Degree Justification

I have helped my fiancee study for school on numerous occasions, and I keep coming across the same theme. It seems that writers of anthropology, human rights, and history articles are desperately trying to justify their expensive degrees with the language they use. As an example, in an article she was reading in preparation for tomorrow's midterm, the following sentence was found:

"Precisely because secular Time was its presupposition, logically speaking, or its signified, in semiotic parlance, the new discourse had (with exceptions to be mentioned later) no need to thematize Time."

Are you kidding me? I like the philosophy that a master of a particular subject can explain complex ideas with simple words and language that even a child could understand. In other words, you are probably not an expert at anything unless you can get somebody with no experience in the subject to understand it very quickly.

I am certainly no wizard of words, no Ernest Hemingway. However, these types of papers are ridiculous. If the purpose of a class or an article is to introduce new ideas to somebody, teach a student a new concept, then it is the most inefficient method I have ever seen. With this type of language, no wonder the cost of education is increasing. An entire class on "big words" is necessary before you even begin to approach the ultimate subject matter.

I am trying to find other reasons for why this is so common. Beyond justifying their degrees...maybe the authors truly do not have a grasp of the subject matter they discuss? Maybe it is not their fault? They simply are passing on the information that they were taught, so the only way they understand it is via the complex language originally presented to them?

This began as a rant, but now I am curious. I would like to explore this further...maybe it is a representation of larger issues?

Mom's First Solo Workout

I talked to my mother today, and she informed me that she completed her first workout without me there last night! This is an excellent first step. I'm sure it will easily lead to a habit as she enjoys the benefits of working out (endorphins, general sense of accomplishment).

One hiccup did occur. Apparently I missed a copy of the "count" in the cd I made her. Basically, it skips from the last exercise description of the circuit to the intra-circuit break. It is a learning process for both of us.

The next challenges on my side are to direct her diet and to create the second phase of her plan. I'm looking forward to more.

Also to come are the trials and tribulations of my girlfriend and I changing our eating habits for the better...

Personal Trainer - First Assignment

As I began to re-evaluate my passion and future with physical fitness, I have been given an opportunity to sharpen my pencil. My mother has decided to proactively improve her health. This is a huge thing that I have been looking forward to! Further, she has asked me to be her personal trainer. Of course I said "yes" without hesitation.

There certainly are hurdles to this given that I currently am taking classes to finish up my undergraduate degree at the same time as I am working 55 hours per week. The solution is that I am spending one day per week working directly with her. The rest of the time, she is following a program I put together. The key to the program is that it includes website links to show her how to properly perform any exercise. On top of that, I've recorded instructions, along with counts for her workouts that she can play on a cd while she works out.

To cover her diet, I've instructed her to record everything she eats on http://fitday.com, a free website that acts as a convenient food journal. I will be reviewing her diet periodically to comment and guide.

In the weeks that come, I will comment on more details regarding the struggles and triumphs of my mother's fitness overhaul via a semi-long distance personal trainer relationship.

Any comments and suggestions are more than welcome!

Exciting News!

My parents have created an excellent website with multiple purposes. See the mission statement here for details :

http://extramoneyforall.com/

"Our mission is to bring you all kinds of money making ideas and links to money making websites. We'll link eBay items that we have currently listed. We'll link sites that can be accessed to earn extra money. We will even list some fun sites that we access for those leisure moments or the pursuit of our various hobbies."

I strongly recommend checking the site out even if you aren't interested in making a little extra money from home. Included is an insightful blog regarding topics from fantasy baseball to poker to life and attitude.

Also, you will find links to some interesting items for sale on ebay. They include antiques, glassware, nick-knacks, and many hidden treasures that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else!

Please post comments on the site or here if you like.

Sharpen the Saw

Most of us want to do big things. We want to accomplish so much, and spend all our time doing the things that are important us. The net result is that we do not have time to refresh ourselves, and we lose our effectiveness.

Stephen Covey – renowned author and planning specialist talks about “Sharpening the Saw.”

Picture a lumberjack. He uses a saw to make his living. The more trees he cuts down, the more money he makes. That money is very important…let’s say he has a wife and kids. A lumberjack’s life is not luxury, so every dollar, every tree counts. This motivation could easily inspire a lumberjack to take his saw and cut down every tree in site. The faster he works, the fewer the breaks he takes, the longer he works, logically, the more trees he cuts down right? Probably not.

At first, the strategy might seem to pay off. However, pretty soon, his saw will become dull, and it takes more effort and more time to cut down each tree. So now, the more he works, the worse off he becomes. He is no longer succeeding. He is no longer helping his family at the highest level.

If instead, he takes some time each day or each week to sharpen his saw, he can accomplish a lot more. He might not directly see cash or reward while he is sharpening his saw, but overall, he can cut more trees down each day, each week, each year when he keeps his saw sharp.

All of us are like that lumberjack. Our bodies and minds are our saws. If we do not keep them sharp, there is no way we will accomplish all that we hope to. Mr. Covey likes to divide sharpening our saws into four categories, and I don’t feel qualified enough to offer up anything to the contrary, so here they are:

Physical: exercise, eat better, sleep more/less, etc.
Social/Emotional: hanging out with friends, family, etc.
Mental: read, do puzzles, etc.
Spiritual: prayer, go to church, bible study, etc.

The moral of the story is that it is really easy to get caught up in trying to do as much as possible each day in order to attain your goals, but without sharpening your saw, you are only limiting your potential.

One thing I try to keep in mind (because I am guilty of it) is that life is not a competition about how busy we are…there are much more important things to think about.

The Value of Friendship

“In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post-office. You may depend on it, that the poor fellow who walks away with the greatest number of letters, proud of his extensive correspondence, has not heard from himself this long while.” – Henry David Thoreau


I think what Mr. Thoreau was writing about here is pretty relevant. There are two messages that immediately struck me: (1) life is not a popularity contest and (2) you cannot solve all your problems by looking externally.

(1) Having a lot of friends can be a wonderful thing, but it should not be a social goal in itself. Quantity should never make up for quality. It is essential that we are able to connect with people at a deeper level. We need to disclose our passions, thoughts, hopes, and fears. Without the outlet of a close friend (or other loved one), we are simply left to dwell on our anxious thoughts, or celebrate accomplishments with ourselves.

Think about your closest friends for a minute. The odds are that they know a good deal about your history, motivations, pre-occupations, and philosophies. Now imagine you just accomplished a longstanding goal. Maybe you just got the phone call indicating you successfully landed your dream job. What is the first thing you do? Do you find a random person on the street and tell them the great news? Do you make sure you call Jill, Bob, Steve, Sue, and John, etc. who are always part of the happy hour crew, but you don’t know at any significant level? If you are as lucky enough to have parents like mine, you call Mom and Dad. But, likely the very next thing you do is call your best friend. Because that friend probably knows everything that built up to this moment, they have taken the journey with you. They can truly share in your joy, because they are right there with you the whole way. They understand the foundation of the pyramid, so they can really appreciate the pinnacle. Now imagine that you can hear the smile in their voice. It probably broadens your smile that much more.

These are the kind of relationships that I value and strive for. I would rather have just one relationship at this level than two hundred-fifty “surface friends.” Sure, such a large number can boost the ego, and bandage up any self-confidence issues, but it will not satisfy the deeper need. This is not to say that you can’t have dozens of excellent, close friendships, but at some point time restraints set in, and quality suffers.


(2) If we are having inner struggles, whether they are physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, reaching out to friends can only take us so far. They do know what makes us tick and can provide an objective opinion, but if the problem is internal, we should probably look inside ourselves and duke it out a little bit. Maybe we can write in a journal, play music, exercise, pray, meditate, whatever gets us to a focused state of mind.

With everything that draws our attention, from school, traffic, work, instant messaging, and our iPod, it is easy to find a cluttered mess in hour heads at the end of the day. If we find the right activity or medium through which to clean that mess, we can put things back in order. It is only at this point that we can hope to solve or cope with the inner struggles. It could be the mess itself was causing the problem. In such a circumstance, that Yoga session will have you back dancing away with your iPod while messaging on Myspace in no time!

A Mirrored Image

“Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics; to congratulate each other on the ever glorious morning? I do not make an exorbitant demand, surely.” - ‘Life Without Principle’ by Henry David Thoreau

Dyspeptic – Of or displaying a morose disposition.

Eupeptic – Cheerful; happy.


I have had a request to produce a more upbeat, light-hearted post. I hope this does not disappoint.

It is interesting to me that Thoreau, the critical author that he was, made such a positive statement. In fact, it was made at the end of the essay, and I found it to have a lasting effect. Throughout the piece, the reader travels through the investigation of his or her own life’s purpose, meaning, and drive. The reader comes to question whether they are putting their energy in the right places. They come to question whether they are living with Principle. It seems to me that the above quote is the measuring stick by which we determine the answer to those questions.

When we wake up in the morning, how do we feel? Is it a glorious morning, or is it a just another day in the rat race? Maybe if we were living as we were meant to we could always claim that the day was beautiful, and life was grand? Maybe it is the rat race that has us down? If we could just get out of that race, we would be basking in the magnificent morning rays!

However, I propose that it is not our circumstances that drive our emotions. Sure, if we had that dream job, perfect family, strong faith, optimal health, and security it might be easier to smile at 5:30 a.m., but that perfect situation is certainly not necessary for happiness.

As cliché as it is to say, attitude will take us there. There is a lyric from Relient K in a song called "High of ‘75" that puts it eloquently, “Its funny how you find you enjoy your life when you’re happy to be alive.” So simply appreciating life for what it is and for the blessings around us puts a nice little spin on things. When we have this view, everything else is literally icing on the cake.

If we investigate further, it gets even better. Take music for example. What would life be like without it? I cannot even picture it, but I think it would be a bit boring. Strike that. It would be like black and white television, or worse. But thankfully, we don’t have to dwell on that. We have music in all its many forms, tones, motivations, and volumes to add to the beautiful colors of life.

If we are truly blessed, we have people around us that we can take joy in as well. Think about the times with your family, friends, or significant other when you simply cannot stop smiling or laughing. How awesome are these times? No matter what is going on in the world, these relationships shine on, and produce our most treasured moments.

Thoreau’s quote sends a pretty simple yet powerful message. The affect and reaction to a smiling face or a chipper comment is usually a mirrored image. The attitude is infectious. In fact, I owe a good deal of inspiration for this post to a particular rhyming friend of mine. This individual recently became a eupeptic-to the extreme. He seems to have a new perspective on life, and it resonates through his words, his appearance, and his actions. It definitely has had an effect on me, and I can see it spreading slowly through the people around him.

It is up to us to be that person, to facilitate that attitude, and pass it along to others. Even on a local scale, it comes back to us like two sets of mirrors with the reflection perpetuating back and forth, resulting in a magnification. So it begins now. Let's take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. To quote another lyric—

“I'm not gonna waste this time, this light that burns will keep on fading. I'm not gettin' up off this ride, I'm holding tight, til I can feel alive!" - Mae

Passion and Work

(The first of many blogs inspired by Henry David Thoreau)

“If the laborer gets no more than the wages which his employer pays him, he is cheated, he cheats himself.” –‘Life Without Principle’ by Henry David Thoreau

I would be willing to bet that this is a subject that many have thought on, especially during the beginnings of adulthood. The quote itself can be inspirational yet grim to think upon. That is unless you have achieved the situation that Thoreau’s words suggest.

I myself find it difficult to think about. I am tempted to quell all thoughts regarding the subject and end the blog short. However, instead let us delve into it. I find myself working in an accounting position in corporate America. I have always had a fascination with the success of businesses, and have strived to reach success as well. I enjoy the competition of it, the negotiations, and analyzing the end result. Nevertheless, I cannot confuse this enjoyment with passion. Maybe it has to do with my current job responsibilities, but I do not find myself getting pumped up to write an annual report, compile a budget, or even calculate commissions on a large sale. I do not find myself fervently delving into the technicalities of the Sarbanes-Oxley act or losing myself in the 2006 book of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

The question becomes, “am I cheating myself?”

Am I cheating myself by not pursuing a career in personal physical training? After all, I do find myself getting pumped up to put together new exercise programs for myself, and my friends. I do find myself fervently reading about the science behind plyo-metrics and explosive strength during my lunch break. People actually make money for helping others improve their athletic performance, health, and overall quality of life! This just happens to be the subject I cannot get enough of. It seems simple then doesn’t it? Quit the corporate job, and start certification towards personal training?

That may seem to be the case. However, there are other things to consider. (WARNING --the following could potentially include some serious rationalization.) There are the current relationships I have formed with my co-workers. There are the comforts of a steady paycheck that pay for car payments, health insurance, retirement planning, a mortgage, etc. There is the potential for advancement to other, more stimulating positions at the current company. There is the ‘worst-case scenario’ of a luxurious retirement in 40 years. So how do you quantify, qualify, or analyze the trade-offs? Maybe you don’t. Maybe you do not want to admit your career choices thus far have been for naught because you are not doing that which you do or would do anyway, without payment? Maybe you are content with your current job and lifestyle? Maybe you feel you are blessed with being able to live as you do, to enjoy your friends and family as you do. But maybe you could continue to enjoy those things and more with a move toward your passion?

It certainly is a question worth considering…