Movement Creates Energy

Most sedentary people, when they feel tired, rest.   It seems like a logical solution.  But, in fact, energy is not created by rest.

Energy is created by movement– both physical movement and emotional “movement”.

I got a great taste of this truth today.  I stayed up very late working last night– much too late because this morning I had to get up and go to the recording studio ALL DAY to record new lessons for my members.

As you might imagine, I felt tired when I woke up.  And I continued to feel tired as I walked to the studio.  Even worse, I felt grumpy– and in no mood at all to record lessons… especially because my members now expect super high-energy lessons from me.

I shuffled along down the street… waking up a little but still feeling bad.

When I got to the studio, I was still feeling tired and irritable.  I thought, “today’s lessons are going to suck!”

I shuffled into the recording booth.

And then something amazing happened.  I started jumping up and down to break my miserable emotional pattern.   I pumped my fist.  I said, “Yes!” loudly.   I bobbed and bounced like a boxer.  And then I launched into the first lesson.. conjuring all of my energy and passion.

As I spoke, I stood on my toes and continued bobbing.   I raised my voice.  I shouted.  Then I whispered.  I moved my face– making exaggerated facial expressions as I told a story.

By the end of the first 20 minute lesson, I was pumped full of energy.  I felt fantastic.  I was smiling and laughing.

This feeling lasted the entire 6 hours I was in the recording studio….  and continued for the rest of the evening and night.

Today I showed myself that I was totally in control of my emotional and physical energy.   I quickly transformed my energy level by moving–  I moved my face:  huge smile, rapid and exaggerated expressions.  I moved my body:  jumping, bobbing, bouncing, pumping my fist.  I moved my voice:  yelling, whispering, booming with my voice.

I changed my posture, my tone, my gestures, my expressions, and my breathing completely. And in an instant, I went from tired and grumpy to energized and excited.

When we are tired, what we usually need is MORE, not less, movement.  Our bodies are not usually tired from activity… rather, they are drained of vitality as a result of a sedentary life.

Movement is the key to energy.  Movement is the key to passion, enthusiasm, and excitement.

So, next time you feel tired– don’t rest.  Instead:  Jump, shout, run, laugh, grin from ear to ear, and act like a wild crazy person.  Try it for 20 minutes– it will completely transform your day.

Energy

Health = Energy.  That’s my definition.   Vital energy for the body to defend itself against disease.  Vital energy to power a vibrant, active life…  including a vibrant, active mind.

I take a lot of potshots at “fat Americans”–  mainly because I understand just how devastating that fatness is.  Without the power of vibrant health and energy, life is a perpetual struggle and it becomes extremely difficult to achieve any kind of creative dream.

Most people, I believe, are simply too damn tired to pursue their dreams.   They are physically and emotionally drained and just don’t have the energy to do it.

I believe that the horrid state of health in the US is the root of many of our ills.   The body effects the mind.. and especially the emotions.. in extremely powerful ways.  Indeed, the body and brain are one.. the brain is a physical, biological organ.

One key to the success I’ve had pursuing my own dreams is the state of my health–  a state that has recently improved exponentially.   For the last 15 years or so, I have been a vegetarian and have been active.  That has given me a baseline energy far above my fellow Americans (a rather poor standard, I know).

But recently, my energy level has EXPLODED!  I’m healthier and more energetic than I was when I was 18 years old.   I’m getting up earlier, going to bed later, and feeling energized and focused all day long.   In the past, I always suffered from extreme mood & energy swings.  Now I have steady energy throughout the day and my moods are much more positive and much more stable.

In short, at 40 years old I feel absolutely fantastic!

What has caused this burst of energy and health?

Well, a few things…..

1.  Strict Green Vegan Diet

I have been a strict vegan for over a month now (and a cheating vegan for about 3 months).   That means I no longer eat cheese, milk, eggs, or any other kind of animal product.  Of course, I’m still not eating meat either.

But what do I mean by “green” vegan?   Well, I’m also following an alkalizing diet very heavy in green vegetables.  I’m now a freakin rabbit–  eating 2-4 salads a day.  I also drink 2-5 green drinks every day.  These drinks contain barely grass, wheatgrass, spinach, and various other dried & powdered green goodies.

Its been quite a journey from being a McDonalds-addicted, pizza loving, chocolate munching teenager… to a Green Vegan.

Some may think its a tough price to pay– to give up all animal products and eat green stuff all day.  But as I heard once, “You don’t pay the price for great health… you thoroughly enjoy the price of great health”.   When it comes to green vegan eating– I’m Lovin It!

2. No More Sugar

I was a sugar-fiend most of my life.. right up until a few months ago.   But sugar is POISON– plain and simple.  It creates a huge amount of acid in your body, destroys your emotional stability, and wrecks your metabolism.

I finally went cold-turkey.  No more sweets.  Drastically reduced rice and bread.

The result– A huge increase in energy that is sustained all day long.

3. Slow Burn Aerobic Activity

Read Stu Mittleman’s book “Slow Burn”.  Stu is an ultra-marathoner.  He runs 100 mile races for fun.  For his 50th birthday he ran from San Diego to New York… at a pace of 2 marathons a day.  He’s got serious energy.

Stu advocates “slow” aerobic exercise.  By slow, he means operating in your “fat burning zone”…  which for me means staying in a heart rate range between 110 – 130 beats per minute.

I started using a heart rate monitor while running to keep myself in that zone and have been surprised at how slow I must run to stay there.  Its a very slow jog for me.  And when I go uphill, I usually have to walk.

At first, this was a tough adjustment, as I’m used to running faster to “push myself”.

But now I’m really enjoying it.  Exercise is now pleasant, relaxing, and energizing… rather than a grueling ordeal.  And after exercise, the real benefits kick in.   My energy levels are high.

And I’m burning fat.  I’ve lost 17 pounds and am almost to my high school graduation weight.

4. Rebounding

Another exercise I’m doing is rebounding.  The rebounder (or “jumper”, as I like to call it) is a  mini-trampoline.  Its a great, easy exercise that has some nice benefits.

One benefit is that its damn fun.  I feel like a kid jumping on my bed!  Typically I put in some energetic music and jump for 5-25 minutes. I feel great while I’m doing it and I feel great afterwards.

Another great thing about the “jumper” is that its so compact.  I stash it in a corner of our tiny apartment when not using it,.. and roll it out whenever I need an energizing break from the computer.

Finally, the “jumper” has great health benefits.  Its a light and easy aerobic exercise.. perfect for the “slow burn” approach.  Also, the mild G-forces produced by bouncing help to stimulate the circulation of lymph and thus boost the immune system.

All in all, its a great little exercise.

5. No Stinkin Car

I haven’t had a car in 3 years.  I do have a motorcycle now, but use it sparingly.  Mostly, I walk.  I walk to the store.  I walk to restaurants.  I walk to movies.  I’m a walkin fool.

Walking is a great “slow burn” activity that energizes the entire body.  Do it as much as possible.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have been sold a load of crap by the main stream media.  Accepted beliefs about aging and health are lies– pure and simple.

We do not have to lose energy as we get older.  We do not have to become fatter and more lethargic. We do not have to lose enthusiasm.  We do not have to reduce our activity level.

How many times have you heard someone say something like, “Well, I’m getting older.  I just can’t do everything I used to do”.   Everytime I hear something like that, I want to scream and throttle the person.

I want to yell, “It’s not because you’re getting older.  It’s because you have been eating shit and sitting on your ass for 20 years!”

And so, just to walk my talk… I’m dedicating myself to doing an ultra-marathon– a 50 miler.

My hope is to be a small example for people– to show that you don’t have to become a fat, tired, old-fart– whatever your age.

Rather, we can all age like Paul Bragg, Jack Lalanne, and Gary Null.  We can remain vibrant, energetic, and healthy to 100 and beyond.   All that is required is to break the cultural hypnosis- and Decide.

Decide to choose health over fitting in.  Decide that your life and your dreams are more important than being normal.

Decide and do it.

Financial Freedom Recommend Reading

Here’s a short list of books I highly recommend, on the topic of financial freedom.

Be practical when reading these books.  I often don’t agree with the authors’ worldview or motivations, and honestly, I don’t care about them.   I’m focused on getting practical knowledge that I can use for my own purposes.

With that said, here are some great books for starting your journey to financial freedom:

Walden by Henry D. Thoreau

(Read the section on “Economy”)!

The 4-Hour Workweek  by Tim Ferris

(The title provides you with a worthy goal

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki

(Will teach you financial literacy and how to gain financial freedom)

The E-Myth

(Great general overview of how to own a business instead of it owning you)

Web Copy That Sells

(Great if you’re going to do a web-based business (which I highly recommend))

Permission Marketing by Seth Godin

(Learn how to market in an ethical way that people will love)

Purple Cow by Seth Godin

(Learn how to be remarkable with your business)

Your Portable Empire by Pat O’Bryan

(Learn how to create passive income and live a mobile lifestyle)

Those are good places to start your education.   Of course, just reading isn’t enough.  You have to take action.   I think the best way to start is online because the cost of starting is so incredibly low.

My business started with $200.  I could have done it for nearly free if I had wanted to.

The beauty of online business is that you can start them as “Beta” prototypes.   In other words, you put them together quickly and cheaply and start fast.    Then you endlessly test, improve, get feedback, and evolve your business over time.

My first site was butt ugly… and I had a paltry few lessons to start with.  And the lessons had sketchy audio and were very limited.

But no worries–  I clearly labeled it a “Beta” site and explained that it was in “testing” mode.  I charged only $7 for membership at first.   To my utter astonishment, I got customers.  I added more lessons, and raised the price to $17.

I started a Google Ad campaign with a budget of $1 a day.  I tested the ads and compared ad cost to money made each day.   When I was making more than I was spending, I raised the ad budget to $5 a day…  waited a week.  I was still making more than I was spending on ads… so I increased the budget to $10 a day.  (I now spend nearly $400 a day).

The product (my lessons) likewise evolved.  I experimented with different lesson types and discovered the ones that students liked best.  Over time, I developed a very powerful teaching system.

Finally, the site and the business itself evolved.   I eventually changed from a membership site to a straight product sales site.   I hired a company to (still cheaply) design a custom website for me.   That helped to boost income.   Just recently, I had the whole site re-designed again  (for a higher… but still reasonable price).

All the while I have learned a tremendous amount–  from trial and error, from experiments, from customers’ feedback,  from business books and CDs, from other website owners, from blogs and podcasts.

So what’s the point I’m making?

The point is:   Just start.

I was totally clueless and nearly broke when I started.  I had NO idea how to build a successful business.  I just had a burning desire to be free,.. and I loved teaching English.  The rest, I learned along the way.

You can do this too.  Start a BETA website this month….    using a cheap or free website template…  and PayPal for accepting credit cards.    Make your cheap, fast, raw product or service.

You don’t need to be perfect when you start.  You don’t even need to be good.   Hell, if you really feel bad about it–  charge just $1 in the beginning.    Decide to learn everything as you go.

This is the Hobopoet way–  the opposite of the “Business Plan” approach.

Start cheap.  Start ugly.  Start clueless. Start micro.

Then evolve.

The Difficult “I Suck” Stage

When transforming your life in any way, be it financial, artistic, physical, etc….   the most difficult phase is the beginning.

In the beginning you have absolutely no momentum.

And perhaps more significantly, you suck.   When I started my business, I sucked.  I had no freakin idea what I was doing.  The website was ugly, the marketing was crude, the lessons were raw.

When I became a vegetarian, I sucked.  I’d manage for a week or two, then I’d sneak a hamburger.. and then another.. and soon I was chowing down on meat again.

When I lived in my car the first time, I sucked.  I was extrememly uncomfortable, and paranoid as well.

And now, as I learn singing and bass as an absolute beginner, I suck.

One of the key “secrets” to the transformations I’ve been able to make is that I have learned to shrug off my pride and revel in the chaos of the “suck stage”.

The problem most people have, in my opinion, is that they are afraid to suck.  Most people are horribly afraid of appearing stupid, foolish, incompetent, or uncool.  In fact, the more they assure you that they don’t care, the more you can be sure that they are, in fact, terrified of failure.

Worst of all are the posing cynics who attempt to hide their fear behind an air of affected disinterest.  Whenever I see such a person, my first thought is always “loser”.

When it comes down to it, you can be cool & safe or you can live your principles, dreams, and visions to the fullest extent possible.  Rarely is it possible to do both.

Therefore, a vital skill for reaching financial independence, freedom, and general all around happiness & achievement is the skill of being patient and irrationally optimistic when you suck at something. Realist never accomplish anything– to really get what you want, you’ve got to believe in yourself even when its obviously irrational to do so.

You absolutely must find a way to thrive during the “suck stage” and believe in yourself no matter what.

Cynics will make snide comments.  “Realists” will barrage you with doubts and “logic”.  Some may criticize you or laugh at you.

Ignore them all.  Believe in yourself.  Believe in the power of kaizen– in constant and never-ending tiny improvements.

Don’t focus on how far you are from your vision, focus on the fact that you are finally engaged in it– you are doing it.

Trust me– after a few months of consistent sucking action, you’ll turn a few corners.  You’ll notice some small improvements.  You’ll feel a sense of momentum.

And then, suddenly, you will feel it.  Deep down.

You feel it and you’ll know–  what once seemed insurmountable is possible.  You may still be far from your dream… but everything changes on that day when you realize that you will nevertheless do it.

And so I urge you-  go ahead and suck at something.  Look & sound like an idiot and keep on doing it.

Because that is the path of greatness.

Self-Reliance

Self Reliance means trust in yourself.  As Alan Watts said,  “Trust yourself to react appropriately when catastrophe happens. Failure of nerve is really failure to trust yourself.”

Self-reliance is an independence of mind and spirit– the courage to live according to your own principles, needs, and desires– no matter what other people think.

Self-reliance is resourcefulness. It is inner strength– mental and emotional and physical mastery.   When you are self-reliant, you know you can handle any problem.  You are full of courage and confidence.  You are not discouraged by problems– in fact, you welcome “challenges”.

When something difficult happens to you, you rise up with strength.  Maybe you don’t know how you will succeed, but you know you will– somehow.

Self -reliance means you have discipline– the discipline to do what is most important to you.. and the discipline to avoid what does not fit your principle, goals, and values.

As a self-reliant person, you recognize that you and only you are the authority for your own life.  No guru, no religious leader, no political leader is more of an expert than you.   Yes, you value teachers…  but as guides and mentors, not as bosses. You are the only boss of your own life.

Self-reliance means you know how to take care of yourself– which gives you the freedom and energy to also help others.   You are not always trying to take from other people, because you know how to make yourself happy.

You are a student of the “Science of Achievment” and of the “Art of Fulfillment”.

You are the master of your own life.  You are the master of your destiny.

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