So now, it’s my turn to approach the bar. If I lower the bar first, then I must lower the bar for everyone. Since this bar has been set for such a long time and many have already been challenged by it, it would be unfair to lower it just for myself. I have decided to keep the bar where it’s at… Now as I run toward the bar, I think to myself, “Will I make it?”

…

I sure hope so. If I don’t, I will try and try again. This is a lesson well learned. Thanks, Stan.

To get myself into bed earlier, I’m going to eliminate the thing that keeps me up. So what keeps me up? It’s the computer (with internet access)!

What am I going to do? I’ve set an alarm on my BlackBerry for 9pm (1 hour before bed time) to inform me that all connectivity devices are to be turned off. There are no exceptions! If I’m in the middle of typing up a blog post, I would have to save it, turn off the laptop, and complete it another day. If I’m sexting some random that I met at a party, the phone is going to be turned off. Too bad! If I’m watching a really good YouTube video, I’m not even going to let it finish playing! Okay, I most likely would watch the remainder of it, but if there are 10 minutes left, then I’ll watch it another day. I’m going to give this a try and hopefully my will power remains strong, resulting in at least 7 hours of sleep every night.

You can do the same. What’s your biggest distraction from bed?

Here’s an example (private details hidden):
TD Green Visa – 1-800-983-8472 or 416-307-7722 (Collect)
BMO Mosaik MasterCard – 1-800-263-2263 or 514-877-0330 (Collect)
Driver’s Licence – Visit Office
Shoppers Optimum Card
TD Canada Trust Access Card – 1-866-222-3456
Citi Enrich MasterCard – 1-800-387-1616 or 416-947-2900 (Collect)
Student Card
Public Library Card
Business Cards
Scene Card
Insurance Card
Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Card
Heart Saver (A) Card
Health Card – Visit Office
Smart Serve Certificate Card

Hopefully, this will help you avoid panic and will give you a peace of mind when you go out, partying hard!

Then, when the Earth begins to warm, when the water is no longer clean to drink, when there are no fish in the sea, when there is no evidence of beautiful corals, when it becomes difficult to breath, and when the grass is no longer green, what will those people outside of the biodome do? They will want admittance. It is likely that they will force entry as their lives are at risk. But no, they are not invited. Entering the biodome will cause a disequilibrium. They did not take action. They exploited, they consumed, and they depleted the Earth’s resources. Their lifestyle was unsustainable. It will be too late.”

You need to take action. We need to take action. Now.

I have come to two conclusions:
1) caregiving isn’t easy
2) I wouldn’t mind being a house husband

1) Caregiving is very difficult. Helping the elderly requires patience. There is huge responsibility and plenty to do. Caregiving includes everything from cleaning, changing clothes, using your fingers as a shoehorn, preparing food/medication, and accident prevention. I can’t do it full-time. Furthermore, I learned that I don’t want to get weak. That’s why I have My Training Plan.

2) On the other hand, there’s the house husband who takes care of the young and the house. Seriously, I wouldn’t mind staying inside to take care of some kids and to do household chores. With the free time, I could produce videos, read, teach, play, improve the house, and learn new things. In addition, I like to challenge the norm (although the norm is changing to dual income families). With my obsessive compulsive personality traits (OCPTs) and minimalistic approach, the place would be spotless. It’ll be nice with bed sheets folded, floors mopped, lawn mowed, dishes cleaned, and children happy. Consequently, there would be one significant disadvantage. It would mean giving up my ideas and my dreams. I would be unable to cause positive externalities or improve the community. I’ll just be a house husband, but for the wife, I might actually do just that. So who wants to bring home some money and put food on the table?

Haha, this is definitely an interesting topic. What are your thoughts about house husbands? If you’re a woman, would you want your husband to stay at home? If you’re a man, would you be a house husband?

I think that we’ve been quite adaptive with stress because it can be useful in so many situations, but stress is now a common occurrence in our everyday lives. With such busy lives, it’s not easy removing all the stressors. We simply live with too much stress. In the past, people felt stressed when they were hungry or in danger. Today, people feel stress on the drive to work, at work, and at home.

Since stress can be harmful, let’s take a look at what we can do to reduce it:

• Reduce commute time – traffic is a stressor, more time to do other things is a relief
• Schedule some “me” time to do what you enjoy
• Spend time with family and friends – socializing helps
• Work to eliminate stressors
• De-clutter your environment
• Write things down
• Manage your time
• Listen to music
• Exercise for 30 minutes a day
• Plan ahead
• Sleep

Lastly, have confidence because you can do it!

Emotions are useful because it makes us do things that protect ourselves or close others. Sometimes these actions can be irrational, so emotions can go overboard quite easily. The key is to understand our emotions and to use them to our advantage. Many of our decisions are based on how we feel about it. Believe it or not, emotions have a huge influence in decision making for most people including myself.

In decision making, emotion acts as extra weighting toward certain options. Look at the following example, with ‘x’ as emotion:

The intensity of the emotion is variable. Emotion tied to one reason that supports a ‘Yes’ decision:
Yes = x(Reason 1) + (Reason 2) + (Reason 3)
No = (Reason 1) + (Reason 2) + (Reason 3)

In our decisions, if we know the intensity of ‘x’ and its location, we can consciously minimize its affect on our decision-making process. Some decisions are made better without certain emotions such as fear, anger, jealousy, anxiety, and even courage in some cases. If it’s anger, the best way to minimize it is to take some time to calm down.

Moreover, if it’s a decision that will directly or indirectly affect another person, it’s best to empathize. Understand how it would affect the other person and how it would make them feel. This is very important because your decision reflects your character.

Here are some important questions to ask:

• Why am I making this decision? Who does it benefit?
• How do/would I feel about this decision?
• How do/would other people feel about this decision?
• Am I being too irrational? Do I need to calm down?
• If I make this decision, would I be comfortable telling everyone about it?

From an evolutionary perspective, we have emotions because it has to be useful in some ways. Emotions make us do things that we wouldn’t normally do. In a way, it makes us human. For example, it could influence us to splurge on new products, treat our partners better, or harms others. As we can see, emotions can be both beneficial and harmful. We should get in touch with our feelings, understand them, and manage them when necessary.

My Main Goals:

• Build 30 lbs of muscle mass over 3 years (10 lb/year, 3.33 lb/season, 0.83 lb/month)
• Visible Rectus Abdominis
• Broader shoulders (Trapezius and Deltoids)

My Mass Builder Exercise Plan

My plan consists of total body workouts using mainly compound movements with emphasis on shoulders, chest, and abs to meet my goals. Although power lifting techniques are the best, I did not include them because they are difficult and I don’t want to hurt myself. I will consider trying them when I’m stronger. I keep a workout log and if I notice improvements, I will increase the weight. I understand that this plan is not perfect, but I have tried upper/lower body splits and push/pull/leg splits and they haven’t worked well for me. I also don’t do squats everyday because my knees are bad. Any suggestions are welcome.

Day 1:
Bench Press
Deadlift
Military Press
Chin Ups
Rows
Abs (2 exercises, 3 sets of 15-25 reps each)

Day 2:
Bench Press
Deadlift
Military Press
Inclined Dumbbell Press
Side Lateral Raise
Rear Lateral Raise

Day 3:
Squats
Bench Press
Military Press
Flies
Reverse Barbell Curls
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
Abs (3 exercises, 3 sets of 15-25 reps each)

Ab Exercises:
Push (Serratus) Crunches
Hanging Leg-Hip Raises (can also be done straight leg)
Inclined Twisting Crunches
Leg Lifts
Jack-knife Sit-ups
Cable Kneeling Crunches
Dumbbell Side Bends (Obliques)

My Diet:
I don’t have a detailed diet plan, but I eat 4-5 times a day and it includes these foods:
protein powder (post workout only)
chicken breasts
tuna sandwiches
turkey sandwiches
roast beef sandwiches
cereal
rice
broccoli
cauliflower
apples
bananas
oranges

Once I hit a plateau, I will return to my original push/pull split to focus on certain body parts. Now I just have to be consistent, eat a lot, and hit the gym 3 times a week. Wish me luck!

The University of Waterloo has always been an entrepreneurial institution, beginning with the co-operative education program. The university is now recognizing the need for entrepreneurs and is providing entrepreneurs with a jump start through CBET. Furthermore, the Laurel Centre for Social Entrepreneurship is bringing positive change into play, offering lectures, conferences, and a mentorship program. The university is also renovating a residence to create an incubator student residence called VeloCity.

Ladies and Gentlemen… It is time for achievement. It is time for creativity. It is time for improvement. Most importantly, it is time for radical change. The time has come for entrepreneurs. Get out there and change the world!