that unlock earning potential and get real results.

3.  Song of the Week - American Bad Ass by Kid Rock. Nothing encapsulates the badass attittude like Kid Rock and his music.

4.  Video of the Week -  "Go Ahead and Get Rich" from Jen Sincero herself, here is one of the techniques she features in her book You Are a Badass at Making Money. Jen has a particular flavor that makes reading and especially listening to her books really cool.  This video gives you a little taste of her flavor.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein - This is simply the best value protein powder out there.  Highly rated on every supplement rating scale it combines the essential proteins, BCAA's and Glutamine. It mixes well, tastes great and comes in over 20 different flavors.

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

The Friday Five - Cinco de Mayo 2017

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.”― Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point. 

2.  Book I am reading - The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. This is the third book I've read by Malcolm Gladwell who is arguably the most spellbinding nonfiction writer I have ever read. He’s a master of suspense, to the point that his books read like mystery novels. Even though his subject matter is rooted in social sciences he brings characters to life. He also has the ability to present sticky concepts simply and elegantly, like thin slicing, the 10,000 hour rule of expertise, and the magic number of 150 for social groups.

Intellectual and sometimes a bit geeky, his insights open your eyes in a way that allows you to see something you couldn't see before even though it was right in front of your eyes.

3.  Song of the Week - The Tipping Point by Skrizzly Adams. The fun part of the Friday Five is finding some music to go with the week's subject. And, I usually find something pretty good.  Skrizzly's song The Tipping Point is a catchy country tune that is worth a listen. 

4.  Video of the Week -  Malcolm Gladwell's Top Ten Rules for Success - this is from a video series from Evan Carmichael who features a Top Ten Rules for Success Series.  You can check out Evan here.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Is there a Tipping Point in exercise?  According to Elliott White of true fitness & nutrition there is. Follow this link to learn how you can use the tipping point for your fitness success.

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

The Friday Five - April 28, 2017

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “Whatever your income, always live below your means.” ― Thomas J. Stanley, The Millionaire Next Door. This is the most basic and simple concept to getting rich. But, for some reason, most people just don't get it.

2.  Book I am reading - The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley. "Why aren't I as wealthy as I should be?" Many people ask this question of themselves all the time. Often they are hard-working, well educated middle- to high-income people. Why, then, are so few affluent? For nearly two decades the answer has been found in The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy. Wealth in America is more often the result of hard work, diligent savings, and living below your means than it is about inheritance, advanced degrees, and even intelligence. The Millionaire Next Door identifies seven common traits that show up again and again among those who have accumulated wealth. How many of those traits do you have?

3.  Song of the Week - Millionaire by Dr. Hook. This song is pretty cool.  Totally Dr. Hook.  He takes something that could be taken too serious and turns it into something fun and entertaining.

4.  Video of the Week - Homeless to Millionaire. Examples of people, many who you already know, that started with nothing and achieved great wealth. Most did it with persistence and hard work.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - How important is your health and fitness in your life?  How often do the wealth workout?  The answer is here.

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

The Friday Five featuring "Failure Is Not An Option"

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “Failure is not an option.” 
― Gene Krantz from the book of the same name.  These words were spoken when NASA was faced with getting the astronauts of Apollo 13 home after an on-board malfunction severely limited the spaceship's capabilities. This is a testimony to the potential of human ingenuity when faced with insurmountable odds. Imagine what you could do if you had the same attitude?

2.  Book I am reading - Failure Is Not An Option by Gene Krantz. This is a fascinating walk through the early history of space flight from the Mercury Program through the Apollo Program. Riveting stories that tell the tale of the trials and triumphs that America's space program went through to be the success it is today. It is an inspiring story of how you go for ultimate potential. A potential that often seems absolutely impossible.

3.  Song of the Week - Failure Is Not An Option by Shed Light. This is a song that truly encapsulates the attitude that you approach challenges with a no failure option.  Caution: explicit lyrics.

4.  Video of the Week - Failure is not an option. Scene from the movie Apollo 13 when Gene Krantz (played by Ed Harris) states this famous quote.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Well, it's really not a tip.  But, in keeping with the theme, here is a video of how they run in space.  Pretty cool...

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

The Friday Five - April 14, 2017

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “The Brave do not live forever.  But, the Cautious do not live at all.” 
― My Spartan Race Experience Blog

2.  Book I am reading - Spartan Up! by Joe De Sena.  A Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance in Life. Joe is the founder of the Spartan Race, an obstacle course race which combines the endurance challenges of a marathon with the mind-bending rigors of overcoming obstacles along the way. Joe offers a simple philosophy: commit to a goal, put in the work, and get it done.  This might even get you off the couch.

3.  Song of the Week - Sparta by Sabaton. Spartan war music.

4.  Video of the Week - The Spartan Race.   Spartan Race highlights with motivational music and quotes. Ooorahhh.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - How to Become Burpee Proof.  If you miss an obstacle in the Spartan Race you have to do thirty burpees.  A dozen is hard enough, thirty is incomprehensible.  This video may help make them a little easier but not much.  Just get over the obstacle!

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

The Friday Five - 3/31/17

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “Becoming is better than being” 
― Carol Dweck, Mindset, The New Psychology of Success.

2.  Book I am reading - Mindset, The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck - this book is a serious eye-opener.  If you are a parent, teacher, coach or a manager, this book will change the way you lead and develop the people in your life.  This is on my Must Read List.

3.  Song of the Week - Live Like Your Dying by Tim McGraw. This is a song that can give you some serious perspective.

4.  Video of the Week - The Billionaire Mindset.   How did they become billionaires?  This video has a number of things to do that most people will agree with, but few will ever do.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Are Fitness Trackers Really Worth It?  Some research suggest these devices may be way off.  I don't think it will stop me.  Even if it is off a bit, I am still paying attention to my activity.  What about you??

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

The Friday Five featuring "You Are A Badass"

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “It's not your fault if your f*cked up, but it is your fault if you stay f*cked up.” 
― Jen Sincero, You Are A Badass.

2.  Book I am reading - You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero - this is a straight forward book about just being yourself and realizing your potential.  Funny, witty, sometimes cutesy.  Jen's personality comes through vividly enough to make you want to meet her.  Listening to her read the book is better than reading it.  It was so good, I did both.

3.  Song of the Week - Badass by Saliva. You can read the book You Are A Badass.  And, you can get pumped listening to this song.

4.  Video of the Week - Fear Nothing.   It has been said that life begins after you break through fear.  This video may inspire you to make that break.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Should you have that beer or glass of wine??  Researchers tracked more than 1.9 million healthy British adults and found that having the occasional drink was tied to reductions in the risk of heart attack, sudden heart death, heart failure and stroke, compared to non-drinkers.  Cheers!!

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

The Friday Five - 3/17/17

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

2.  Book I am reading - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - this is a fable of a boy that follows a dream to realize his personal legend.  There are so many insightful thoughts in this book it would take another couple of books just to discuss them.  It is no wonder it has sold over 100 million copies in over 80 languages. 

3.  Song of the Week - Dare to Dream by Jared Sagal. A soccer player's push to be the best.  Inspirational.  If this young boy can go for his dream and push through one obstacle after another, you can go for yours.

4.  Video of the Week - Go For It   Rocky versus Clubber Lang.  A highlight video surrounding the Go For It theme.  Motivating like all the Rocky movies are.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - How much time should you workout?  The basic answer is 30 minutes a day.  But, we all have an amount that works best.  Find out yours here.

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

The Friday Five

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." - Viktor Frankl

2.  Book I am reading - Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - this is a riveting account of a holocaust survivor of Auschwitz.  In the midst some of the most grueling and cruel circumstances any human can endure emerges an insight that can help us all.

A prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that both he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn't) with the experience. He noticed that it was the men who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest - and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. The sort of person the concentration camp prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not of camp influences alone. Frankl came to believe man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. This outstanding work offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living.

3.  Song of the Week - Fight Song by Calysta Bevier. This is a teenage cancer survivor singing a song only the way someone who's stood at death's door could.  Very inspiring.

4.  Video of the Week - Never Give Up  Start your day off with these five minutes and you may be unstoppable today.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder - simply the best post-workout protein out there.  Mixes well and tastes great.

Optimum Nutrition has a 30-year history of setting higher standards for quality. Each shake mixes up effortlessly using just a glass and spoon, and tastes consistently good, shake after shake.

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

The Friday Five - 3/3/17

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “It's not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five. It's whether or not our work fulfills us. Being a teacher is meaningful.” by Malcolm Gladwell

2.  Book I am reading - Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell - this is a book about the ultra-successful.  What made Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, the Beatles, Michael Jordan and others so successful.  It's not what you think.  And, it is what you think, if you think about it.

3.  Song of the Week - I Want to Hold Your Hand by The Beatles. This is the appearance the Ed Sullivan Show that got them national attention in the US.  When you read Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers you will learn they were far from being amateurs when they made this appearance.

4.  Video of the Week - Good Days & Bad Days by Nick Vujicic. After you watch this and you will never look at your life the same way again.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Improve your diet by avoiding these 5 Food Additives - sometimes it's not what you add to your life that makes it better, sometimes it's what you take away.

Have a great weekend!!

The Friday Five - 2/17/17

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - "The process is more important than the product."  Inky Johnson.

2.  Book I am reading - The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferris - just like his book The 4 Hour Workweek, this has a bunch of ideas that can really add value to your life.  It is not all useful  but still worth a look.

3.  Song of the Week - Different Shades of Blue by Joe Bonamassa - if you like blues, this is for you.  Great guitarist!

4.  Video of the Week - ET the Hiphop Preacher brings in a special guest speaker, Inky Johnson.  Get ready for some inspiration with Impose Your Will.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Compound Exercises - they offer a bunch of benefits versus the traditional isolation type weight lifting and straight up cardio.  Burns a ton of calories too.

Have a great weekend!!

The Friday Five featuring "Multipliers"

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - "You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."  Jon Kabat-Zinn.

2.  Book I am reading - Multipliers by Liz Wiseman - a great book on two approaches to leadership in business.  Are you a multiplier or a diminisher? This is an eye-opening insight that you can put to work immediately. You will end up seeing that boss you thought was a moron and the one you would run through a wall for. And, now you will know why.

3.  Song of the Week - Feel Invincible by Skillet - motivating song with a great edge.  It's clean too.  And, there is a reference to the roar of a Patriot stadium.

4.  Video of the Week - ET the Hiphop Preacher talks about why Tom Brady is one of the best and how you could be too.  Watch Pressure Makes Perfect.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Intermittent fasting.  It is not a diet, but rather a dieting pattern. In simpler terms: it's making a conscious decision to skip certain meals. 

Have a great weekend!!