Coach Kip

Once the decision is made to be healthy is made it is up to your mind and body to work together to achieve your goals. It does not matter if your goal is to lose weight, to get in shape, or just to feel better about yourself it takes both parts of you to make it happen.

The first and most important thing that you have to do is to get the right mindset. It is your mind after all that makes all the decisions about everything you do. It is your mind that you need to use to get your body into the shape and the look you want.

Diets don’t work

If you simply decide that you want to lose weight and go on a diet the mind is really not active. You want your body to be a part of it but what always happens with every diet? Sometime along the way we all say to ourselves ‘I can cheat just a little’ and that just a little turns into a lot and your body suddenly becomes worse off than it was before. How can this happen? Your mind was not involved, your body was, but your mind was on auto pilot. It was not ready for the change. Your mind controls everything.

So your mindset:

• Have a Positive Attitude — Your mind needs to have things positive in order to work effectively. Your mind has to set a positive attitude about what you are trying to achieve. Be happy about your new body. Be happy to be able to get outside and have a good sweat. Don’t make it a chore, you will eventually not want to do it. Make it fun. Run with a smile on your face. Eat right with a positive attitude “This carrot is going to make me healthier, and stronger, than I was before”. It may sound a little funny but it works. Even if you have to fool yourself for a little while do it with feeling and you will be successful.

• Believe That It Can Be Done — We all know those people out there who say “I can never loose weight” well guess what, they won’t. If you really believe that you can loose weight, be more fit, feel better you will. It is a matter of belief. You can do it, and your mind will lead the way.

• Focus on your Goal — If your goal is to lose 20 pounds then focus on that one thing very intently. Don’t worry about how your belly looks. Don’t look for bigger bicepts or sculpted legs. If your goal is to lose 20 pounds then focus only on the weight loss. If your goal on the other hand is to have nice long slender legs that have good muscle tone, then focus only on making your legs look good. Set a goal and stick to it until you achieve it.

So we have a goal, we have a positive attitude about the goal, we believe that it can happen, and we are focused. We have not even started on the body. In reality once you have to proper mindset the body is the easy part. It is the part that is happy to do what you want to. Your body wants to be in a good fit state. Everyone knows that their body feels better when it is healthy. So be healthy.

Your Bodyset:

• Eat Right — Eating right is the first step to a more healthy you. You don’t need to diet, again diets don’t work. Just eat right. You know what is right. You know that prepackaged food is not healthy. You want to know how to buy the right food? It is simple, shop around the outside of the grocery store. The stuff that is bad for you is in the isles of the store. If instead you shop around the outside of the store, that is the area with the fresh food, fresh meat, and dairy you will be well on your way to eating right.

• Exercise — Sorry you couch potatoes you have to get off your butt get out of the house and do some activity. Any activity is better than no activity. Here is the key…MAKE IT FUN. You don’t have to go out and kill yourself to get some exercise. You don’t have to make laps around the same neighborhood. Get outside and get moving. Go to a festival the next town over and walk around. Find hiking trails. Get out with the kids and play basketball, or throw a baseball, or heck take a camera and walk until you find the perfect picture to take. It does not have to kill you, any activity is better than no activity.

• Enjoy The Time — For many of us the only time we have to ourselves is when we get out and exercise. Enjoy your quiet time by yourself. Get an MP3 player, download a good book and listen to it as you are exercising. Heck just listen to the birds, to nature. Find a place with activity and just relax and enjoy yourself. This is your time feel good about it.

Get your mind right and your body will follow. Then enjoy yourself and your new body, it will be there before you know it.

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It is almost impossible for me to pass up a good contest, so I have entered one at Site Flip University (http://www.siteflipu.com). Bryan Clark is the webmaster and has a great site going.  See the contest here:

http://siteflipu.com/30-days-of-site-flipping-contest/

The contest is to get an original site up and running and attracting visitors within 30 days.  It does seem like a long time, but to get some good visitors it is no time at all.

So here is my entry Professor Prosperity (http://www.professorprosperity.com)

How can you help?  Sign up for my feed, and visit often.  This may be against contest rules, but if you are not cheating (or maybe just bending the rules a little bit) you are not trying .

Here is my competition:

http://blogfluff.com

http://acthighbrow.com

http://traveltipsdigest.com

http://gogreenlifestyle.net/

http://reggae-artists.com

http://bloggerssearch.com

http://frugalzeitgeist.com/

Again vote for me by subscribing to my RSS feed and my soon to be email list.  Also don’t forget my competitors.  Visit them also there are a lot of very talented people out there.

Conceive It, Believe It, Achieve It

Coach Kip

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“Poor people have jobs, Rich and Successful people have careers.” - Colin Cowherd ESPN Radio

I heard this over the radio one day and it took me a while to figure out what he meant. It was one of those days where I just had a few minutes to tune into the radio. As soon as I turned it on I heard this. I don’t know what lead up to this statement but it struck me and stuck with me.

I brought up this statement with my students, most of whom fall into the poor or poverty social class, and they all understood exactly what I was saying.

I explained it like this:

Poor people have jobs. They work for money and nothing else. So what happens? Is a person who makes $250,000 a year poor? Maybe not by money standards but what is their life like? How much do they work? How much do they enjoy themselves?

If they just have a job that pays well they are probably not completely happy. Actually if they are like most of us they have a job that they just don’t like. It is nice to make a lot of money but are they happy?

What is the sense of making a lot of money when all they do is work? Then what happens? When people work in a job that they are not happy in they need to supplement this unhappiness with something. Some buy toys, a bigger house, new cars, and more. Then what happens? They have to keep working to pay it off. Some are more destructive and turn to alcohol or drugs. Still others take their frustrations out on others.

Rich and successful people have careers. What do they work for? They typically don’t work for money, they get money as a result of their effort and their hard work. Instead of working for money they work to learn. They learn what it takes to get to the next step. That next step may be the next rung up the corporate ladder (something I have no interest in). For some the next step is to open their own business. For others it simply is a case of lifelong learning.

These people may not be rich with money, but they are rich and successful with their life. They are happy because they are doing things that they love to do. They are successful not because they work hard, but because they enjoy their work. Since they enjoy their work they tend to spend more time with it, and they tend to do a better job.

So what are you doing? Are you happy with your job? If you are maybe you should begin to learn and turn it into a career. What is the next step? Where will it take you in the future? If you are just starting out don’t worry about the money right now. If you work for money you will rarely get ahead. If you work for your career then you will find the opportunities will come to you and you will get paid soon. The money comes as a secondary result of how well you develop your career.

Be patient, I know it is hard, I fell into those same traps, but there is a payoff in the end.

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Well it has been quite hectic around here. As most of my readers know we are getting together funds, sponsors, advertisers to purchase a boat so that we can live on it for the next 15 months to two years. It should be a great experience.

My favorite question is where are you going to live? Duh on a boat. We will not really have a harbor to call home. We plan on traveling much of the time, meet new people, and expand our knowledge. (Check us out at TrekkingAround.com).

In doing this it has really made me keep things in prospective. There really is no need to have all this extra junk. It made me realize that I was working for possessions, for junk. Why did I need all that stuff? I have a nice little townhouse that is now for sale. That was good for me. I would have liked to have been in a nicer part of town but I was living on a golf course. The problem was that I was spending all my time working and spending money on possessions that I did not need. Half of the time I would get a bill for something that I did not even know I had. I had no idea why I bought it and I had no idea where I put it. It was terrible. I was working to pay off credit card debt, house debt, student loans, car loans, and trying to keep up with all the bills. Bills are not hard but they tend to change from time to time. Sometimes they change the due date on them, and if you are not paying close attention then you miss that change. Not a very good thing.

So we had a fire sale. Everything must go and what does not go is given away. Yes my wife gave away a little too much but that is OK.

Without all these distractions I have been able to focus. To really focus. With out all these distractions I have become refamiliar with what I really want.

That may be a good practice for you to. Get away from the things that are distracting you. If you are not happy go somewhere so that your distractions are gone. Go to a quiet park, go to the beach, take a drive into the country and stop on the side of a little used road.

Then think. Take a pad of paper and think. Think of what it is that you really want. Think of what you can do without. How bad do you want it? What are you willing to do to make the change? Are you willing to change?

Einstein “Doing the same thing over and over expecting something different is the definition of insanity.”

What is it that I want? I will post more at another time but basically it boils down to this. I want enough money to be able to travel with my wife, play golf, play on a boat, and enjoy life before I have to retire and I am too old to really enjoy life.

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What can Top Coaches teach you?

All top coaches are different. That is usually what makes them a top coach. Whether it is Coach Krzyzewski at Duke, Coach Belichick at New England, or your high school coach like , they all have a few of the same characteristics that we can learn from.

Set Goals

All coaches work around setting goals. They also set goals in a particular order: Biggest to Smallest. The biggest goal is always the same: Win a Championship. After they have set this goal and made it public they then forget about it. What good coaches do is set as big a goal as possible. Then they set goals that will lead up to that big goal. Once the goals are set they work only on the next step or the next goal. They completely forget about the biggest goal and focus intently on the task at hand. By doing this they are consistently the best in their sport.

Have a Plan

Once goals are set all coaches sit down and plan. They do their best to outline the best plan that they can. They also know that even the best laid plans can go out the window once the action begins. The point is not that they have a plan just to have one, but they make the plan flexible enough that it can change. I would recommend that everyone go to a big time college, or a pro practice someday. Most have open practices at some point. Watch how rigid the time is kept, how players and coaches move from task to task in a fluid motion. Notice how much they can get done in a planned two hour time frame. It is very impressive.

Practice Then Perform

Once the goals are set they reflect on what is needed now. Then they practice those skills that are needed for the next step. While practicing these skills they know that it will lead them to achieving the next goal, and ultimately the ultimate goal. Once they have practiced they perform. They know that without practice they will not be able to perform to their highest standard. They also know if they do not have to perform at some point they will never get better. Practice hones skills, performance makes champions.

Reevaluate

Once they perform all good coaches take time to reflect on what is needed next. They reset small goals, evaluate themselves, their assistants, and their team on whether or not they reached any of the preliminary goals. Many great coaches will win games and be completely disappointed in their performances because they did not reach goals that were set. Remember small goals are set to reach bigger goals. They can perform and win, but if they do not reach the goals that they have set for themselves then they set up their practices and new goals so that when they perform again they can reach their goals.

Never Give Up

Many times in games when the top coaches teams are winning by a large margin you will hear the commentators saying ‘look that coach is coaching right to the end’. It is part of never giving up. It is part of doing everything for one reason, to become the best that they can be. They also know that one loss or one setback does not make the entire season. Seasons are long. There are not many sports where you have to be perfect to be able to win the championship. If there is a setback and goals are not reached they do a simple thing, practice harder, push more, work harder, but never ever give up.

Recruit the Best

All coaches know that they cannot do it alone. They all need good assistants and good players. I have heard it said ‘We can sit around a talk X’s and O’s all day and we would get a lot accomplished. But when it comes down to it if your X’s and O’s are bigger, faster, and stronger than my X’s and O’s then I don’t have much of a chance of winning’. The same can be true for you. It does not matter if you are trying to make yourself better in business, or if you are just trying to make yourself the best you can be if you have yourself surrounded by losers it is going to be difficult to make yourself better. Surround yourself with winners, surround yourself with the best people possible. You control your own destiny, decide what you want and find similar people to help you achieve those goals.

Watch and observe. You can learn a lot about life from many many different sources.

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Life takes place in a 6 inch space. That is the space between your ears. Life happens in your brain, and your brain only. It is your choice to have and do what you want. You make the decisions either consciously or unconsciously. You control everything you do by your big, beautiful, wonderful, brain.

Garbage In Garbage Out. So why do you do some of those things that bring you things that you don’t want. Garbage In Garbage Out. Look at what you watch on TV. Is it good? Does it have a strong positive message? Do you feel good about yourself after you have watched it? Is it worth watching after all? Most shows on TV do not have a good message. Sitcoms may make you laugh for the half hour that they are on, but what is the humor. It is usually slapstick, and put-down humor. So what do you do when you see your friends? You use slapstick and put-down humor. Sure it was funny when you saw it last night, but is it funny when you put-down a friend just to humor yourself. I hope not. Don’t worry they are probably used to it since it is a good chance that they saw the same show. Garbage In Garbage Out.

Now what if you put some good information into yourself last night. What if you read a good book, or a good blog. What if you looked up some things on YouTube like I posted a few days ago. What if instead of spending $50-$100 a month in cable fees you spent the money on a good personal coach. Maybe a Tony Robbins lecture, or heck maybe you sent an email to Coach Kip to see if he would be willing to chat with you. Positive In Positive Out. What if you gave your friend a compliment the first time you saw them. ‘Hey buddy, nice shirt, where did you get it?’ They may take offense to it at first, expecting a put-down on the other side, but they will get used to it. What if every time you saw them you complimented them? What would happen when your car wouldn’t start the next town over. Would they come. Absolutely they would.

It is up to you to decide. You have to make a conscious effort to help your unconscious brain perform the way you want it to.

Conceive It, Believe It, Achieve It

Coach Kip

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Where does inspiration come from? Is it something you read, some one you listen to, is it in nature? I think that inspiration comes from you!

Thats right. I think that inspiration comes from inside you. For example. I don’t know how much you read but I read a lot. For the last year and a half I have read almost nothing but business books, success books, and self development books. It may sound boring, but I have a long way to go to get to where I am want to be, besides it is a lot less expensive than a shrink.

So what do I get out of it? I am glad you asked. I get what I need to get at that time. OK that was a little complicated what does that mean?

First I have observed that most books have the same message. So why do I keep reading them over and over again? First off the voice of the writer, or the style of the writing, sometimes strikes a chord when said by one author, but means completely nothing when a different writer says the same thing. When I read Donald Trump’s Think Big and Kick Ass I begin to think big. But when I read Russell Simmons Do You! and he says think big, it does not hit me the same way. Why? Because when I read Donald Trump that is what I expect to get. I was not expecting that from Russell Simmons. I was expecting to get some more insight into my students and hopefully see things they way they do. Instead I got a whole lot more. Russell Simmons had a completely different message saying the same things that I read from everyone else. BTW It is a fantastic book and everyone should read it.

Second, while I am reading a book I may not be ready for the message that the author is trying to tell me. I could read it 100 times but if I am not ready for the message I will never get it. So when people tell me I should not read all those books because they all say the same thing I tell them “Yes but I was not paying attention to the last one.” I wasn’t. I was not ready for the message so I missed it.

Book clubs, and book discussions are a great place to get something that you did not get before. I never really liked Oprah before. I didn’t get her and I really thought that is was just a place where women went to get their daily instruction. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t watch her every day, but my wife watches her often, and when the topic interests me I will tune in for a little while. So I was convinced to join the online discussion on A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (Oprah’s Book Club, Selection 61). What a great experience! For those of you who are not doing so it is not too late to join. We are only on Chapter 2 and you can download all the discussion at Oprah.com in video or podcast form. I get so much more listening to others talk about the book. It is a fantastic experience.

So what is the point? Keep reading, keep learning. Maybe you were not quite ready for the for the message the first time you read or hear something. But maybe now you are. Read as many books as possible, read them often, and re-read them. Take time for yourself to learn. You never know how successful you may become.

Conceive It, Believe It, Achieve It

Coach Kip

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I have just recently discovered an interesting thing about myself. At Christmas break I announced to the school that I will not be returning after this semester. I resigned my coaching position and informed the administrators that they will need to find a new Algebra teacher. It was a relief, it was exhilarating, and it was scary all th the same time. It was a big step toward achieving my goals, and that is working from home and being a stay at home dad (no I don’t have kids yet but we are practicing a lot).

Here is the interesting thing. I was worried about me not focusing on my students and getting them to pass the end of the year test. The last year I had the highest scores and it is very important to me to stay that way. By resigning I was afraid that it would not be as important to me as in the past. Kind of like when the commentators talk about a lame duck coach who has just one year left on a contract.

Now I am even more motivated and excited to do well on the tests. My goals have become higher and I am more motivated to achieve. So where does the motivation come from?

Some people are motivated internally. They have a drive and goals that matter only to them. To them it is personal. It is something that they have to achieve just to achieve. Awards, accolades, and money are not relevant.

Some people are motivated externally. They have a drive and goals that are motivated by fame, fortune, and awards. It is the result that matters more. That is what is important to them.

So which is better? It depends what you want. I have found that I am more motivated by things that are important to me. Being the best teacher in school comes with no awards, and no rewards. I don’t get a plaque or a raise. So why is it important to me? Ego? In some cases that may be it. Not me. To me it is being my best.

If you want a big house, a fast car, and more money than you can spend then being externally motivated may be right for you. But how do you get there? To be externally motivated that desire must be an absolute burning desire. It must be so large and so important that you cannot live without it. If that desire is not that strong then maybe you need to look at something else.

Did you ever wonder why you want something so bad but you have a hard time motivating yourself to do something about it? Maybe you don’t really want that thing. Maybe you are focusing on the wrong thing.

So if it is important to you to be your best, to do your best, and be the best of whatever it is that you are doing it is far more important to be internally motivated. The reward comes from the hard work and the accomplishment. The reward is the feeling you get from a job well done and accomplishment. Do these include riches, and nice cars? Well usually not immediately but the rewards will come. Keep working, keep achieving and you will get your rewards in the end. And it will feel so much better!

Conceive It, Achieve It, Believe It

Coach kip

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While trying to develop my other sites I have been looking for opportunities to monetize my site. Of course I do have some banner ads, I have some text ads. I have tried a few other programs but I don’t seem to be able to earn more than a few cents a day. It has been a slow go. Clearly not enough to get to my goal. In the mean time I have been doing a lot of other work to earn an income that will sustain me for a long time. I guess my biggest lesson that I have learned is that, just like anything else, a true income is slow going. There does exist get rich quick schemes, but for the most part it is a long sustained effort that will make a true income.

I have found a few good steady sources of income that will get you through a few days or a few weeks until you can get a true steady income source.

PayPerPost is always a great place to go to get some income. There are many opportunities there that have income possibilities that range in income from a few bucks to several hundred dollars. You get to pick and chose what to blog about and accept only those that you feel are appropriate for you. Simply find a site or a product that fits your personality and your blog and then write about it. As long as you meet a few simple criteria you will get paid.
It is a simple and fair system. One that works really well. I certainly prefer this to trying to do affiliate marketing. I think that some will see it as the same, and to some maybe that is true. To me it is more like seeing a good movie. You go tell your friends about that movie right? You say “Hey you really got to see this movie, it is great” then you go on to tell them all the good things about the movie without giving anything away. It is the same with PayPerPost. Find something you like. Tell people about it, and you get a little kickback. I wish the movie theaters would give me a kickback every time I told someone about a movie I liked. I would be a thousandaire by now.
Of course when your blog reaches certain levels you can begin to set your own price. At this level you can make a nearly unlimited amount of income. Now instead of you having to sift through all the different opportunities you can sit back and wait for them to come to you. Ahhh the joy of a steady income and the ability to hold the power.

There are a lot of income possibilities out there. I think that one of the problems that a lot of bloggers have, including me, is that they try to hard to make their site profitable. It is my belief and experience that if you simply write about what you enjoy and what you like then the monetization will come. Simply be you. People like it when you are not fake or transparent. They like real. They like you. The money will come from you being you.

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