When you dedicate yourself to learning and growing and becoming better and more effective in your thoughts and actions, you take complete control of your life.
The main challenge is to create an incentive to change.
"Motion does not equal action. Busyness does not equal effectiveness."
I want to dedicate this blog to explore positive confidence.
When you feed your mind with positive affirmations, information, books, conversations, audio podcasts, and thoughts, you develop a more positive attitude and personality. You enjoy greater self-esteem. You learn how to be confident.
When you make a clear, unequivocal decision that you are going to take complete control over your mind, eliminate the negative emotions and thoughts that may have held you back in the past, and become a completely positive person, you can actually bring about your own personal transformation.
Mental fitness is like physical fitness. You develop high levels of self-esteem and a positive attitude with training and practice
Your emotions are determined by the way in which you talk to yourself. A positive mindset and positive affirmations almost definitely lead to a positive attitude and higher levels of self esteem.
Positive visualisation is a fundamental attribute in creating a positive future. What you envisage to be, you will become.
”Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
— Jim Rohn
Fill your time and days reading mind enriching books, articles and blogs. Listen to nourishing podcasts and build the practice of writing your thoughts and ideas.
Whether we like it or not over the last couple of months all our lives have slowed down more than expected. We have less work meetings, fewer social obligations, shorter commutes and definitely far less (if any) overseas travel; why not use this extra time as an opportunity to read more.
How to read a book per week. The average person reads about 2 books per year!
A successful CEO reads 4/6 books per week. How?
Let’s do the math:
An average book has 64,000 words, the average person can read 200 words per minute. That translates to a book taking the average reader 320 minutes to complete. Over 7 days that’s 45 mins per day worth of dedicated reading works get you through a book a week. The secret to achieving this is to
schedule the 45 mins of dedicated reading
into your waking day (not last thing at night, in the bed half asleep) just as you would schedule an important meeting or engagement. Don’t miss it.
Watch what Warren Buffet says about reading here
Pondering...
The other area of our lives in which we need to apply motivation, is how to build positive health habits. When you resolve to nourish your body well, eat less and exercise more, you will live to be 100 and healthy.
Resolve to get regular exercise, at least two hundred minutes of motion per week, walking, running, swimming, bicycling, or working out. When you exercise on a regular basis, you feel happier and healthier and experience lower levels of stress and fatigue.
To be motivated to exercise and appreciate the rewards it will bring you, read about the Iron Cowboy (click here)
James Lawrence, known as “The Iron Cowboy,” completed 50 Ironman triathlons in 50 straight days in 50 different states. That’s a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride finished off with a full marathon. As a feat of endurance, no other endeavour has come close – it is simply unmatched.
“Chase your highest dreams… there are no limits to life.”
The 50-50-50 challenge was to raise funds and awareness about childhood obesity
In 2010, James broke the world record for Ironman 70.3 events (1.2 miles swimming, 56 miles cycling, and 13.1 miles running) while raising money to build dams in Africa, naming his quest the “Tri and Give a Dam” project. That year, James completed 22 Half Ironman distance triathlons in 30 weeks through the United States and Canada;
in 2012, he broke a new world record for the most Ironman distance races completed in one year: an impressive number of 30 races! In his quest to achieve what many thought was impossible, James Lawrence swam the distance from San Francisco to Los Angeles, biked the equivalent of crossing 2/3 of the globe, and ran the span of the United States. He averaged just under 12 hours for all 30 events, and raced in 11 countries!
When he completed that new world record, and in addition to a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records, James earned the nickname of the “Iron Cowboy” for always running the marathon in a colourful, patterned cowboy hat picked out for him before each race by his four daughters.
Almost immediately after accomplishing this incredible feat, James embarked on the most arduous task ever attempted - 50 iron mans, in 50 states over 50 consecutive days!
During these 50 days, James averaged 15 hours per Ironman triathlon all on an average of four hours sleep per night. A support crew, which included Lawrence’s friends, sponsors, wife and five children, made up the caravan that tended to his physical, emotional and transport needs throughout the 50 days.
Each day was a challenging day. His feet were getting destroyed taking the most abuse of his body, where blisters were present in between his toes, and toenails were coming off.
James said he thrives on helping others. He’s still racing, and gives motivational speeches about conquering obesity and leading an active lifestyle. “I want people to know that anything is possible, and to not let anyone else dictate what they think is possible,” he said. “Chase your highest dreams… there are no limits to life.”
James in his own words.
How does it feel to be an inspiration to others? Did you ever expect to become an inspiration?
It is an honor. But that honor comes with massive responsibilities. It is fun but it also scares me some times. My goal was never to inspire. But now I hope to Empower. Inspiration to me is a fleeting thought or feeling that more often then not passes. But if I empower you I have moved you to action and that is my goal.
What do you like most about Triathlons?
The challenge of it. The journey and the struggle
Another remarkable human being that has fought the odds of despair and achieved unimaginable accomplishments is Colin O’Brady
Listen to his life story : click here
Thought-provoking...
Quantum computing
A physicist named Chad Rigetti decided that quantum computers were a lot closer to prime time than many suspected, and that he wanted to be the one to push the technology over the finish line. So he left a comfortable job as a quantum researcher at IBM, raised over $119 million in funding, and built the coldest pipe in history. Over fifty patent applications later, Rigetti now manufactures integrated quantum circuits that power quantum computers in the cloud. And he’s right, this technology does solve one great problem: the end of Moore’s Law.
His more obvious competitors in the race to unleash the fastest and most powerful computing technology of the future are; IBM, Google and Microsoft. Alongside academic institutions like Oxford and Yale.
Quantum computing explained. In a classical (or conventional) computer, information is stored as bits; in a quantum computer, it is stored as qubits (quantum bits). If large-scale quantum computers can be built, they will be able to solve certain problems exponentially faster than any of our current classical computers
Dive deeper into the incredible world of Quantum computing with IBM
Our current supercomputers just won’t cut it because they think linear or binary
In nature, things aren’t binary. They're uncertain. And even our best supercomputers aren’t very good at dealing with uncertainty. That’s a problem.
That's because, over the last century, physicists have discovered when you go down to a really small scale, weird things start to happen. They’ve developed a whole new field of science to try and explain them. It’s called quantum mechanics.
Instead of bits, quantum computers use qubits. Rather than just being on or off, qubits can also be in what’s called ‘superposition’ – where they’re both on and off at the same time, or somewhere on a spectrum between the two.
Take a coin. If you flip it, it can either be heads or tails. But if you spin it – it’s got a chance of landing on heads, and a chance of landing on tails. Until you measure it, by stopping the coin, it can be either. Superposition is like a spinning coin, and it’s one of the things that makes quantum computers so powerful. A qubit allows for uncertainty.
If you ask a normal computer to figure its way out of a maze, it will try every single branch in turn, ruling them all out individually until it finds the right one. A quantum computer can go down every path of the maze at once. It can hold uncertainty in its head.
Quantum computers can do complex calculations instantly and a string of Qubits can be used to solve complex problems quickly.
Quantum computers aren’t just about doing things faster or more efficiently. They’ll let us do things that we couldn’t even have dreamed of without them. Things that even the best supercomputer just isn’t capable of.
Remember when IBM’s computer Deep Blue defeated chess champion, Garry Kasparov in 1997? It was able to gain a competitive advantage because it examined 200 million possible moves each second. A quantum machine would be able to calculate 1 trillion moves per second!
They have the potential to rapidly accelerate the development of artificial intelligence. Google is already using them to improve the software of self-driving cars. They’ll also be vital for modelling chemical reactions.
Quantum computers will find a use anywhere where there’s a large, uncertain complicated system that needs to be simulated. That could be anything from predicting the financial markets, to improving weather forecasts, to modelling the behaviour of individual electrons.
You’ll probably never have a quantum chip in your laptop or smartphone. There’s not going to be an iPhone Q. Quantum computers have been theorised about for decades, but the reason it’s taken so long for them to arrive is that they’re incredibly sensitive to interference.
Almost anything can knock a qubit out of the delicate state of superposition. As a result, quantum computers have to be kept isolated from all forms of electrical interference, and chilled down to close to absolute zero. That’s colder than outer space.
There is so much to learn and and even more we don’t know about Quantum computing, what’s for sure it’s gong to change our lives.
Read this for a more in depth knowledge on How Quantum Computing works
Explore more here : 15 things you need to know about Quantum Computing
Wisdom/ What I'm Reading...
Sincero has probably written the most entertaining self-help book many readers will ever get in their hands on… in this straight talking book she urges readers to stop accepting anything short of their wildest dreams. According to Sincero, it is necessary to live courageously and to “align” one’s actions with one’s deepest desires.
Many self-help authors have popularised the “law of attraction” theory, which rests on the power of positive thoughts and good vibrations. Sincero belongs to that tradition, and urges her readers to identify their dreams and take terrifying risks in order to be the “brightest, happiest, badassiest version of yourself”.
My review notes:
why are you in your job
why do you choose you career or college
we what others tell us
change this
live for yourself - be a badass
Negative thoughts hold us back. These are ingrained in us over time, sometimes even from childhood
We need to follow our intuition and start loving ourselves. Use positive affirmations
Stop comparing yourself to others.
There is a limitless source of energy all around us, we need to tap into it through the power of attraction. Focus on what is important and what you want your life to look like. Keep your energy frequency high. Void your mind of negative and irrelevant thoughts.
Cultivate gratitude and learn how to forgive. Enjoy life’s journey.
Approach problems with a passion to learn, that way you will never fail. Life long learners approach life with a more playful manner. They also practice diligently.
Thoughts are powerful. Figure out what you want and then develop the skills to get there
Act like the person you want to be
Fake it until you make it.
Action is equally important. Procrastination is a limiting mindset. Reaffirm your purpose.
Never give up, failure is a part of life but not a reason to quit. Learn from your mistakes.
Create an environment that reflects the life you desire. Surround yourself with people that reflect the same life ambitions as you do.
Most memorable quote from the book (and the theme of this blog)
“If you want to live a life you’ve never lived, you have to do things you’ve never done.”
Read more about the author and her other books here
Improve your breathing and lung capacity by using a breathing trainer.
Like any muscle, our lungs need to be exercised to ensure they operate optimally.
Read the science behind Breathing training here
Widget of the Week...
There are a number of options when looking for a breathing trainer
From an ultra professional and popular https://www.airofit.com
Airofit is a respiratory training system that improves athletes' performance through tested breathing exercises. ... This resistance causes fatigue in your breathing muscles which is then compensated by muscle tissue growth, making your respiratory muscles stronger, faster and more efficient.
Of the devices on the market, Powerbreathe has the most studies behind it, done over the past two decades and focusing almost exclusively on exercise or sports. ... Their exercise performance improved after using the device, and respiratory muscle fatigue was delayed
The Powerbreathe doesn't claim to increase your lung capacity per se. Rather, because it adds substantial resistance to your breathing, it strengthens your breathing muscles.
My personal choice
Ultrabreathe Breathing Exerciser
The Ultrabreathe is a highly effective inspiratory/expiratory muscle trainer, providing an easy and convenient means of increasing the strength and durability of the respiratory muscles.
It works on the principle of resistance. As you inhale, the resistance created makes your respiratory muscles work harder, and the harder they work the stronger and more durable they become – and as your breathing power improves, the Ultrabreathe can be gradually adjusted to provide more resistance.
For those of you that have been reading my blogs over the past few months, you know I am a long distance runner. Breathing exercises have played a huge role in improving my lung capacity and reducing breathlessness. My lungs feel stronger, I can breathe deeper and hold my breath for longer.
The Ultrabreathe is the simplest of the lot. It really works.
Read more about it here