Finding Your Calling

Over my time in Miami I have said over and over that the best way for me to be successful is to start my own business. I have dabbled in lawn care and from time to time auction some items on Ebay for profit, bought a domain name, and tried to start an AAU program with big hopes and lots of failure. What I have found out about myself and what I keep going back to is my love and passion for sports.

I have been really focused on working out and learning different ways to get in shape, now I don’t feel like I am in good enough shape right now to be a personal trainer. But what I would like to do is really focus on training for athletics. I would like to teach the game of basketball on an individual basis, with specific sports training being the focus. In laymen terms I would like to work with basketball and/or football players and work on individual skill improvement on the court but also off the court with strength and agility.

I am soon to be working with an individual for individual basketball instruction and hopefully I can get a feel for how I can develop this individual into the best player he can be. I need to look more into strength training and start researching books and stopping in at colleges to see what they do to develop and strength train college athletes.

An individual that I have been researching is Alan Stein. He is a strength and conditioning coach for one of the top high school basketball schools in the nation. He has done countless DVDs, camps, clinics, and more. He is someone that I would like to use as a mentor or person to emulate.

The main point is I will be following up more with the Fitness as a business and in my life. Vive la fitness or Vive el ejercisio. Steven Donovan present and accounted for. Thanks for reading.

Patience

One thing across America is people have no patience and I'm sure I can be included. Whether it's cutting someone off on the road or putting your entire car in the crosswalk like you are the only person that matters in this world. This is probably the thing that frustrates me the most, I even get worked up about. I believe in treating others as though you would like to be treated, so smile and make people feel welcome. Many things can get you worked up, but the most important thing is what you do about what annoys or bothers you.

What makes me calm and peaceful is listening to classical music. I listen to 89.7, which is a classical station in the Miami area. It relaxes me and puts me at ease. Even the radio announcers talk like they are on the 18th green at the U.S. Open, it is simply relaxing. I mean someone can cut you off and you have Mozart composing a masterpiece with no words, just pure music. It takes a lot to get upset at someone when you are listening to Classical music.

So just remember whatever makes you upset or gets you irritated just remember the Big Picture, the world does not revolve around you. Do yoga, ride a bike, listen to music, but avoid having a stressful day and just relax. Also feel free to let me know how you relax and what makes you patience. This is Steven Donovan, the poster boy for patience and virtue :)

A Day at the Gym

So I had big plans of waking up early and heading to the gym close by my work so I could workout and go for a swim. Well since I stayed up a little late the alarm clock and I did not agree it was time to wake up. However I did go to the gym with limited time and did a complete workout, swimming will be after work:) Did I really just do a smiley face, I’m rethinking my sexuality after that, but I digress.

So I had less time to workout so I switched up. I decided to combine exercises to give myself less rest time this way getting done faster. Just remember to lower your usual weight so you can get through both exercises. Here is an example of what I did 8 To Be Great Of Course:

Incline Press>Bicep Curl

Lat Pulldown>Tricep Press

Pylo StepUps>Shoulder Press (with Kettleballs, I love those things)

Pylo Jumps>Ab wheel (Pylo with Kettleballs)

I was able to get my workout done in less than 45 minutes and that includes a warm-up and stretch. Also a couple last pieces of information do not leave ice on a leather couch overnight your girlfriend will despise you for at least a week(general estimate of course) and I lost 3.5 pounds this week. So I am getting closer to that 225 pound goal where I want to be. Stay Consistent with Steven Donovan.

Stay Consistent Kobe Bryant

I going through some articles for a player on workouts and weight lifting. I came across an article on Kobe Bryant. Now I am not a big fan of Kobe Bryant, however I respect him as a player and a professional athlete. Much like Michael Jordan when he was playing, I did not want Michael Jordan to win all the time, but I did know he was the best player.

What I found on how much he worked out in the off season was incredible. He called his workouts blackouts or the devils workout because he worked out 6 hours a day, 6 times a week, 6 months out of the year. Next time I feel overworked I should think about how much Kobe puts into his craft. He would do 2 hours of basketball, 1 hour of martial arts, 1 hour of running on the track, and 2 hours of weights. Not everything is exact, but that is the general summary of his workouts. To me that is just incredible, I mean I have heard players coming into the first week of training camp and they have barely even touched a basketball. Just another reason Kobe is the best.

As I was reading the article I came across the reason I wanted to write this blog article(or whatever they call it). For his weight lifting routine he was asked about what lifts he uses and how he trains. He was asked if he used plyometrics for his jumping. He responded with that he used more Olympic Style lifts. Then he responded with the main thing he did was stay consistent. You won't find Kobe running his a$$ off you will find him working hard every day. He doesn't take days off he stays consistent. Kobe doesn't go to the gym and put up 3,000 shots in one day and not come back for the week. He puts up 500 shots everyday for a week so he can build on being the best.

I may not have captured the article the way I would have liked which is why I put in a link http://www.helium.com/knowledge/145056-kobe-bryants-workout-plan, but the main point is to be the best you have to put in work everyday and put in more work than every other person. Stay consistent and work hard. Kobe Bryant is the Black Mamba for a reason.
Wishing you a Happy Month of June, Steven Donovan

Money Matters

So I have been talking a good game about making more money but i have not done enough to bring in the necessary money. I am waiting on a position that I truly want and would solve a lot of the shortage of money that I have. I recently have been doing well at my current position with sales, but this is not enough to pay the bills.

If the position does not come through that I would like, I really need to consider other options. The lawn mowing which is speratic at best(as it picked up after I wrote this), I would like to use that for credit card payment only. Other options that I need to look into include working at a restaurant as a server or bartender. This will give me flexibility and bring in immediate cash. I applied for a couple of positions at the golf course and plan as soon as I find out more about the position I am waiting on to start asking about caddying in the mean time. Plus caddying could put me in touch with more business contacts. Those are the 2 main jobs that I could see myself involved in.

So many things depend on the position I am waiting for. I don’t just want a job, I want something I really would love to do. I saw a sign that said we work 66% of our lives do something you love. I couldn’t agree more. God always knows what is best for you, I will put it in his hands and doing my best in the mean time. Yours Truly, Steven Donovan

Triathlon

So I really want to do a triathlon. I have had friends do them, all a little less than 6’0” and probably in between 140-175 would be my guess. Needless to say they are in very good shape and all 3 are good athletes. So I have began to think about training for a triathlon.

What I am really worried about is the time commitment. Training for a tri, the usual training is 12 weeks long and 6 days a week. I currently lift weights 3 times a week, run once or twice, bike ride once or twice, and play another sport once. So to go from what I do, to really focusing on only swimming, running, and biking. I’m not sure if I am ready for it.

My main concern is the swimming. The gym that I currently use does not have a pool and the closest gym with this takes some time to get to. This is probably all excuses to not train for a tri. I have considered at least running a half marathon so I can establish myself in a race setting.

I currently run right around 5 miles a week so I don’t believe the running for the tri would be very difficult. I want train for the sprint which the running is usually around 3 miles, the biking is about 12-15, and the swimming I believe is ½ mile(I can’t even comprehend what that actually means in terms of what I can do).

So I guess at this point I believe I need to add something to my workouts and go from there. I think the best thing I can do is add to my workouts and see what happens. The gym with the swimming pool is close to where I work so the best thing to do would be after every time I close to go to the gym and swim(rhyming at not charge).

So it has been decided I am going to start upping my workout regimen.

• I will be lifting 3 days a week(riding my bike to and from whenever possible)
• I will be swimming after work(2 days during the week)
• I will be running 2 times(where as before it was 1 and the start of 2 times)
• I will be playing basketball or cardio after I lift for 20-30 min(whenever time permits)

Ok my version of tri training has begun and my workouts will intensify. Signed, sealed , and delivered, Steven Donovan

Coupons

Now recently I have read some great material on how much people have saved and use coupons. Great blogs like Get Rich Slowly and I Will Teach You to be Rich. So yesterday I did the grocery shopping and here are some things that happened with coupons and saving money.

> First I went through and looked what we needed, made a general list while looking at the Publix shopping ad online, which allows you to start a grocery list. So I really focused on the Buy one Get one Free deals and fruits that were on sale.

> Next I looked for coupons that would save money on the brands that I usually buy. For instance we buy Horizon brand chocolate milk(best tasting stuff out there you should try it). I was able to sign up on there website and save .55 on a 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk. Although it was difficult finding a coupon for certain grocery items like Chuluha Sauce, but I was able to find a couple of good coupons.

> So I sent the grocery list to my email and went to the store. Overall I did a good job in buying only what was on the list. Whatever was not on the list I put in the child seat to give myself a chance to think it over. My goal was $90, my total was $113. So I stayed close to budget.

> Always check your receipt before you leave the store. I found 3 different errors, where I was able to save $8.00 on my grocery bill. So I went over my budget only $15, which I considered a small success.

> What I learned is you find a good sale make sure to buy it even if you don't need it. For example, I bought Crystal Light because it was Buy One Get One Free, now I already had 3 or 4 in the pantry, but getting them at half price only makes sense. So some items I purchased were not necessities, but will save money over the long run.

> So overall I consider it a success. My total savings according to Publix was around $37 and with the $8 they put back on my debit card, I would say I saved $45, which really makes the frugal me very happy.

So remember it's ok to cut out or print coupons and save money. My lesson is frugal=value=cutting coupons=making a grocery list=saving money.

Change Your Ways

How do I know I changed my lifestyle with food and working out. Here are a couple of examples.

Working out

1) I refuse to go lift less than 3 days a week( I went 2 days in a row this week and 1 time at 11 p.m.) I know try and keep your workouts the same time but I'm still going right!!!

2) I recognize more than half of the people at the gym when I go

3) I wear workout gloves to the gym and keep them in my car

4) I now know the weights I use when I lift, instead of omg this is too heavy what was I thinking

5) I plan my day around the gym, which means I actually go all the time

Food

1) When I order Subway I order a 6 inch sub so I will eat less or it becomes lunch and dinner( This is Fitness and Finance)

2) I order fruit or a salad with every meal instead of the junk they serve like fries(unless there sweet potato fries)

3) All of the soda and potato chips are hidden somewhere in the house and I have no idea where

4) I think Crystal Light might be the best beverage since the invention of beer

5) I eat almost the same portion size as my girlfriend

Sex Sells

After watching a local kiosk sell some sort of cream or lotion crap, I noticed something. Now this is not a surprise to most of you, but Sex Sells. I don't care if you are selling to the opposite sex or the same sex, people gravitate to attractive people. The kiosk at the mall brought on a cute girl and she was doing much better than the other people who were there previously and then then they brought on an even better looking saleswoman. What happened you ask? Yes more people stop and listen to the pretty young lady.

Does this means she sells more, that I cannot answer. I truly believe that you still need effective sales skills and preferably a good product. But if you need to sell anything I am convinced it would help to have an attractive sales staff to bring more people in. I mean on commercials for products you always see beautiful people, models and actors/actresses, SEX SELLS!!!

This will not work for every product, but it will certainly have a positive effect on most of them, especially anything that deals with beauty. Sell clothes, shoes, accessories, then you need to have a sexy sales staff. Do you need a sexy staff if you mow lawns, probably not unless you are selling to single housewives and you offer to mow the lawn with your shirt off. I have even seen a company that advertised women in bikinis mowing lawns, not that I would use them but I can see where that would be enticing. I mean if you want people in your bar or restaurant have a beautiful staff, they will come. Hooters is a great example of sex sells. Is there food good sure it's good, but just like Playboy says I just read the articles. The truth is Sex Sells!!! A basketball coach told me that an ice cream shop was owned by an old man and he used to only hire very well endowed women, sure did get his business. So you get the idea. If you are starting a business or already own one make sure to think about putting a little sexy into your business.

Join a Gym or Get a Part Time Job?

So one way to make a little cash and cut those fees of your favorite store is to work for them. Like the saying goes if you can't beat'em,join'em.

Say you are spending $50 month at your local gym, why not get a job working part-time there. Not only will you get the free membership but you will pick up some extra cash on top of it. Another great example is clothing stores. Feel guilty spending $30 on a t-shirt at Express? Why don't you apply for a job and work there every Wednesday night. So you will get there discount and cut down on your clothing costs. I really believe this could work for almost every favorite store you have. I mean I work for Rosetta Stone, I get to study the language for free and make money at the same time.

Now I do throw a caution flag out there for you shopaholics. This could be bad news, instead of using the money to get a discount you are spending the families grocery money to buy a new pair of jeans because you get 30% off.

Caution

1) Don't work there if you have to buy a bunch of outfits first (Abercrombie and Fitch). This puts you in the whole and you might just hate working there and quit.

2) Don't buy just because you get a discount. Save money, don't spend it.

3) Pick something that you use often or is convenient. Working at grocery store if you get a 20% discount makes a lot of sense.

4) Make sure you get a discount. Working at the Home Depot you get the same discount as customer abc, which sucks avejas( I think that's goats)

A Day at the Ballgame

Sometimes life is not about how much money something costs or how much you saved it is about living life and having a good time. I recently had a birthday and one of my presents was 2 tickets to a baseball game. It was a great evening at the game, despite a little rain and the team I wanted to win did not pull out the "W". Here is how the night went and I will also share some money saving techniques along the way that made it even better.

The evening started out with dinner at a restaurant with a sandwich and a beer. Don't forget the concessions at a professional sporting event are astronomical. I mean $9 for a hot dog, $6 for nachos almost seemed like a deal. So be smart eat before the ballgame. If you have time and the resources tailgate and grill out with beers and brats from your own house, saving lots of cash.

We had great seats, we were in row 10 and because of some great research by my girlfriend we did not even pay face value for the tickets! We enjoyed a great game all the way down to the last pitch to decide the game. We avoided the concessions, although a close call and did not even buy a poncho with the rain that started(I did forget the umbrella in the car, my bad). But it was a great game not too many people, it's the Marlins it's never too many people.

After the game we were walking back to the car and noticed the team entrance was on our way so we decided to wait and watch the players come out in there fancy cars and nice suits. There was a small crowd waiting for autographs and pictures, but no more than 50 people, make that no more than 25 I'm guessing. I did not have a lot of interest in many of the players, but I was definitely a fan of a select few. The Milwaukee Brewers have some great talent on the roster and I enjoy watching Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun along with the rest of Wisconsin. After waiting for some time some of the players that I recognized came out. Now I am not an autograph type of person unless it has some meaning or I met the person and had a conversation with him or her. For example I caddied for Michael Jordan if I was able to get to sign a scorecard or a picture of us that would have meant something, but to never meet the person and have them sign a ball or picture doesn't really do it for me. One of the better players was Prince Fielder however he was not signing anything today, but later Corey Hart came out a fan favorite of many and began signing. I think he is a good player but my friend Molly would have liked it much more than me. As we were getting close to leaving Ryan Braun came out and we happened to be standing next to someone he was friends with so he came our way. It was a feeding friendzy, I even had some old lady scold me for not getting out of the way. She said "If your not getting an autograph can you move", I basically laughed at the lady and moved my foot about 3 inches. She also began arguing with a 10 year kid how much better she liked Ryan Braun. It was funny to say the least. What I really wanted was a picture and as he signed everything for everyone it did not seem like I was going to get a picture. I stood on the side of him while he signed autographs so I got a picture or two that I was happy with. He then proceeded to be checked in for the bus and I asked the girlfriend if we could wait just a moment while he got on the bus. I happened to catch Ryan Braun's eye and asked Ryan if my girlfriend and I could get a picture with the All-Star Left Fielder. Security actually stopped him and told him that he could not go and he could not touch anyone, but he came over and took the picture with us as close as possible without touching. Although I thanked him afterward and shook his hand anyways, but all in all it was a lot of fun. Ryan Braun was a classy individual who signed autographs for everyone and even took a couple pictures that made some little kids day and maybe even some big kids.

So the Brewers lost but I felt like I had a winning day(yeah kinda cheesy I got it). I should have the facebook photos coming up here very soon.

Back to Basics

So I have been going at my diet and exercise for either 5 or 6 weeks and have a weigh-in on Wednesday(I skipped last week's weigh-in so it's 2 weeks worth). But what I have noticed is after the initial weight loss or the initial portion control we slowly go back to our old ways. Now I have done a great job of keeping the workouts fresh and new switching them up every 3rd workout, ie incline dumbbell press Mon and Wed, then Fri and Mon I will do side crawl push ups. I do this with every exercise, so nothing gets stale or old, why not switch it up with my diet and tracking of my meal plan?

So I have decided to get back to basics and switch things up. I was tracking my daily food and exercise and things I would accomplish during the day and then I started missing a day here or there and now I'm not even carrying it around. That is why I'm losing a pound and not 5 pounds, my mind and body have gone back to my old way of life. You have to have a lifestyle change when you change something that you do everyday.

So my major changes will be:

> Writing everything down in my journal

> Blogging more about finance and fitness so I stay motivated.

> Keeping my diet strong for the whole week with portion and measurement control

When I weigh in tomorrow I hope I will have lost weight at least a couple pounds, but if not I will truly get back to basics and start off with that 5 pound weight loss like I had in week 1. Steven Donovan working hard.