Enjoy Your Weekend...
- God's Man

So here we are at the end of another 30 Day Trial Challenge. I am writing this message from a medicine-induced haze. I hurt my ankle a few days ago and had been fighting the pain as I walked. Finally it started to swell and so I went to the doctor and he prescribed some pain/swelling meds. They are helping but they leave me in this oofy state.

I want to talk with you about finishing strong because I think a lot of times when we get close to the finish line we slow up and coast across with a smile. Is that really the best way to do it? Isn't it better to boost across the line removing all doubt that you put your all into it. No matter what you took on over the last 30 days, you need to press on with energy and passion.

So time for a retrospective

What Went Well

• I enjoyed taking on a bigger challenge.
• The daily tasks allowed me to focus on different positive changes (Stayed Fresh)

• Working out made my days go better What Needs To Be Changed

• No more challenges during heavy periods of work. (Church Build out)

• No more than 2 goals attacked in one trial. (I did 4 this time)
• More consistent posting

• More sleep ;)What Needs To Be Added

• Create posts ahead of time. (Auto posting of 5 minute drills worked well)

• Set time to post earlier in the day. (Will allow more to follow)
• Create email group so non-facebook folks can be alerted to new posts.
• Auto ping new posts. (Post -> Bit.ly -> Ping) So how did all of you do during this trial? What worked and what didn't?

For the Nerds
Here are some blogging specific tidbits from this 30 Day Trial
Compared to the previous 30 days of blog traffic

• 639 Visits +67% increase
• 1130 PageViews +128% increase
• 00:02:04 Average Time on Site + 253% increase
• 39% increase in Ad revenue
• 29% decrease in Ad CTR (Click Through Rate)Go Go Go

P.S. I will be posting my remaining task items as 5 minute drills over the next few days.

So today was a day of flexibility. I had an expectation of how my time would be spent today but after a shift here and a turn there I didn't get started on my "important task" until way late. Sorry about that last sentence but it is what it is.

So here is my list today

don't slouch I nailed this one by staying on a ladder for most of the afternoon. I also am sitting up straight as I type this message. Did you know that sitting up straight also helps to strengthen your core. Bonus!
keep healthy Did I mention about how I am strengthening my core by sitting up straight. I also spent some time laying on a couch which actually burns calories. ;) Seriously though I had a healthy dose of pulling wires and climbing ladders today.

act naturally Do you act differently depending on who you are around? If you find yourself switching from group to group I would recommend that you change that. I know that we want to fit in with everyone. I know that we don't like to make people uncomfortable. I know that we don't think people want to know the real you but it is better in the long run to remove the mask. I try very hard not to make this shift. I have noticed in the few years since we have moved back to MD, that I switch when I am around my old friends. I lapse back into old habits becuase I don't want to offend others by not being interested in what they are doing. The funny thing is that many of my friends know that I have made some changes so they remind me that this is not who I am now. In some cases they don't even invite me along. So be authentic and be open to what the results of that may be.
read booksThis is super easy for me. I am a book hole so I have one either playing in the car or in my hand. I am reading through Think and Grow Rich right now. Hence the last two posts. Great book on how to achieve any outcome. Personal Achievement is possible and repeatable. There are clear cut steps to making it happen.

As for my other two trials I nailed them today. Lots of movement and no purchases today. So how are you doing today?

Go Go Go

When Henry For decided to produce his famous V-8 motor, he chose to build an engine with the entire eight cylinders cast in one block. For instructed his engineers to produce a design for the engine. The design was drawn up on paper but the engineers agreed, to a man, that is was simply impossible to cast an eight-cylinder engine in one piece.

Ford said, "Produce it anyway." "But," the replied, "it's impossible!""Go ahead," Ford commanded, "and stay on the job until you succeed. No matter how much time is required"So the engineers went ahead. Six months went by. Nothing happened. Another six months passed, and still nothing. The engineers tried every conceivable plan to carry out the orders, but the thing seemed out of the question. "Impossible!"At the end of the year Ford again checked with his engineers. And again they told him they had found no way to carry out his orders."Go right ahead," said Ford. "I want it, and I'll have it." They went ahead, and then, as if by a stroke of magic, the secret was discovered.One of the principles that the 30 Day Trial draws out of us is desire. How badly do you really want it? How much do you want it? What price are you willing to pay? Post will be late today as I will be at the church for much of today.

Go Go Go

Shortly after Mr. darby received his degree from the "University of Hard Knocks," he witnessed something that proved to him that no does not necessarily mean NO.

One afternoon he was helping his uncle grind wheat in an old-fashioned mill. The uncle operated a large farm on which a number of sharecropper farmers lived. Quietly the door was opened, and a small child, the daughter of a tenant, walked in and took her place near the door.

The uncle looked up, saw the child, and barked at her roughly, "What do you want?"

Meekly, the child replied, "My mom says to send her fifty cents."

"I'll not do it," the uncle retorted. "Now you run on home." But she did not move.The uncle went ahead with his work, not noticing that she did not leave. When he looked up again and saw her still standing there, he said, "I told you to go on home! Now go, or I'll take a switch to you." But she did not budge.The uncle dropped a sack of grain he was about to pour into the mill hopper, and started toward the child.

Darby held his breath. He knew his uncle had a fierce temper. When the uncle reached the spot where the child was standing, she quickly stepped forward one step, looked up into his eyes, and screamed at the top of her voice, "MY MOM'S GOTTA HAVE THAT FIFTY CENTS!"The uncle stopped, looked at her for a minute, put his hand in his pocket, took out half a dollar, and gave it to her.

The child took the money and slowly backed toward the door, never taking her eyes off the man whom she had just conquered.How committed are you to the goals, dreams, and aspirations that you hold for yourself? How committed are you to the vision you have? How about this challenge? It is around this time that I know I start to question whether I should continue through this process. It never fails. Around 10-15 days in I start to have the quitting thoughts. I start to look for the excuses that could pull me away. I start to allow other people and circumstances start to point me in another direction. Case in point, I could have worked out today but when my wife called and said let's get together for lunch. I used the excuse of, "I would be upset if you turned me down for exercise so I blew my workout off." I knew that she would understand because of how important her own workouts are to her. Plus she enjoys knowing that I am working out. ;)

Then I spent the rest of the afternoon not posting when I plenty of time to do it. I wasted time and soon I was leaving for home, then outside playing with my girls, then I tried to do bath time but my wife stopped me. Then I remembered reading the story I copied above and I thought about that little girl who would stop at nothing to acheive her goal. My goals are too important, my dreams are too important, my commitment is too important.

So here we are. Here are my tasks for today

Share LaughterSo most of today was spent in laughter as it is Friday and the guys and gals at work were completely out of control. One of my co-workers dropped off a gerbil in a karate gi at my desk. When you squeeze his hand he sings "Everybody was Kung-fu Fighting" and spins nunchucks that are attached to his hand. Everyone on my team got a kick out of it and one of the other team leads later snuck in and stole him from me. We also got into a discussion about curmudgeony old men while talking about the Skip Gates story. I mention that my grandfather would have had a much worse response than he did but it would have nothing to do with race. My granddad was very excitable. He would have just been mad to have been disturbed.Look ForwardI did some dreaming today. When I wasn't laughing I started to think about some ideas that I have had in the last few weeks. I think that the time of perculating is getting close to being complete. They are popping up too frequently now. I am excited and scared at the same time.
Be Approachable
This is an easy one for me. I have worked hard at being open. I look forward to people coming up and talking to me. If I notice someone holding back I go out of my way to make them feel welcome. Just like my Dad, I have never met a stranger. If you see me out, come over and say hi.

As for my other goals, I am happy to say that I chased my daughters around and went for a wlk over to the park. I don't think this is the same as my normal laps in the pool but I am counting it at physical activity. ;) Ok maybe I'll give myself 1/2 a point.

For cash only I am still not acheiveing this one. TOday my family surprised me for lunch so we all went out for lunch and I used the debit card to pay for it. So no on that one.

What about you? Where are you today? I wonder why only a few of you posted yesterday. Maybe this message should have come yesterday. ;)

Go Go Go