2009 April (2)

Monthly Archives: April 2009

Why I Love Being A Dad…

Posted by Grant on April 12, 2009 – 7:10 pm

Filed under Family, Personal

Three years ago today, I became a father. My oldest daughter Sydnee was born, and my life will never be the same. Being a parent is a roller coaster of emotions and feelings, but I wouldn’t trade my daughters for anything.

I love what I get to do in my work with teenagers, but I love being daddy more.

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In Case You’re Bored This Weekend…Episode 10

Posted by Grant on April 10, 2009 – 2:53 am

Filed under Books, In Case You're Bored This Weekend..., Websites

Here’s your weekly dose of interesting websites, blog posts, and articles for you to check out…

Websites:

Unfortunately, I don’t have any new or exciting websites that have come across my radar lately. Got any you would recommend?

Blog Posts/Articles:

A Visual Guide To Inflation – Great look at how inflation works from Mint and how it can be both a good thing and a bad thing.
When Should You Do It Yourself? – If you’re not a handy man/woman, then it’s tough to know when you should do something yourself versus paying for someone to do it. Is your time or money more valuable?
Student Discounts – A list of places where students can find discounts on their usual purchases.
Finding Balance Between Time & Money – An interesting story from the writer about an old friend he ran into and an eye-opening experience regarding which is more important: money or time.
Why I’m Trying To Be A Quitter – Some things in life you need to pull the plug on…read this article to help you decide what those things are.
The Art of Negotiating: A Crucial Skill For A Frugal Lifestyle – Great thoughts from SimpleMom reminding us that everything is negotiable and how to negotiate for what you want.
6 Ways To Simplify Your Life – We’re all busy and have a lot going on, so when are you going to step back and reevaluate your life?

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3 Ways To Stay Focused On Your Goals

Posted by Grant on April 9, 2009 – 3:59 am

Filed under Personal, Thinking Out Loud...

After yesterday’s post about my lack of progress in the CHANGES I’m trying to instill into my life, I thought I would regroup and share some ideas for staying focused.

Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself – When you’re not making progress and you feel discouraged, it’s a great time to throw a pity party. But now is not the time for that. You can stop to acknowledge you haven’t made as much progress as you’d like, but regroup and get over yourself. Have you noticed that the more you feel sorry for yourself the worse you feel? Did that cry-fest you had in your honor make you feel any better? I didn’t think so.

Just Do Something – When you start to make any progress on a goal, you feel like you’ve accomplished something. It’s like a snowball turning into an avalanche. It’s never going to become an avalanche unless you take the time to give that little snowball it’s initial push. Same thing is true with progress. You’re never going to get anywhere without that first step. So what’s one thing you can do right now, at this moment, to move that progress forward?

Make It Your Top Priority – The challenge with work and life is often times we do things that are urgent, but not necessarily important. We are also drawn to the work we like to do or are good at and can often times do this at the detriment of the things we should be doing. If you’re going to make progress on your goals, you’ve got to make it a top priority. Do what you have to do, so you can get back to doing what you want to do.

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April CHANGES Update

Posted by Grant on April 8, 2009 – 4:35 am

Filed under Personal

Here’s my update of progress for the various CHANGES in my life I’m trying to create. You can read more about the original concept in the post, “Introducing Small Changes To Your Life,” and also updates from February and March.

CHANGES for March

Get My Passport – This is now 2 months in a row I haven’t taken care of this. For March, I knew we were moving, so I decided to wait until we had our new address, so my passport would be correct. Poor but legitimate excuse. (Grade: D+)
Learn To Solve A Rubik’s Cube – I did a couple of things on this but never actually solved one. I went to the store to buy one but they’re like $10, and you know I’m too cheap to drop that for a cube! I did download a version to my iPhone I’ve been fiddling with, but it’s not quite the same. Also, I was at an event where a student was playing with one, so I spent about 30 minutes with him and he was trying to explain it to me. All that to say, I did something, but have yet to complete it. (Grade: C-)
Eat Something I Would Normally Never Try – I did accomplish this a couple of places. The foods I got weren’t anything extraordinarily exotic, but they weren’t items I would normally get. In New Jersey, I got a massive corn beef sandwich at a famous deli shop. It was pretty good! Then in North Dakota, I got buffalo stew at a place, and it was also really good. I also tried to eat at several hole-in-the-wall type restaurants when I was traveling, instead of just the typical chains I frequent. (Grade: B+)

CHANGES for April

• Get My Passport – No excuses this month. Got to get this done…
Learn To Solve A Rubik’s Cube – Once again, another carryover from March.
#3 – I can’t keep carrying things over month-to-month, cause then I’m never really making any progress. I decided to not add a third item until I complete those two carryover items.

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How Are You Choosing To Live Your Life?

Posted by Grant on April 7, 2009 – 4:19 am

Filed under Thinking Out Loud...

I recently read an interview with Jim Collins (author of Built to Last and Good to Great) in the latest issue of Inc Magazine (great magazine by the way if you’re a small business person). He had a great quote on the subject of entrepreneurship but really applies to life in general…

We all make choices about how we live our lives. You can take a paint-by-numbers approach, or you can start with a blank canvas. When you paint by numbers, the end result is guaranteed. You know what it’s going to be, and it might be good, but it will never be a masterpiece. Starting with a blank canvas is the only way to get a masterpiece, but you could also blow up. So, are you going to pick the paint-by-numbers kit or the blank canvas?

Makes you think doesn’t it?

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Quit Waiting For A Bailout And Get Your Act Together

Posted by Grant on April 6, 2009 – 3:31 am

Filed under Current Events, Thinking Out Loud...

Like most of Americans, I’m tired of the various auto makers, banks, and other institutions looking to the government for a bailout.

We’re tired of hearing about it, but unfortunately, sometimes we’re not too different.

At one point or another, we’ve all been guilty of finding ourselves in some kind of mess and expecting someone else to bail us out. We look to our parents, our friends, our teachers, and maybe even the government to swoop in and save the day.

Here’s a news flash for you though…

Your Bailout Isn’t Coming.

So why are you still waiting for it to arrive? Quit wishing, hoping, or even thinking that someone else is going to solve your problems or change your life.

The only person who can give you the life you want is YOU.

Regardless of your situation or circumstance or what you’re going through, take responsibility and ownership for yourself and quit waiting on a bailout.

It’s not coming. Change happens when YOU make it.

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In Case You’re Bored This Weekend…Episode 9

Posted by Grant on April 3, 2009 – 3:57 am

Filed under Blogs, In Case You're Bored This Weekend..., Websites

Here’s your weekly dose of interesting websites, blog posts, and articles for you to check out…

Websites:

Beat My Price – Before you buy your next gadget or gizmo, look up the price online with this site. Touted as a new way to find low prices…
ING Compare Me – Ever wonder how your salary stacks up to your peers? This site will give you an idea of how you’re doing.
ScanMyPhotos.com – If you’ve got tons of old pictures you need to get digitized, check out this website.
MeritAid.com - Merit-based scholarship awards at individual colleges.

Blog Posts/Articles:

Velocity: The “Speed” of Money – Great post from FiveCentNickel about how money travels through the economy.
Three Competing Goals with Finances – Where do you focus when you need to build your emergency fund, pay off debt, and invest for retirement? Jeremy over at Gen X Finance gives some perspective.

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Good Bye March. Hello April.

Posted by Grant on April 2, 2009 – 3:36 am

Filed under Family, Personal

March was an extremely busy month for me. My sister-in-law got married, we moved to a new house, and my speaking schedule was packed.

I figured up I was in 11 states, traveled nearly 10,000 miles, and spoke to over 9,000 people.

Glad I survived March.

But now I’m tired, and I miss my family.

Good bye March. Hello April.

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My Unique Flight Into Kansas…

Posted by Grant on April 1, 2009 – 3:47 am

Filed under Funny, Travels

Yesterday, I flew into Garden City, Kansas, which was a unique experience to say the least. As you may know, I travel quite a bit so I’ve seen a lot of planes and airports, but nothing like this.

I go out to the plane in Denver and there is no bathroom, no overhead bins, no door blocking off the cockpit, and just a single seat on each side of the isle. And the best part…

The captain was also the flight attendant…I kid you not!

He closes the door, then turns around and goes through the safety speech! Then, climbs right into the cockpit.

We land in Garden City and taxi up to the gate. I don’t mean just any gate. I mean the gate…the only gate!

Welcome to Kansas. It’s good to be here.

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