February 27th, 2010
Last night, I did my first abdominal workout in six years. It kicked my ass. I have a long way to go. I assembled almost all the tools I need to get a fit and healthy body. I have no more excuses. It is all up to me now.
I finally signed up for a gym membership for days that are too cold or messy to run in. My neighborhood is simply not suited for running. It gives me access to training space and free weights I lack at home. It’s not a huge gym with a pool or an indoor track. The equipment is new. The staff is friendly. That’s all I need.
Working in retail provides a lot of time to train. It gives an opportunity to schedule two workouts a day. With all this free time, I need to stay on top of my schedule. It’s a great opportunity that shouldn’t be squandered. I need to build a consistent routine and habits.
Tracking my nutrition (or lack thereof) and my training in my journal helps me stay on top of things. I monitor everything I’m doing. It reminds me to stay the schedule and plan I created. It tells me what I have to work on and where I cheated. I noticed that my diet improves when I keep a journal. Less junk food is inhaled. My caloric intake is evened out. Writing down what I did in training helps me figure me out. I write down when I went to bed and woke up, the time of the workout, how I felt, and what I did. Reading previous entries spurs me to get out and workout on days I don’t feel like it.
The last two tools I want to acquire but can live without is a heart rate monitor and training buddies. Both provides data points to measure my training. Both will tell me to push my body beyond what my mind is telling it to do. Training buddies would keep me accountable they are a nice social boost. I don’t want to rely on them because it takes a special training partner to stick with you throughout the training season. I’m really the only one in my circle that has specific goals set. To keep me accountable, I have this web journal and my training journal. The heart rate monitor is a great tool to have. I don’t have to rely on how I feel to do intervals. The mind plays tricks on me when I push myself out of my comfort zone. Self doubt, fear, and negative talk creep in. The body is ready and capable. The mind holds the body back.
I have all the tools I need to be successful. It’s time to use them. The abs workouts will be easier. I will eventually run faster. No more excuses.
Posted in Health, running | 2 Comments »
February 19th, 2010
I know the reasons why I fell into poor financial health. I know how I got here. Now I need to develop an action plan to rid me of bad debt and bring me back to financial health. The treatment needs to be aggressive yet bearable. I want to liberate myself as soon as possible. I don’t want to push so hard that I overwhelm myself and quit. My goal this year is to eliminate at least $10,000 in debt this year. The process is simple. However, it requires patience, diligence, and effort.
- Reducing Expenses frees money to be used to pay down my debt.
- Becoming Frugal- Frugality is the art of spending efficiently and effectively, not being wasteful, and living simply while living well. I decided to cut out the non-essentials and find better prices for the things I need.
- Prioritizing Purchases- Becoming financially independent is an ultra marathon. I can’t buy whatever I want whenever I want. I have to decide what is most important to live my life. The money that I saved by putting a purchase off can be used towards getting rid of my debt. It’s a frustrating thing but it’s something I need to do.
- Eliminating Excess Fees- I dislike fees that can be avoided. It’s the little things that count. The best way to eliminate them is by paying everything on time and finding alternate products that provides the same benefit with less fees.
- Negotiating Lower Prices- Things in life are negotiable. If you know your price and their prices, you might be able to save yourself a few dollars.
- Modified Debt Snowball- David Ramsey popularized the debt snowball as a way to eliminate debt by paying off the smallest loan first to gain momentum. It has great psychological value by providing a sense of accomplishment. Instead of tackling the smallest loan first, I created milestone and focus on eliminating the highest interest rate loans first. It is the highest rate loans that takes the most money away from us. I celebrate when I hit my milestone. My milestone for 2010 is reducing my credit card debt by $10,000.
- Increasing income brings more money in to pay down the debt.
- Finding Another Job – The added income helps pay off the principle faster which saves money in lose in income.
- Selling Off Possessions – Is there anything I haven’t used in awhile or something that I can let go of? The things that pulled us into debt can help us get out of debt if we sell those goods.
- Odds and Ends- There are other miscellaneous things you can (legally) do on the side to earn you money.
- Developing Healthy Habits. Snubbing my unhealthy habits and replacing them with good ones will keep me on track.
- Planning and Budgeting
- Emergency Fund Investing
- Passive Income – Saving and Investing
Between now and December, I will be working diligently on getting my financial life back on track. This is the year that I begin training for a great life. It begins with a baby step today.
Posted in Finance, Frugal | No Comments »
February 5th, 2010
Although the Federal government went out of their way to bail out large banking institutions in 2009, they decided to leave individual Americans at the mercy of high interest rates that continued to get higher. I can’t wait for the government to bail me out so I’m taking the initiative to do it on my own. I need to know where I am financially so I can formulate an action plan to get out of debt. I begin with a financial triage and assessment.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
February 3rd, 2010
I finally put together my running calendar for 2010. Something about it makes me quite happy. I think it’s because it will get me motivated to go running in not so pleasant conditions and help me reach my goals for this year! 
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in running | No Comments »
February 2nd, 2010
Just because I’m penny pinching to get out of debt doesn’t mean I can’t live my life authentically and with passion. I love to experience, explore, and learn new thing. I need to recharge my batteries especially, when I’m operating at a level of zeal. Traveling provides all of the above. Downsizing trips, adding more local flavor, careful planning, and staying fluid allows me to do more on less time and money.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Travel | No Comments »
January 31st, 2010
Clutter is creating white noise. It masks the beauty of life. It distracts me from my goals. It overwhelms the mind and builds anxiety inside. The essential and necessary things I need in life get lost in the mess. I lose time looking for it and frustrate myself with the time wasted. Complexity creates clutter by moving basics and core skills that keeps me grounded. So what am I doing to pare down? I keep what is essential and one or two things that has significant importance in my life. I sell and donate what I can. I recycle or dispose of the rest.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Live Life | No Comments »
January 29th, 2010
Debt is controlling my life like many Americans and other individuals around the world. Instead of being a tool to help be live better, it has become burden that weighs me down and slows my progress in life. This bad debt creates anxiety, worry, and fear. It’s time to free myself. It is a basic process that takes time, patience, and some effort. After doing some research and studying the matter, I’ve found that it’s much like curing a disease. Here are the four steps I will be taking to eliminate bad debt.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Debt Reduction
Posted in Finance, Live Life | No Comments »
