Know thyself

The first step in my philosophy of living like a hero is to take control of my body.

I want to go from this:

 To this:



















And I want this resust by October 31st. 2012.


The game plan

How am I going to do this?

First I am going to follow this schedule of training:

Monday: Weight training
Tuesday: Running
Wednesday: Weight training.
Thursday: Running
Friday: Running
Saturday: Weight training.
Sunday: Off.  Relax.

This is until september.  Because in september I am going to join the Adult swim team of my town.  The reasons for that are a) I was a swimmer when I was young.  I love it.  b) swimming will be very good in training all my body parts and increasing my cardio capacity.

So from september to November I should juggle with swimming, running and weight training until the first snow falls.  Then for the winter I'll stick with swimming and weight training until spring.

My weight training:  I will follow the 300 Spartan Workout

Motivator:  In order to stay on track I already subscribed to my town marathon in September.  And I subscribed to the Spartan Race next May 2013.  And for the up coming Halloween, I want to dress like the spartan in the picture above.  So I need the body that goes with the suite. I also subscribed to a running course in my town.  And I will join the swimming team in September.  It's all about commitment!

Eating:  I eat like a pig and I eat anything that comes into my reach.  I need to change my entire view on eating.  I shall make an entire post on it. Coming soon.

And strategically speaking if you eat better than average, you should be healthier than average (all things being equals).  Which puts the odds on your side a little more compared to the average guy.

One last thing about eating.  I start training first and I will start my eating habit detoxification a little later.  When I reach that part.  I shall have a last meal.  Just like the death sentenced prisoners.  I will go and eat fat food and potatoes chips and all that for one last day.  Then.  The next morning, I start my new eating regiment.  Which will consist on decreasing the size of my meal and choosing a low fat regime.

Oh!  And one last thing about the Spartans.  Are you still looking for some moral and ethic axioms and maxims on which to run your life?  How about the spartan life motto:

• A Spartan pushes their mind and body to their limits.
• A Spartan masters their emotions.
• A Spartan learns continuously.
• A Spartan gives generously.
• A Spartan leads.
• A Spartan stands up for what they believe in, no matter the cost.
• A Spartan knows their flaws as well as they know their strengths.
• A Spartan proves themselves through actions, not words.
• A Spartan lives every day as if it were their last.

Pretty cool isn't it?

Link of the week: Make it count - Awesome Inspiration

Here!  Watch this!  Its awesome!

Make it count

Live your life like a hero

 "What we do in life, Echoes in Eternity"

What does it means to live you life like a hero?  What is a hero.  What can be considered as heroic?

This shall be the start of a new post time that I will add to this blog: live your life like a hero.

Whouldn't you like to wake up in the morning and be happy to be alive.  You have a purpose, you know exactly where you're going.  And you just can't wait for this day to start in order to accomplish what you are aimed to accomplish?

I shall come back in further post on the concept of hero, what is it, what it represents and all.  But in the mean time ask yourself this question:

"What does it means to me being a hero?"
"What would I consider hero to me?"

For someone this could me something as simple as loosing 10 pounds.  For another is being more at home and learn to say no at work in order to pass quality time with friends and family.  For someone else this could be running a marathon or climbing mount Kilimandjaro.  Or plainly taking care of a sick loved one.

What does it mean to you?  What is your definition?

In the mean time I am going to leave you with Ayn Rand's definition of a modern hero:

"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

Share it here in the comments if you want.

We shall develop on this concept more on the coming posts.

Asymmetry of information

There is a concept in economics that is facinating me for a while now and its the concept of asymmetry of information.  One must understand this concept if one wants to get a strategic edge on one’s world.

As per Wikipedia, the Asymmetry of information is defined as “the study of decisions in transactions where one party has more or better information than the other. This creates an imbalance of power…”  lets not look further for now.  This creates a imbalance of power.  To whom?  Well in favor of the people who has either more or better information or both.  And this you can find it everywhere.  Those who make money on the stock market are the ones who gets the information before the others.  Those who gets the jobs are the ones who know the key hiring people in the company.  Those who get the girls are those who are good in flirting and closing.  Those who get the sales are those who are good in identifying the customer’s needs and hidden motivations… and I could go on like this for a very long time.

So seek to have more information and better information than the counter parties in the field you wish to apply your influence.  There is several questions that you must look for and define for yourself:

1. What information is good information?  Not anything is useful.
2. Where does the information comes from?  And can you have access or better access to it?
3. What channel does the information takes to spread?  Can you channel it?  Can you control it?  Or at least can you increase your speed in getting that information from those channels?
4. What can you do with that information?  How is it useful?
5. What are you willing to do with that information?

Don't get confused between 2. and 3.  In 2 this pertain to where does the information lies and you can get it.  Before anyone if you can.  In 3. this pertain to where does the information go and how if you cannot have direct access to its source, you may develop better ways to collect it once its out.

The last question is very important (number 5.).  You may get information that could be very useful, but using it would go against your values or life principles.  For example the information in question could either hurt someone or put someone in trouble.  And you have to assess if it’s the kind of information that you do want to use in order to further your cause.  Just as long as it stays legal, the important is to like the person you see in the mirror every morning.

The asymmetry of information can be caused by the followings:

-         Geographical location
-         Lack of means to access it

-         Lack of skills

-         Lack of adequate time

-         Lack of adequate capital

-         Status and influence asymmetry

One must be aware of these sources and adress each of them in their own sphere of influence to maximize what one can make of it.  If one don’t, then the door is open for one’s opponent to get ahead in one of those field and get an edge on one.

Link of the week - On the art of winning

No I am not dead.

I haven't posted lately... very busy dealing with... awkward,erratic and totally irrational people.  I shall make an entire post on it... in time.

In the mean time there is no pain in a little study about what are the traits of winning and those who wins.

Here is a link to a must read article on "The art of winning".

Enjoy.

Hegemony to Great power to you

As per Wikipedia, Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon (leader state) rules sub-ordinate states by implied means of power rather than direct military force.  In Ancient Greece (8^th c. BC – AD 6^th c.), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of a city-state over other city-states.  In the 19^th century, hegemony denoted the predominance of one country upon others; from which derives hegemonism, the Great Power politics meant to establish hegemony.

And what is Great power?  Still as per Wikipedia a Great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale.  Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength and diplomatic and cultural influence which may cause small powers to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions of their own.

Now imagine that every individual is a state that has the ability to rule oneself, take one own decision and auto-determine oneself.  I know its hard to do but try for a moment.

Now the individual is in one’s cubicle minding one’s own business.  And here comes the Great power: the boss.  Now why is the boss the Great power?  Because as per wiki’s definition of a Great power, it has military powers (the boss can make you escorted out of the premises); it has economic power (the boss has a definite impact or one’s salary, pay increase/decrease, bonus, or termination of one’s mean of income); it has diplomatic power (the boss can ask the individual in his office and diplomatically ask one to change one’s behaviour or else); and it has cultural powers (the boss can make understand that it is in one’s best interest to wear a tie because that’s the way it goes here.  He doesn’t really know why it is so but it is so and one must comply with the culture).

So the boss has hegemonistic powers over his employees.  Because he “influence” the employees’ behaviour, conduct and productivity.  And the employees (the small powers) will consider the opinion of the great power (aka the boss) before taking action.

Living in such world is not a problem.  But not knowing that you are living in such a world or worst, denying its existence makes you a slave.  Because you will always behave according to the whim of the current Great  power (aka the current boss).  When you are aware of the game that is played you have two choices.  Either you play the game to acquire power.  To that I will refer you to Nietzsche’s Will to power.  Or you can immune your self-state from the Great powers.  On this later one, I shall expose it in a up coming post.   

Don't shoot the messenger - Link of the week

This week only one link.  But a great one.

This is a blog I am following for some times now.  She is a very witty woman with strong opinions and I like her point of view.

I recommend it to anyone.

In her post called "Don`t shoot the messenger"  she goes about talking about people that get mad at people that tells them what is.

Yes you`ve heard it.  There are people out there that asks question and kinda want to ear a specific answer.  Or wants to get a specific outcome.  And if they don`t, they get mad at the mesenger.

Never get yourself into that mind backouts.  How?  This is not an easy task. You have to be in constant vigilence with yourself.  I always say that if someone asks a question or act in a particular way, that persone has to live with the consenquences.

Which I`ve found that most people don`t.  So they blame anyone else but themselves.

Don`t do that.  Always ask yourself first "Where did I go wrong?" Then and only then, if you get that it was not your fault at any level, work to correct the outside probelm.  But not before.