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Fresh New Cut & More Work!

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Weds. July 18, 2018 

Move it, move it! 

After 4 days of waking up at 4:30 in the morning I love shifting over to dinner. I like getting out early but not at the cost of my sleep. Being able to wake at 11am will win every time. I do not mind working night shifts. 

When I woke up I continued my laundry quest from yesterday. I had two more loads to complete but only got through one. Unfortunately the basement to my house has a slight electrical issue that we cannot figure out. For many many years the washer and dryer were able to run simultaneously without a hiccup. For the past year or so that has all changed. Now whenever both machines are running the first floor to the house loses power. A breaker shuts down or fuse blows. It is the weirdest thing. Either way it is manageable but slightly annoying.  

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Around 12:50pm I left the house to head into town about 15 minutes away from where I live. I went to visit my girlfriend’s salon, where she works, to get a haircut. It has been a while since I have been in a seat for a cut. So long that I fell in love with one of the best hair clips I have ever used. It looks a bit weird when I tie my hair with it since I am a dude but it worked so well that I could care less about what people thought. Having told that to my stylist, she made sure I could not use it again. It was pretty funny.  

Before actually getting my haircut I stopped in a Starbucks for a coffee and snack. I have not eaten all day and was starving. With 20 minutes to spare I ordered a triple mocha frappe with a slice of pumpkin bread. Once I actually sat down and got comfortable it was time for me to go. I had half of my bread, a few sips of coffee and read about 3 line from a book I started to read a few days ago. I miss reading so much. Now days I am either too busy or too tired to understand what’s in front of me. My goal is to read even if it is a page a day. “Invisible Man” keep me entertained!  

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(photo found on Google images)

Hunger pains! 

I left the salon around 2pm and sat in my car. While there I contemplated about what to do about food. I thought my girlfriend would have had time to grab a bite to eat with me but she was too busy for it. She ended up eating the lunch she brought from home. I left alone with a growling stomach. My choices were to go home and cook or pick something up. After consulting with my GPS, I realized the sushi place I like was only 8 minutes away. Ding ding. We have a winner! 

As I buckled my seat belt I placed an order for pick up. My plan was to drive by, walk in to get it and go. When I got there things changed. It is the perfect place to play Pokémon Go! with three gyms and about six PokéStops. I wanted to be quick but had to play.  

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(photo found on Google images)

I walked around the area for about 10 minutes collecting items and catching Pokémon. During my walk I stumbled upon a small farmers market in the middle of a busy parking lot. The locals were showing their support but I did not see anything I liked or needed. I did have the pleasure of meeting many people behind the tables that were amazingly nice. Especially this one lady who smiled at me with so much joy that I almost bought a bottle of lotion. 

Back at the sushi place, Pandang, I walked into a warm welcoming. I eat there often and always order the same thing so they are very familiar with me. The order was ready and waiting for me right by the register. I am quite fond of the hospitality and appreciate it every time. 

I was home by 2:45pm setting up a small foldable table in the living room in front of the TV. I have not watched ‘actual’ TV that I liked in a while. As I dug into my meal, spicy crab roll and salmon tempura, I watched Diesel Brothers. It is a show about a bunch of guys who tear down and build diesel trucks with a lot of flair. The work they do is amazing. I used to watch the show when it first came out but lost interest. After today I might get back into it since a new season is coming soon.  

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(photo found on Google images)

 

Time to get busy! 

At 3:30pm I left my house to head to work. We were providing our service to the folks of a luxury apartment building. It was cool because the lady I work with had her son. I really enjoy working with the kid. He brings me joy with his witty remarks and random information. There is always something new.  

The shift was pretty simple. The people that stopped by had big orders that the three of us could push out in minutes. Bulk orders for one person verses single orders for multiple people always work out for the best. At the end of day, we dealt with the least amount of people and made the most amount of money. By the end of our 3 hour shift we had made more money than the lady I work with had thought. She was shocked to have done the numbers she saw on the report with her phone. She asked me a few times if I could believe it saying, ‘Yes, because they were big orders.’ All she kept thinking about was how few people actually came out.  

Once 9:30pm hit I was on the road home. It was an early night and I loved it. As soon as I got home I showered and went straight to the kitchen. It was time for dinner. I was so hungry after working those 3 hours. I needed to replenish my energy before hitting the pillow. It is now 11:55 and I plan on sleeping early tonight. 

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Some Advice: Maximize Your Schedule!

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In the book “How Successful People Think”, John C. Maxwell provides us with an example of how he uses his schedule to maximize his time. I believe we could all use his format in order to get the best out of our days and maximize our own schedules to there fullest.

“At the beginning of every month I spend half a day working on my calendar for the next forty days. Forty days works for me rather than just thirty. That way, I get a jump on the next month and don’t get surprised. I begin by reviewing my travel schedule and planning activities with my family. Then I review what projects, lessons, and other objectives I want to accomplish during those five to six weeks. Then I start blocking out days and times for thinking, writing, working, meeting with people, etc. I set times to do fun things such as seeing a show, watching a ball game, or playing golf. I also set aside small blocks of time to compensate for the unexpected. By the time I’m done, I can tell you nearly everything I’ll be doing, almost hour by hour, during the coming weeks. This strategy is one of the reasons I have been able to accomplish much.” (50) 

*(The bold areas are what I found to stand out the most and are not represented in the book.)

6 Hours of Chaos !

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May 1, 2018

It felt really good to sleep in. 

After going to bed so late last night I really needed to rest in order to make it through the day. I did wake up early at 7:30am to move my car but came right back inside to bed. I turned on the AC on before laying down and slept until 11.

Finally getting up I decided to get slightly productive. I started with a couple of chores. I washed clothes, folded a few, picked up here and there, then gave up. I wanted to relax before work so I laid back in bed to catch up with the DVR. Jeremy Wade has a new show out called “Mighty Rivers” that has my interest. I am a big fan of his previous show “River Monsters“ that ended a while back going 9 seasons strong. It was a sad day when I heard the show was ending but a happy beginning to know he was not finished completely. I really appreciate his passion and concern for his field which keeps me looking for more.

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(photos found on Google images)

While watching the show I posted the book that will be read for the month of May. My work schedule is pretty crazy so I will have to read a page every now and then when the opportunity arises. The book I chose actually came about because of a podcast. One day I was listening to “The Dave Ramsey Show” and he had a guest on by the name of Max Lucado. Dave was promoting his book as probably one of his best works yet so the next day I went out and bought it with my girlfriend that way we could both read it. I am actually excited to flip through the pages.

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Half of the day gone, time to make money!

I left for work at 2:20pm thinking I had plenty of time spare. Well, I should have left earlier. I hit massive traffic on the way to Hoboken not even considering parents trying to get to their child’s school. It slipped my mind that it was the middle of the day.

I made it into Hoboken and drove straight to Pier 13. Today was the first official opening of the pier and we were invited to vend for the occasion. Looking for street parking around there is a pain so I pulled into a parking garage that I use often. Last year I parked there so much that the manager, parking attendants and I became great acquaintances. The manager was even happy to see me as I pulled in. For about 20 minutes we had a great catch up conversation.

The lady I work with showed up late, at 3:45, upset at how long it took her to get to the pier. Her town was in the middle of some really wacky construction where they thought it was a good idea to close off major roads and highways. It took her about an hour and a half just for her to leave town. Every way to get onto the turnpike, one of our major highways, was shut off. I know this because for 45 minutes of it we were talking on the phone.

Since I had to wait and it was a beautiful 80 degree day, I walked into a liquor store to get bags of ice. With this weather cold drinks were a necessity. I definitely wanted to get beer and should have but held off. Around 8pm the pier became chaotic. More people showed up than I thought would. We were not ready for our first day back. At 10, with service being over and the pier shut down, I really regretted not getting a six pack. It would have been the best way for us to wind down after a consistent 6 hour shift.

After packing up and chatting for a bit we were on our way home. By the time I got home and showered it was already past 1am. Another late night!

May’s Read

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This month I decided to step outside of my realm when it comes to reading. I will be venturing into the world of religious words leading to peaceful thoughts. My aim with reading this book is to gain a new insight on anxiety and hopefully have a better understanding of it with a small but powerful solution. I, myself, do not suffer from anxiety but someone very dear to me does. So with these words I hope to be able to provide some form of comfort.

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If you are interested then pick up a copy for yourself: Anxious for Nothing, Max Lucdo

 

The 7 Cs of Non-Reactive Decision-Making

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In his book “Crunch Time – 8 Steps to Making the Right Life Decisions at the Right Times“, Ken Lindner talks about “The Seven Cs of Non-Reactive Decision-Making.” He and his clients have adapted to this thinking and use these principles to achieve better decision-making results.

  1. Stay Cool.
  2. Think Clearly.
  3. Remain Cognizant of the Goal You Want to Attain.
  4. Identify Constructive and Positive Means of Goal Attainment.
  5. Character Counts in the decision-making process, because if you feel good about your decision, you’ll feel good about who you are. This raises self-esteem.
  6. Choose Your Very Best Course of Action.

I highly recommend getting a copy for yourself. Throughout the book Ken will help you to think a little bit more clearly when making decisions during your “Crunch Time” and how to use your past decisions to make better future ones.

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(photo found on Amazon)