I really think that all of the pieces need to be in place for me to be successful everyday.
There needs to be a balance, things that keep other things in check so that I don't get off track. For example, my exercise is what helps me keep focus during the day and sleep well at night.
Eating healthy will allow me to stay healthy and keep off the weight that I can gain really easily.
Those two things combined will help me maintain a physical balance that will lead to success.
Reading my Bible will help me stay focused on what is most important in life and keep me spiritually grounded.
Planning my days will allow me to think less about what I should be doing and do more of what I plan on doing.
Loving my wife and spending time with her daily allows me to remain emotionally stable and keep me light.
There are little things that happen every day that lead to a successful life, and that's what I am aiming for.
Jordan
Saturday, April 9
Friday, April 8
Day 32: Habits
I've been in a great habit of getting up on time. It has helped me be more productive about moving towards owning my own business, and furthering my skills in web development.
I think I could stand to do more planning about what will specifically get done every morning. Sometimes I get up and whatever I start working on I just end up spending all of my time on it even if it isn't a high priority task.
This would help me get a better sense of when I will get things done, as well as how long it will take me to get it done. I think that's an awesome trait to have for an entrepreneur.
Once I finish the Udemy course, I am going to begin working on building a new podcasting service. It will allow podcasters to host their content for free, and have ads managed by my software. It will allow the entry costs to be zero, and they can spend their time doing the things they like to do.
I'd like to run that for at least a year and see if I can gain traction. If I can gain enough traction and make enough money to make a profit, I could even begin investing in the business and hire employees.
That's all a dream, but it's entirely possible. I was thinking today about how I will need to learn how the ad industry works, as well as how I will manage all of the hosting I will need for the podcasts.
I am tending towards having more good habits than bad. One bad habit I have had lately is my eating. It has sucked. I need to change that.
Jordan
Thursday, April 7
Day 31: One Month
One month of blogging everyday. That's pretty cool!
It has been a pretty cool journey for me. Blogging consistently has helped me start facing my dreams and get moving. It has motivated me to follow written goals.
I think now that we're at one month, it's a good time to check in on my goals for this year (6 months?). Here they are again:
Career: I will increase my work rate by limiting distractions from social media / entertainment starting now. I also will build relationships with co-workers by taking scheduled breaks at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM.
Financial: I will make at least $1000 a month on top of my salary building tools via web/app development by November 2016 (6 months).
Spiritual: I am going to read my Bible/meditate/pray for at least 30 minutes a day starting now into eternity.
Physical: Run a half marathon on September 18th, 2016 at a pace of 8:30 min/mile. I have this planned out via MapMyRun.
Intellectual: I will learn the skills I need to complete my financial goal. I will do this by taking online classes, reading books and finding internet solutions. I will dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to this task starting now.
Family: I will practice giving undivided attention to my wife everyday starting now. I also will do the same for my kids when I have them. (Is this really a goal? I might need to come up with something better.)
Social: I will research time management by reading books and doing research so that I can schedule regular time to enjoy with my friends (and extended family). I would like to spend at least an hour at the beginning of the week on this task.
This is a great list, and I think I have done well with them. I've struggled with the career goal, I've been inconsistent with the physical goal, and my social goal could always use improvement. I'm crushing my financial, intellectual, spiritual and family goals.
So, how do I improve on the goals that I am falling behind on? I think that comes down to accountability and discipline. I could stand to have my ENTIRE day planned out the day before. That way I can't have any lazy excuses when something doesn't get done.
It has been a pretty cool journey for me. Blogging consistently has helped me start facing my dreams and get moving. It has motivated me to follow written goals.
I think now that we're at one month, it's a good time to check in on my goals for this year (6 months?). Here they are again:
Career: I will increase my work rate by limiting distractions from social media / entertainment starting now. I also will build relationships with co-workers by taking scheduled breaks at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM.
Financial: I will make at least $1000 a month on top of my salary building tools via web/app development by November 2016 (6 months).
Spiritual: I am going to read my Bible/meditate/pray for at least 30 minutes a day starting now into eternity.
Physical: Run a half marathon on September 18th, 2016 at a pace of 8:30 min/mile. I have this planned out via MapMyRun.
Intellectual: I will learn the skills I need to complete my financial goal. I will do this by taking online classes, reading books and finding internet solutions. I will dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to this task starting now.
Family: I will practice giving undivided attention to my wife everyday starting now. I also will do the same for my kids when I have them. (Is this really a goal? I might need to come up with something better.)
Social: I will research time management by reading books and doing research so that I can schedule regular time to enjoy with my friends (and extended family). I would like to spend at least an hour at the beginning of the week on this task.
This is a great list, and I think I have done well with them. I've struggled with the career goal, I've been inconsistent with the physical goal, and my social goal could always use improvement. I'm crushing my financial, intellectual, spiritual and family goals.
So, how do I improve on the goals that I am falling behind on? I think that comes down to accountability and discipline. I could stand to have my ENTIRE day planned out the day before. That way I can't have any lazy excuses when something doesn't get done.
I still don't know if I like working out in the afternoon. I think that if I were to workout in the mornings it would get done more consistently. In the afternoons I never know how I will be feeling after a day at work, and there is often something going on right after work so the time isn't consistent.
If I were to work out in the mornings, I think I would do it between 6:45 and 7:15 AM. I think a half hour is plenty for now, and I don't need to start getting ready for work until 7:30. That puts my morning routine like this:
5:00 - 5:30 Wake up, make coffee, sit at desk and dive into Bible study along with praying.
5:30 - 6:45 Business/Educational hour.
6:45 - 7:15 Work out.
7:15 - 8:00 Shower and get ready for work, and eat breakfast.
That’s a solid morning, and it doesn’t change much of what I am currently doing. This will help improve my physical routine.
Live intentionally. Plan your future. Work harder than anyone you know.
Jordan
Wednesday, April 6
Day 30: Organizing
I've been writing all of this stuff down in my blog, but I have't been writing it down where I can see it everyday.
I should be writing my goals down somewhere where I will be able to review them and check against them every day. Something like the background of my phone, or on the new tab of my web browser.
I should also be using Todoist to break down my goals into smaller chunks. It's good for putting in dependency tasks and flexible with the timeline.
I also should be planning my morning hours more specifically the day/night before. I should know exactly what I am going to work on and how long I'm going to work on it.
I still am unsure about the time-frame of my morning hours. I think in an ideal world I would like to work out in the mornings, but I also don't want to spend time away from Hannah in the evenings doing work. I want to be investing time into our relationship when she is available.
I am getting up at 5 everyday this week. That means I basically have 2 hours to work before I have to go to work. 1 hour should be Bible time, the other should be work/studying time for my freelance writing and web development.
I like to start paragraphs with 'I'. Maybe because I am talking about myself?
I think eventually I would like to turn this blogging habit into a lifestyle blog. Something that motivates people to follow their dreams, gets them out of their comfort zones and makes them think.
It would be awesome to have a following of people that I could use to make waves in this world. Once you have followers, you can use that momentum to become successful in a lot of areas.
We got a new desk last night. Something functional, minimalist and that inspires productivity. I think it will help me get more organized about how I spend my time when I am doing work at home.
Hannah will be using the desk as well. She will be using it to start her online business, or to put time into her non-profit that she dreams about everyday. One day we will both have desks that we can operate from.
She has a passion for helping people, and she has a passion surrounding taboo and controversial issues that aren't being talked about the right way. Things like how pornography affects the world, and tackling the root causes of why people think they want abortions.
She's a dreamer, and I can only hope that any company I would found can have as much empathy and passion that she does about what it is trying to achieve.
I think I will be organizing the next day right before bed. It will allow me to be a bit more dynamic based on the time I go to bed. I think specifying not only how much time I will spend on things, but exactly what I will be working on will be very helpful.
Getting organized is something I don't think I am a natural at. I tend to not plan ahead and just take things as they come. In the past this worked fine because opportunities would come left and right and I could adapt quickly.
Now, I am the one that needs to create the opportunities for myself. So if I am not planning and organizing my path, then there will be no opportunities for growth and prosperity down the pipeline.
This was a good blog post.
Jordan
I should be writing my goals down somewhere where I will be able to review them and check against them every day. Something like the background of my phone, or on the new tab of my web browser.
I should also be using Todoist to break down my goals into smaller chunks. It's good for putting in dependency tasks and flexible with the timeline.
I also should be planning my morning hours more specifically the day/night before. I should know exactly what I am going to work on and how long I'm going to work on it.
I still am unsure about the time-frame of my morning hours. I think in an ideal world I would like to work out in the mornings, but I also don't want to spend time away from Hannah in the evenings doing work. I want to be investing time into our relationship when she is available.
I am getting up at 5 everyday this week. That means I basically have 2 hours to work before I have to go to work. 1 hour should be Bible time, the other should be work/studying time for my freelance writing and web development.
I like to start paragraphs with 'I'. Maybe because I am talking about myself?
I think eventually I would like to turn this blogging habit into a lifestyle blog. Something that motivates people to follow their dreams, gets them out of their comfort zones and makes them think.
It would be awesome to have a following of people that I could use to make waves in this world. Once you have followers, you can use that momentum to become successful in a lot of areas.
We got a new desk last night. Something functional, minimalist and that inspires productivity. I think it will help me get more organized about how I spend my time when I am doing work at home.
Hannah will be using the desk as well. She will be using it to start her online business, or to put time into her non-profit that she dreams about everyday. One day we will both have desks that we can operate from.
She has a passion for helping people, and she has a passion surrounding taboo and controversial issues that aren't being talked about the right way. Things like how pornography affects the world, and tackling the root causes of why people think they want abortions.
She's a dreamer, and I can only hope that any company I would found can have as much empathy and passion that she does about what it is trying to achieve.
I think I will be organizing the next day right before bed. It will allow me to be a bit more dynamic based on the time I go to bed. I think specifying not only how much time I will spend on things, but exactly what I will be working on will be very helpful.
Getting organized is something I don't think I am a natural at. I tend to not plan ahead and just take things as they come. In the past this worked fine because opportunities would come left and right and I could adapt quickly.
Now, I am the one that needs to create the opportunities for myself. So if I am not planning and organizing my path, then there will be no opportunities for growth and prosperity down the pipeline.
This was a good blog post.
Jordan
Monday, April 4
Day 29: On Productivity
That's how I want everyday to be in the future. I want it to be planned out, calculated, so that I don't waste the time that I have. I don't want to be extremely rigid, but I want it to be planned.
This can apply to the workplace as well. I would like to make sure I have a set number of things that I should complete during the work day.
I did some math today, and I figured out that if I reached my goal of an extra $1000 a month, I could get out of debt in five years. Five years! That would be incredible. Even more motivation to get this done.
Our cars would be payed off within the next year. Credit cards in a few months. It would be amazing to be operating at that level.
I like to write, and I don't mind writing creatively. I have found that there are sites what will pay you to write freelance for them. I found a site called Listverse that will pay you $100 per article, with 10 facts and at least 1500 words.
I could write several articles a week for that publication and not even bat an eye at it. There would be no learning curve, it would just flow out of me. I think I might start looking into all of my options as a freelance writer.
In the meantime, I will continue to learn and grow in the web development sphere. I have to keep moving along in the Udemy class that I purchased. I also need to find other things to apply my new-found skills to so that I can start building a portfolio.
One idea that I had today - a podcast service that was like youtube. It's not a new idea, but I'm surprised it doesn't exist. There is no service out there that allows you to host podcasts for free, all while managing the ad sphere for you.
Today was a good day, I'll be getting up early to keep working.
I'm going to be the hardest working person I know.
Jordan
Sunday, April 3
Day 28: Pressing On
I've been at this for several weeks, and it feels good.
Right about now is when I really need to hunker down and continue the race. It's easy for me to stagnate a bit and lose my focus. I think this blog is helping me with that.
I have been able to get my ideas out of my head and somewhere where I can look back at them. Could I be writing it in a journal? Sure, but that's something I just couldn't get in a habit of doing.
Blogging "publicly" has allowed me to be more transparent, all while holding me more accountable. I can't just not do the things I will say I need to do.
I'm prepared to work harder this week at work than any other week before, because work now has a purpose in my plan. In the past few months, it didn't fit into my plan. I thought I needed to start a business today and drop everything.
Now I know I can't do that. Because of that, working "for the man" is a huge part of my plan to get out of debt and prosper. Not only that, but higher education is on the table as well.
If I can go back to school for two years and get a masters degree, I could make more at Corning and even further accelerate my debt payoff.
But, working full time, going to grad school, freelancing on the side, having a baby and managing to spend any time doing anything else outside of that would be crazy. I'm into it, though.
Right now is a time in my life when I need to hustle. I need to be working harder than I ever have and ever will in the future. I have life in my bones, and time on my hands. It's about time I used it to my advantage.
Getting serious about my debt payoff and generating a winning attitude are very important things to me. I want my family to be very successful and I think we have a lot to show the world.
I really want to include Hannah into my success story because she has so much to offer. I think that she has so much potential to make a huge impact on the world. I want to support her as much as I possibly can.
Right about now is when I really need to hunker down and continue the race. It's easy for me to stagnate a bit and lose my focus. I think this blog is helping me with that.
I have been able to get my ideas out of my head and somewhere where I can look back at them. Could I be writing it in a journal? Sure, but that's something I just couldn't get in a habit of doing.
Blogging "publicly" has allowed me to be more transparent, all while holding me more accountable. I can't just not do the things I will say I need to do.
I'm prepared to work harder this week at work than any other week before, because work now has a purpose in my plan. In the past few months, it didn't fit into my plan. I thought I needed to start a business today and drop everything.
Now I know I can't do that. Because of that, working "for the man" is a huge part of my plan to get out of debt and prosper. Not only that, but higher education is on the table as well.
If I can go back to school for two years and get a masters degree, I could make more at Corning and even further accelerate my debt payoff.
But, working full time, going to grad school, freelancing on the side, having a baby and managing to spend any time doing anything else outside of that would be crazy. I'm into it, though.
Right now is a time in my life when I need to hustle. I need to be working harder than I ever have and ever will in the future. I have life in my bones, and time on my hands. It's about time I used it to my advantage.
Getting serious about my debt payoff and generating a winning attitude are very important things to me. I want my family to be very successful and I think we have a lot to show the world.
I really want to include Hannah into my success story because she has so much to offer. I think that she has so much potential to make a huge impact on the world. I want to support her as much as I possibly can.
I also want to make sure I am on the same page with her in regards to our debt payoff. We both need to be tackling it hardcore if we want to get this thing out of the way. I know I am ready for it.
This blog has helped me a lot. I need to continue to do the things I say I will do.
Jordan
This blog has helped me a lot. I need to continue to do the things I say I will do.
Jordan
Saturday, April 2
Day 27: Success
What's my definition of success? I think there are a few things.
I think first and foremost my definition of success is having the option to work how I want to work and not be forced into a work situation because I need a paycheck.
I also think success is being able to provide for my family in a way that contributes to their success and keeps them healthy. I want them to feel like they can live a purposeful life of their choosing without feeling like money is a prohibiting factor.
I also think that success is being able to have deep relationships with the people that I love without work getting in the way. I want to be able to enjoy the time I have with others, and be able to invest in their lives in a meaningful way.
That sounds like a dream job. Something that pays well, allows for flexibility and doesn't get in the way of things that mean a lot to me.
I think it would be hard to find a job like that without creating it yourself. Everything would have to be on my terms, but it would also have to be valuable enough to bode a decent income.
Once I am out of debt and have less restrictions on where my income is spent I can have freedoms like this. Until then, I need to be the hardest working person I know, hustling at every chance.
Jordan
I think first and foremost my definition of success is having the option to work how I want to work and not be forced into a work situation because I need a paycheck.
I also think success is being able to provide for my family in a way that contributes to their success and keeps them healthy. I want them to feel like they can live a purposeful life of their choosing without feeling like money is a prohibiting factor.
I also think that success is being able to have deep relationships with the people that I love without work getting in the way. I want to be able to enjoy the time I have with others, and be able to invest in their lives in a meaningful way.
That sounds like a dream job. Something that pays well, allows for flexibility and doesn't get in the way of things that mean a lot to me.
I think it would be hard to find a job like that without creating it yourself. Everything would have to be on my terms, but it would also have to be valuable enough to bode a decent income.
Once I am out of debt and have less restrictions on where my income is spent I can have freedoms like this. Until then, I need to be the hardest working person I know, hustling at every chance.
Jordan
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