I just stumbled across this stuff at Whole Foods, and yes it is killer! I got the Dave’s Killer Bread sprouted grain variety and have already had 6 slices today….boy was it tasty.

It’s locally made, organic, healthy and Dave’s story is super compelling (it’s on the back of every load). Gotta love that mullet. Go Dave!

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My yoga practice has been progressing very well the past few weeks. I’ve recently rediscovered my breath. This might sound odd since we can’t go more than a minute or so without breathing…but I’ve gotten into this funk during my practice for many months where I just haven’t been concentrating on it.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been making a conscious effort to make a very strong Ujayi breath…it is loud enough where I am certain than those practicing around me can hear it, and they are probably a little disturbed by it!
Ujayi is a breathing technique where you inhale and exhale through the nose, while focusing on channeling the air down the back of your throat in a manner that creates an audible “haaaa” sound. You can learn the technique by imagining that you are fogging up a mirror by exhaling through your mouth, and then close you mouth. Maintain this same sensation on the inhale and exhale.

I’ve noticed that the more I do this, the more I start noticing others doing the same. Breathing loudly and deeply.

Anyway, the more I do this, the better my yoga practice has become. My balance is much better, and I’m able to go much deeper into my poses. I’ve not chanced my practice in any other significant way (same frequency, effort, etc.) so breathing must be the trick!

Related Posts:

• Increase Your Endurance and Reduce Stress With One Simple Technique
• The Cleansing Power of Breath
  
• Meditation and Fasting Retreat Experience
• My Date With Destiny Experience

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I’ve blogged ad nauseam about how the WHY is so much more important than the HOW. In other words, it is the meaning behind what you are doing that is far more important how you carry out the activity. In fact, you could even extend this axiom to imply that the WHY is not only more important than the HOW, but it is more important than WHAT you do as well!

I recently was given a copy of Never Eat Alone, a book on networking by Keith Ferrazzi. I had low expectations for the book, having been through numerous middling works that teach me less than I already know. I’ve been been very pleasantly surprised by Keith’s book. It is full of practical advice and some interesting theories based on his own experience as a young rising star in corporate marketing and consulting fields.

Anyway, Keith has a newsletter service that sends tips based on topics from his book. Today’s tip was very intriguing…referencing a story from Jon Gordon’s book, The Energy Bus;

“There’s a story about when President Lyndon Johnson visited NASA and as he was walking the halls he came across a janitor who was cleaning up a storm, like the Energizer bunny with a mop in his hand. The president walked over to the janitor and told him he was the best janitor he had ever seen and the janitor replied, ‘Sir, I’m not just a janitor. I helped put a man on the moon.’…Even though he was cleaning floors he had a bigger purpose and vision for his life. That is what kept him going and helped him excel in his job…So drive with purpose today and every day and cultivate it in your team and they’ll not only stay on the bus when it’s cruising but they’ll also get out to help push it when it breaks down.”

Wow! This just about floored me. A janitor putting a man on the moon. Puts work in a whole different light doesn’t it? Today, I wasn’t just working on a PowerPoint presentation, I was helping to move Microsoft one step closer to putting opportunity in the hands of every child in the world, through ubiquitous, powerful and affordable computing. Might sound corny, but when you think about it, it is TRUE….and it is VERY MOTIVATING.

What were you helping to accomplish today?

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James wrote an post about Max Levchin, referencing this NY Times article with some details about his past and current endeavors. Max co-founded PayPal in his early 20’s, selling it to eBay shortly after going IPO…for over $1B.

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Source: wYnand!

I know many vegans….that have stopped being vegan. The reasons tend to differ, but the root causes are more similar. Being vegan is not easy, at least not at first. People who initially adopt a vegan way of life can find it difficult to maintain unless they do a lot of homework and have a ridiculously strong will.

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Source: evanleavitt

If there is one common feature that I have observed from successful people, it is that they are willing to accept uncertainty. Uncertainty is a fact of life. We never really know where our next breath will take us, let alone what a switch in career, time away from work, change in relationship or living situation will bring. Successful people might not embrace the fact that uncertainty is a fact of life, but they do ACCEPT IT.

Don’t believe me? Try this little exercise out for yourself.
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This is the second in a series of five posts pertaining to my initial entry “Five Tips For Making Goals That Stick.“Overview. Five Tips For Making Goals That Stick

Part 1. The “WHY” Matters More Than The “HOW”
Part 2. Make Powerful Goals
Part 3. Make Specific Goals
Part 4. Use Peer Pressure To Your Advantage
Part 5. Reference Your Goals Daily

Make Specific Goals

Ambiguity is a major source of fear in our lives. Don’t let this fear keep you from dreaming big and setting big goals. The trick, is to not only set big goals, but to get super-crisp about them. You should do whatever it takes to get clear about what it that you wish to achieve or bring into your life. You should get to the point where you can literally smell, touch, taste, see and feel it. Even better, you should be able to clearly envision yourself having already achieved the goal on a literal and emotional level.

The challenge with doing this is two-fold. First of all, you need to actually figure out what it is that you want. Secondly, you need to develop your mental and emotional “muscles” to the point where you can experience achievement at a very deep level without having actually achieved anything. This is possible for everyone, but it might take a little practice.

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I was reading this post at Tim’s blog, 10 Steps to Becoming an Email Ninja. It has a bunch of great tips to help you deal with e-mail. Where I work, e-mail is by far the preferred mode of communication. It is used, overused and often abused. Even after trimming down all useless email sources, I get 100-200 work-related messages daily. This is not something I am proud of, but it is a fact I must deal with.

Throughout the past 7+ years working there, I’ve adopted a few strategies to help me deal with e-mail overload. Whether you are dealing with hundreds of e-mails daily, or just trying to manage the few weekly messages you get in a more efficient and thorough way, these tips should help.

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This is the second in a series of five posts pertaining to my initial entry “Five Tips For Making Goals That Stick”:Part 1. The “WHY” Matters More Than The “HOW”
Part 2. Make Powerful Goals
Part 3.
Part 4.
Part 5.

Make Powerful Goals

A surefire way to set yourself up for failure, is to not make goals that are incredibly powerful and compelling. If you aren’t motivated about it. If it isn’t something that you would get up early and stay up late for. If it isn’t something that you would do at almost any cost….than how do you expect to put in all the effort to achieve it?

I used to set incremental goals, taking something I did moderately well and just adding to it. I would get very specific and create a plan for achieving the goal….but would quickly lose the motivation to pursue it. I wouldn’t put the goal in a broader perspective. I’d just follow what I was doing in the past and extrapolate into the future.

For example, I’d run 5 miles one day, and decide that my new goal was to run 6 miles at a stretch within the next month. A few weeks into the process, something else more interesting would catch my attention, and I’d forget about my goal altogether.

Sometimes I would achieve the goal, sometimes I wouldn’t….and when I did achieve the goals…I often said “so what!” The more I did this, the more I stopped trying to set goals to begin with. I just started to go with the flow….that’s a definite way to ensure mediocrity! Something nobody should aspire to.

Now, I make it a practice to set really powerful goals. It is OK to have some smaller goals that you know you can achieve, but is the really big things that will keep you motivated and excited. How do you figure out what these big goals should be?

Here is a process I use to come up with life goals that are really worthwhile.

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I saw this post at We Like It Raw, and it references a great NY Times Article about the Maca Root and a Medicine Hunter in Peru. The multimedia slideshow is great.

I started using Maca Root as a new ingredient in my Raw Power Smoothies every day. I was introduced to it after seeing it as an ingredient in my favorite meal replacement drink, Vega.

It’s great for adrenal gland support. Especially useful for people working stressful jobs and exercising intensely and regularly. It helps me sleep much better (it regulates my energy very well) and recover faster. Maca is an “adaptogen,” which means it normalizes body functions, lowering things that need lowering and raising things that need to be elevated.

I buy a powdered form (”Maca Magic” brand), and it has a very neutral taste. Just 1-2 teaspoons are all you need to add to your smoothie or juice.

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Tony Robbins was on Larry King Live yesterday, and though I cannot find the recording online, I have something better…the full transcript! Larry interviewed Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Tony and a few others about diet and health. There are great tips in here.

Check out the full transcript here.

See my last post for a video of Tony’s last appearance on Larry King Live.

Below are highlights focusing on the comments made by Tony:

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Tony was on tonight’s Larry King Live….I wasn’t able to catch it, but saw this clip from last year on the same program. A great conversation. I’ll post this year’s clip when I find it.

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This is the first in a series of five posts pertaining to my initial entry “Five Tips For Making Goals That Stick.“

By “Why,” I am referring to the reasons why you do something and by “How” I am referring to the means for accomplishing that thing.

Accomplishing anything requires some level of motivation. Accomplishing anything, no matter how big or small, requires some internal motivation. Compelling reasons are the driving force behind any action that we do. We eat and drink because they are necessary activities to keep us alive. We carry on some occupation because we require some finances to make our way in this world. We participate in hobbies or sports because we derive some pleasure and a feeling of significance from doing those things.

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Note: there are five follow-up posts to this article….expanding on the ideas below.

Part 1. The “WHY” Matters More Than The “HOW”
Part 2. Make Powerful Goals
Parts 3, 4 and 5 are yet to be written…

It’s about that time year! Everyone is out to make some massive progress on their resolutions for 2008. I went to the gym yesterday and it was totally packed. People were decked out in brand new workout-attire, iPods (even a few Zune’s!) and shoes. Wisdom has shown that these resolution rarely stick, but why not at least give it a shot?This year, take a few steps to make sure that you don’t let your resolutions fall by the way-side.

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Tony Robbins is fond of saying “if you aren’t growing, you’re dying.”

There is a lot of truth to that statement. Most people I know do not make a concerted effort to improve themselves from a personal growth standpoint. They want to get wealthy, have more muscles, less fat, a better relationship (or a relationship period) and all that….but they rarely apply themselves to improve the fundamentals of their persona. The things (behaviors, thought patterns, emotional responses, raw skills, etc.) that will actually help them achieve those wants and needs. Instead they rely on dumb luck and a feeling of entitlement that means they deserve everything and more without having to work for it.

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I’ve written a lot about health and fitness on this blog, but have infrequently ventured into the land of wealth, finances and mastery over your bank account! This is an area of passion for me (I went to school for finance after all) but have rarely brought up these topics with friends or anyone else I socialize with (outside of my vision board activities).

I don’t know why I haven’t ventured into this topic. I’ve certainly applied these skills to my own financial life. I just felt is was inappropriate or taboo to bring up money with others. I know for many people, financial matters are more of a touchy subject than ANY OTHER PART OF THEIR LIVES. People would rather talk with someone they don’t know about inner details of their relationships than even mention their salary! (There is research showing this….just don’t know where I read it).

Anyway, I am going start discussing more topics related to wealth and wealth mastery in this blog. I think it is critical for EVERYONE to at least get a basic knowledge of finance. It doesn’t matter if you are in debt, have no income or are a millionaire. The same rules apply and it doesn’t have to be that hard to get control over your financial matters.

There are also some very simple things that people can do to save more money EASILY, reduce debt and make smarter investment choices. The problem is, 99% of the population does not do these things. It is not because these people are stupid. In many cases it is simply because:

• They are unaware of a better way
• They are aware of an alternative, but think their way is better…or
• (I love this one!) They keep telling themselves they are too busy and will worry about it later!

So…going forward I’ll be sharing some insights and tips I’ve been applying when it comes to financial matters. I’ll also point out some observations I’ve made that might be useful for some of you.

Now….I need to go swimming through my money pit.

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I get asked what I eat on a weekly basis. Most people can’t fathom being vegetarian, let alone vegan. I don’t find it hard at all. Even travelling abroad is a doable thing as vegan, you just need a little preparation and willpower. Here are some of my favorite high protein vegan foods. Unlike meat, these foods all have a fair amount of carbohydrates. This isn’t a problem. It just means that you eat more of them to get enough total protein, while limiting intake of other more carb-rich sources of food (e.g. pasta, rice, bread) to keep overall calories in check. Lastly, I’ve found that when you eat a more balanced diet based on whole foods, your body runs more efficiently and the fat starts to melt off, even though you are ingesting a fair amount of carbs. So here it is, my top ten favorite high protein vegan foods:

1. Tofu: it is a staple of my diet. I’ll go through 32 ounces a week. I try to avoid soy-protein isolates and soy-milk. I prefer to ingest actual soybeans (edamame) or tofu in stir-fry’s and soups.
2. Sprouts: I buy packs of sprouts and take them to work. I prefer the crunchy variety (as opposed to alfalfa or broccoli sprouts). Mung bean sprouts are the best.
3. Black Beans: great in wraps/burritos.
4. Quinoa: It’s a grain that is really high in protein. I eat it in the same way you would eat rice. It has a much lower glycemic index (which means it causes less of an affect on blood sugar) and has a more complete amino acid profile than other grains. The Inca used to subsist on this grain, corn and potatoes for the bulk of their calories.
5. Raw Almonds: I just eat them whenever I feel like a snack. It is better if you soak them for a few hours first. This is supposed to activate enzymes in the raw nuts that helps your body break them down faster/more effectively.
6. Hemp Seed Powder: I don’t use soy protein, and this is a great substitute. It is really high in Omega fatty acids, and tastes much better than soy (in my opinion). I love Manitoba Harvest brand Hemp Protein.
7. Cliff Builder Bars: In a pinch, these do the trick. They also taste really good and have a nice consistency.
8. Soy Dogs: I don’t have a favorite variety, but they cook really fast, are pretty inexpensive and have a % of calories from protein. I’ll usually chop them up and throw them into a stir fry, or just toast them and eat them with ketchup and mustard.
9. Meatless Meatballs: I usually get’s Nate’s variety. Good with any pasta. I’ll usually crush them to make a “meat sauce” with pasta.
10. “Chicken” Patties: I prefer the Boca brand “Chik n Grill” variety. These fake chicken patties that have a more meaty texture. I will just eat a few of these plain with some type of sauce or make a sandwich out of them.  

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I wrote a post last week about my lack of motivation when it comes to weight training. In fact, for the past several months I have been hard pressed to put more than 30 minutes at a stretch in at the gym. I would walk in, do some squats and…and just get bored/tired and leave. This has never been such an issue for me in the past.

At first, I thought it was some issue with my diet. However, I haven’t made any radical changes of late. I thought it might have been an issue with my sleep schedule, but again, nothing really has changed there. Ultimately, I just figured I needed to change the way I lifted, and see what happens.

So starting last week, I made a few changes.

• First of all, I am starting my lifting sessions with 20 minutes slow running on the treadmill. I despise treadmills, but with the cold weather in Seattle right now, it is convenient. My logic was that….I am a good runner, and just getting in the running groove at the start of my workout would have some carry-over to the weight training.
• Next, I changed my lifting routine to minimize downtime. I don’t give myself any time to sit or stand still. In between sets, I will run over and do another exercise. For example, in between each of my three sets of squats, I will do a set of pull ups and push ups (or dips).
• Lastly, I am continuing to focus primarily on compound exercises (those that invovle multi-joint movements like squats, presses, dips, pull ups, rows, dead lifts, etc.).
• From a dietary standpoint, I am also consuming food about 1 hour prior to lifting. This would usually be an energy/protein bar, shake or some fruit (bananas, goji berries) and almonds.
• Outside of the gym, I resumed communication with a few friends who are also weight training pretty hard. I had stopped regular communication with them, and realize that it is much easier to stay motivated when you are not going at it alone.  

So far so good. I am able to do more and my motivation has gone way up. Start my workouts with a 20 minute run is a big help. It makes me break a sweat, and there is something about sweating while lifting that makes you feel like you are working hard, and gives you motivation to work even more!

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I’ve gotten hooked on a series on the Discovery Channel, Everest: Beyond The Limit. You can watch full episodes on the Discovery Channel website, download series 1 (2006) or series (2007) on iTunes, or get the DVD. It’s a great show, full of all the drama and adventure you could every want. Best of all, it’s real.

I am a big fan of mountaineering books and stories, though I have never actually strapped on (or even held) crampons before in my life. I just finished Ed Viestur’s new book, “No Shortcuts To The Top,” detailing his conquest of the world’s 14 highest peaks over 8000 meters, all without bottled oxygen. There’s something about these mountaineering stories, and the extreme effort, patience and long-term planning they require; that are really gripping to read. Even though any expedition has massive logistical and team considerations, there is a huge focus on individual will that just appeals to me in the same way individual pursuits like racing an Ironman or other endurance events have.

I’ve read dozens of accounts of Everest summit attempts, but I never really understood how extreme the effort really was. This show takes you all the way to the top, using helmet cams shots from base camp (using a high powered telescope). What I was also amazed with, was how so many of the adventurers were absolutely clueless about mountaineering, yet expected to summit. Several appeared extremely out of shape, and just plain uncoordinated and unskilled on the mountain.

I can’t imagine how someone could travel to a remote region of the world, spend 3 months and $50K to land on an expedition team….and yet not put in the full effort to at least master the technical skills involved with such a climb. At the same time, the power and strength of the Sherpa people was awe inspiring. They climb ahead of the expedition teams, breaking trail, setting all the fixed ropes (miles and miles worth) up the mountain, and climbing backbreaking loads. In many cases, top Sherpa crew members will summit several times in a single season! They are the real heros of the story.

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