On Self Esteem

     Here in the US of A people have completely lost their minds. This all started back in the 50's or 60's when psychologists noticed that high achievers had high self esteem. This led to a hypothesis that if we could raise someone's self esteem, they in turn would become higher achievers.

     This hypothesis filtered over into the education community and the media and the relationship between self esteem and success was reduced to the level of absurdity. Little Johnny flunked his math test? He must have low self esteem. Jane is a whore? She must have low self esteem. Steve has started stealing? Well, it can only be one thing...low self esteem.

     Outcomes were completely divorced from the behaviors that caused them. People's failures weren't their own. Blame was placed on institutions, such as school, family or even society,  for failing to build up the person's self esteem. Consequently, we now have a nation of self entitled whiners, who expect everything to go their way without them having to do anything to earn success. They are then disappointed, angered even, they may even lash out when reality fails to confirm their inflated sense of self.

     There is a chance that you are part of the aforementioned generation. If you are, let this post be the antidote to the poisonous ideas society may have put in your mind.

     You are not special.

     Read that again and let it soak in.

     Even if you have some special ability or gift, nobody cares. And nothing will come of your gift unless you mix it with a lot of work. Even then nobody is likely to care.

     Don't expect to have people clamoring to congratulate you when you do find success. Your successes don't mean anything to anyone but you, your spouse and maybe your parents. Honestly, your kids probably won't even care. Your friends and extended family may actually be jealous of your success. Nobody else will care.

     That's the reality.

     Any unwashed hippies who hear this truth, will say, "Hey man, we're, like all in this together. We got to help each other out, man." I've known hippies like this, and let me tell you, the don't say these kinds of things out of the naive, altruistic goodness of their heart. No they say this because they are weak and lazy and they intend to be net beneficiaries of a "help each other out" society. They plan on receiving more help than they give.

     I hate hippies.

     In the event that you are one of the diligent few, unaffected by society's feel good drivel, let me also say: have low expectations. Many think because they aim high their outcomes will be correspondingly high.

     They won't be.

     A farmer may plant crops on 10 acres, but he doesn't expect to harvest all that he planted. He knows that drought, insects, fungi and floods will come. And when they do, they will decrease the yield. The farmer plants 10 acres hoping that he'll get 5-8 acres worth of crops.

     Likewise, know that the fruits of your labor will be less than you hope for. So never make plans based on best case scenarios. Instead, base your plans on the worst case scenario.

     For those of you taken in by the happy horse crap propaganda that they taught you in school, this might all come across as a slap in the face. Good. I'm trying to wake you up to the realities of the world. And slapping someone in the face usually wakes them up. If you go through life with a misunderstanding of reality, you'll be confused and frustrated when things don't go the way you anticipated. After years of this frustration you may have a mental break and find yourself on top of a building shooting at passersby, convinced that they are to blame for all of your woes.

     So when you think about it, this is a humanitarian piece. I'm helping to prevent mass shootings.

     In summation, you aren't special, very few people care about you, and your plans will be less successful than you hope. Deal with it. Who would have ever thought that this is the type of thing that would stop mass shootings?

Catch you guys next time.

23 Awesome Dream Homes

     I think nearly everyone dreams, not just of one day owning a home, but of one day owning their dream home. I am also sure that somewhere in the world there are dirty hippies who would decry this type of dreaming as "materialistic" or "superficial". But I think dreams like this can be very useful. The pain of not having the things you want can be a powerful motivating force. To that end, here are some pics that hopefully impel you toward success.

My wife loves this. I told her that I love it too because there's enough room for us to shower together...along with 4-6 of her hottest friends. She was not amused.

Women love castles. My wife says this one needs a moat.

I don't have kids, but if I did...

I feel very strongly that the world needs more grottoes.

Contrary to feminist claptrap, most women I know are all about their kitchens.

The exhibitionist in me says that I need an outdoor shower. The pragmatist in me says that this is a good way to end up on the sex offender registry.

Stones, because drywall is for peasants.

Kettlebells

     I loves me some kettlebells. Some of you are probably thinking "Why would a grown man admit something like that?" I will grant you that kettlebells sort of have a bad reputation. And I understand why.

     Pavel Tsatsouline introduced kettlebells and his style of training to the USA in 1998. And almost over night, I began seeing kettlebells everywhere. The trouble is, most of the people hawking kettlebells had zero clue about how to use them. We had clowns telling people to use kettlebells for their 5x5 training. Others said that kettlebells were great for bodybuilding. I even saw a commercial for an at home training DVD, where the models were just holding tiny, pink kettlebells directly out in front of them. Seriously, what the heck people?

     So i completely understand why kettlebells have a bad reputation. But don't judge the implement harshly just because some jackasses do stupid crap with them. Let me be clear, kettlebells are not good for bodybuilding. And they aren't good for strength training. They will work in a pinch if you can't make it to the gym for a week or two. But if your main goal is getting huge and/or strong, kettlebells aren't going to be your main training apparatus.

     But kettlebells shine in one area; ballistic exercises done for high reps...or usually for very high reps. What do I mean by "ballistic movements"? Ballistic exercises are exercises where speed is an inherent trait of the exercise. The Olympic lifts and their variants done with a barbell are a perfect example. You can't slow down the speed of a snatch and successfully complete the lift.

     Ballistic exercises commonly done with a kettlebell include kettlebell snatches, cleans, jerks and swings. There are others. like the kettlebell high pull, but basically nobody does them. Snatches, cleans, jerks and swings are the meat and potatoes of kettlebell training.

     So what do I mean by "high reps"? I mean sets of 100 or more reps. In competitive kettlebell lifting, competitors do as many reps as they can in 10 minutes without setting the bells down. I imagine a 10 minute set is very painful.

    I imagine you're saying. "So what? You're doing weird exercises with a weird implement for high reps. What's the big deal?" The big deal is that ballistic movements done for high reps are amazing for fat loss and conditioning. And because of their shape kettlebells are great for doing ballistic movements for high reps.

     If you wanted to do 1 arm snatches, but wanted to do lower rep sets to focus on strength, then a barbell would be the implement to use. Let me tell you, heavy 1 arm barbell snatches are very cool. But when it comes to doing higher reps, barbells and dumbbells aren't so good. After lowering a barbell or dumbbell, you have to reset before each rep.  The way kettlebells are shaped, allows you to get into a rhythm, like in this video:

     You can't really get into rhythm like that with barbells or dumbbells.

     Pave Tsatsouline in one of his books tells of a Russian study where two groups are run through a battery of tests designed to test general fitness. Each of the two groups were assigned to a training protocol. One group trained by doing the exercises they had been tested on. The other group trained with kettlebells. After several weeks the groups were retested on the same battery of exercises. The scientist found that the group that trained with kettlebells actually had bigger improvements.

     Tracy Reifkind lost a 100 lb in less than a year, doing just kettlebell swings three times per week. She ended up losing 120 lb in less than 15 months.

This woman needs to take off the gloves and forearm protection.

     I personally lost a ton of fat in about 6 weeks by adding 2 sets of swings to my regular strength training. I'm not the kind of person who measures my food. I don't even weigh myself. I was just in front of a mirror without a shirt on one day and something just caught my eye. I could see my abs. I wasn't super cut by any means. But I did it with zero dieting and no special training beyond 2 sets of swings per day, 5-6 days per week.

     Kettlebellers talk a lot about what they call the "What the Hell" effect. Basically after spending a few months training seriously with kettlebells, you'll find other things are easier. You'll casually run up a flight of stairs, instead of slowly trudging up them. Helping your buddy move his couch will be a piece of cake.

     My WTH moment came when a friend and I needed to unload a 40 semi trailer packed with many tons of frozen food. And I don't mean unload by using a dolly. Because of the setup, we had to unload it by hand. I don't know how long it took, but it was a lot of work. When it was all over, I remember thinking "That wasn't that bad. Huh, must be the kettlebells." I was barely sore the next day.

     And that, gentlemen, is why I loves me some kettlebells.

   

Budgeting

     Last week I gave you 4 reasons to follow a budget. Today we're going to go over the simple steps you can take to make your own budget & get control of your finances.

1. Analyse Past Spending Behavior

     The first step to budgeting is to know how you've spent your money in the past. So sign into your bank account and start categorizing every purchase you've made for each of the last 3 months. Going back 6 months would be better. 

     Every purchase must be categorized, even if the category is "Miscellaneous". 

     Try to be as concise as possible. Having a category for "Food" is good. Breaking that down further and having a category for "Groceries" and another for "Eating Out" is better. 

     Also each monthly bill is its own category. So "Electric Bill", "Water Bill", "Chase Credit Card", "Rent", "Car Insurance" & "Gym Fees" are all their own category. 

     Know the minimum payment for each credit card that you have as well as the amount that you've actually been paying. 

     You also need to track income. I only track regular sources of income such as paychecks from a job. If your income regularly varies because of the number of hours you work or because you are paid commission, your budget will have to be based on a very conservative estimates of future income.

     All of this can be done with paper or pencil, or on Excel. There is also budgeting software you can use. Some of it is free, most are not. My wife and I just use Excel. 

     If you've never lived on a budget before, be prepared to be shocked at the amount of money you spend (waste) on things like eating out, going to the club or the movies. This shock tends to drive people to temporarily be too miserly and cut all the fun stuff out of their budget. Don't do this! Unless you are completely in the hole every month, leave at least some fun stuff in your budget.

2. Pay Yourself First...Most of the Time

     The common wisdom in budgeting is to pay yourself first. You do this by setting up an automatic payment from your checking account to your savings account every time you get paid. And that's good advice...if you have the money. There was a time when I could not do this. I had no money left after I paid my bills, paid for gas, and food.

     Don't beat yourself up too much if you're in this spot. Beat yourself up a little, so that you learn your lesson...just not too much. Plenty of people have been in the same position and eventually got out of it. It takes what seems like an eternity. but eventually you'll get out of it...or you'll die, in which case it doesn't matter anyway.

     But if you have enough money to pay your bills, get to and from work, and purchase food, then save part of every check. Most experts will tell you to save 10%. If you're really ballin' they say you should save 20%. But even if you can only save $5, then save that. Do what you can. You may also want to consider getting a second job.

3. Prioritize Your Spending

     Decide what to do with your remaining funds. How much are you going to spend eating out? How much do you need for gas, entertainment and cable? Using the info gleaned from step 1, you can make a reasonable estimation of what you will need to allocate for each category.

     You will probably find that in certain areas your spending is completely unacceptable. Or you may find that you need first need to prioritize building an emergency fund. 

     Here's an anecdote for you:

     My wife, in an effort to save money, would allocate an unrealistically small amount of funds for groceries. The meals she planned were either too small to fill you up or they were cheap but not the kind of food we actually liked. This unrealistic planning caused us to eat out more than planned. I finally convinced her that by spending more money on groceries, we would spend less eating out and less over all. 

     Be realistic with your plan.

4. Wherever Realistic, Use Cash

     Obviously you aren't going to be paying most of your bills in cash. Things like rent, cable, and your car payment will most likely be paid with a check or via fund transfer. But for things like entertainment, groceries and eating out, use cash. I suggest you use an envelope system like the one here. (<---by using this affiliate link you help support the site.)

     With an envelope system, you have an envelope for each category in your budget where you use cash. So as mentioned in the paragraph above, you would have a "grocery" envelope, an "eating out" envelope, and a "spending money" envelope for you and one for your spouse.

     When you know how much cash you need,  you go to the bank and and make one withdrawl. My wife actually hands the teller a piece of paper that states how many $20's, $10's, $5's and $1's she wants. Then the exact amount budgeted goes into each envelope. Getting all the cash at once prevents all of those pesky ATM fees.

     When you run out of money...then you're done spending on that category until your next payday. If you run out of money in the "grocery" envelope, then put back the stakes and get ramen and Hamburger Helper. No money in the "eating out" envelope? Then you're eating at home until payday.

5. Pay Off Your Debt

     Credit card debt is particularly bad. Be strategic when paying off your debt. Dave Ramsey tells people to pay the minimum payments on all their credit cards except the one with the smallest balance. You put all available funds toward paying off the smallest one. Once that one is paid off, you take all the funds once going to your smallest credit card and add it to the minimum payment on the card with the next smallest budget. You continue on in this manner until all of your credit cards are paid off.

     I think he may espouse this method because he may think that this method provides a psychological boost when you see a small, and thus easier to pay off, balance eliminated. But financial experts seem to disagree with his methods. They say that you should you should put your efforts towards first paying off the card with the highest interest rate. Then move on to the card with the next highest interest rate. Paying off the highest rate card first actually saves you money in the long term.

     Whatever you do, don't decrease the amount that you pay on your credit card, even when amount due decreases. If this month you have a minimum payment of $250 and you decide that you can pay $300 per month, next month your minimum payment should be smaller. When it is, you should still pay $300.  When that card is paid off, add that $300 to the minimum payment you've been making on the next card. In this way, you will pay your debt off faster.

6. Build Up Your Savings Account

     Financial planners say that you need at least 3-6 months of living expenses in savings, but this is a minimum. Eventually you want at least a years worth of living expenses in savings. From their you can start saving money to invest. Buy rental properties, trade options, maybe start moonlighting as a freelance male escort who caters to women 55-70 years of age who are too ugly to get dates. Follow your dreams, but get your finances in order first.

     Too many people avoid budgeting because they're lazy or they think that budgeting is synonymous with self denial. Its not. Its about making smart choices now so that you can live the best life you can. Its about maximizing your money. Its about impulse control. In words of Dave Ramsey "Live like no one else, so you can live like no one else."

     That's it for this post, catch ya next time, gentlemen.

Dose of Testosterone 8: Jacked Olympic Lifters

     As I have said before, I used to be an Olympic lifter. I enjoyed Olympic lifting way more than following a typical bodybuilding routine. The trouble is that most OL routines aren't geared toward hypertrophy. So you can get quite strong and still not look like you lift. You do put on some muscle, but most of it is in your thighs, glutes, traps and erectors. You might also get a little development in your shoulders and forearms. So you might look athletic if you take your shirt off, but most lifters never develop a physique that screams "Holy crap!!! I'm not messing with that guy!"

     That being said it is inspiring to see lifters that are jacked. In fact, for those of you who have difficulty maintaining the motivation to hit the gym, try this; take some caffeine, put on some music that gets you pumped and start looking at pictures of people with physiques you admire. Within 30 minutes, you should be ready to set some new PR's.

     To that end, here are some pics of lifters with physiques that I admire. They aren't your typical bodybuilder physiques, but I like them and I think most ladies would too. Oh and I'm sorry, but some of these pics are old and thus of low quality. They look this way regardless of how big or small I make them. In spite of this, the people in said pics are jacked enough to merit inclusion in this post.

270 kg (595.25 lb)

I think this is Sergey Arakelov.

David Rigert

3x Olympic Gold medalist Pyrros Dimas.

75 kg European Champion Lidia Valentín.

Gennadi Ivanchenko

I have no idea who she is, but her legs and butt are nice.

The Beast known as Klokov.

     Well, that's it for this post. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Check back in a couple of days for another post.

4 Reasons to Follow a Budget

I'm not what most would call a financial success. I've posted before about some of the financial difficulties I've had.  My financial situation has forced me to appreciate living on a budget. I am baffled by people who refuse to live by one. Their refusal might make sense if they were making serious bank, but usually they have as many financial problems as I do, even though they don't have the debt that I do.

I don't know what goes on in the minds of people who have an aversion to living by a budget. I think maybe they assume that living on a budget means depriving themselves of things they want. And if there is one thing Americans hate, it is depriving themselves. It's very American to say "I deserve..."

I don't understand that. It's a very entitled way of thinking. I don't think I deserve anything. In fact, in most instances, I think "deserved" is a stupid word to use, especially when it comes to purchases. You can either afford something, or you can't. What you deserve is irrelevant.

But I digress.

For those of you who don't yet live by a budget here are the 4 reasons you should  reconsider your choice.

1. Budgets put you in control.

Budgeting is simply a financial plan. You have a plan in place stating how your finances will be spent, before said finances have even been earned or received. 

Without a budget, it is easy easy for menial purchases to chip away at your bank account until there is nothing left. Sadly, too many people know the feeling of wondering "Where did it all go?"

With a budget, that won't be a problem.  You still might not have as much money as you would like. But come the end of the month, you'll know where every red cent went.

2. Helps You Develop Self Control

I don't have any scientific research to back this up. I not going to even look for any. But I know that self control can be developed. The way you develop it is by practicing it. The more you practice self control, the more you develop. 

Budgeting is an addition to your life that will have that added benefit of developing self control. Everyday you'll have small temptations to deviate from your budget. Maybe you'll want to run down to gas station to grab a snack. Or perhaps you'll want to eat out instead of eating at home. Each time you choose to stick to the plan instead of giving in, you are developing self control. Each time you give in, you are undermining it. 

3. Not having a budget leads to debt.

When you don't live by a predetermined plan, it becomes very easy to rationalize purchases. This is even more true for big purchases that will require months to save for. Since you haven't been living on a budget, you don't really have any savings to use for the purchase. So you use your credit card. You tell yourself that you pay it off in a few months. But something comes up every month that "forces" you to only make the minimum payments. And before you know it, something else comes up that you are forced to charge, and add to your ever increasing debt.

4. Peace of Mind

Opposite of point 3, living by a budget helps you accumulate cash in a savings a savings account. When things come up, you make do as long as possible. Then when you can no longer make do, you pay cash. Instead of ever increasing debt, you have an ever increasing savings account. And you save money that would go to pay interest on debt. 

Like I said, my finances aren't yet to the point that I would like. I'm still paying off debts that I accrued over 10 years ago. But I only have a few years left and they'll be paid off. I also have a little bit of money in my savings accounts. While I don't have enough to buy a decent used car with cash, I do have enough to handle most any automotive issue that might come up. I can also cover most home repair issues that might come up. This is a huge stress reliever. 

Hopefully I've convinced you that a budget is a necessary item that your household needs. If you don't currently follow one, then start doing so. If you don't know how, keep coming back, I'll have more personal finance info coming soon.

Catch you next time.