Self Improvement

Due to some influence from driven people around me and a new perspective on life in general, the idea of self improvement has become increasingly more important to me. I used to wonder what my purpose or anyone's purpose was in life. I thought that one person had to be a contributer to society in order to really possess value in my eyes. Anyone who was partying or sitting on the couch everyday was a piece of shit. I thought as long as I wasn't that, then I was okay but I was still lacking. I realized that someone needs to be constantly progressing. Never settle. It's a bit comical considering the way my mind processed that phrase before had more to do with being single but now it holds so much more meaning. We should be constantly creating new goals, reaching for our existing ones and never being satisfied with our past performances. (I stole that last idea.) I may not know what I want to do with my life and I may lose focus easy but if I can accomplish something every single day, use my waking hours to some sort of benefit, I can be worthy of life. Living is not about appreciating the sun or "natural beauties". It's not about appreciating others and love. Don't wake up and tell someone you love them. Wake up and tell yourself that today you will move forward. Wake up and decide how you will make yourself worthy of that heart beat. For those who waste away and don't take full advantage of the life that they've been given, the value that you place on yourself will reflect on others and ultimately, you're missing out.
A couple days ago I impulsively went to Borders to capitalize on the close out sales that were happening due to its unfortunate demise. If Borders can’t get a buyer I can’t imagine the fate of other large companies. I don’t think the value of books is decreasing but the value of knowledge and physical copies. I’m never getting a kindle. Anyway, I read a book called “A Millionaire by Thirty” by Alan Corey front to back that same day. It’s really about being an extremist and penny-pinching and investing but the author resembles anyone looking towards a goal. I read it with jiu jitsu and writing in mind. You must never lose sight even if being a black belt is still about 6 years away. He became a millionaire by simply (okay it wasn’t THAT simple) educating himself about investments and finance, being a cheapskate, sucking it up/holding out at his 9-5 shitty day job , ignoring whatever anyone else said about his progress and perhaps ridiculous goal and resisting temptation. Every single day was spent working towards becoming a millionaire if only a penny. There may not be concrete numbers involved with jiu jitsu that can be easily calculated but the hours of training can definitely accumulate and show through competition results and belt promotions. If I can suck up each day, drive my 40 minutes to training, learn and apply my techniques, maintain my diet and basically work hard as fuck, I will accomplish not only being a black belt but becoming a world champion.

I’ve spent the past few months figuring out how I can constantly improve. At this point I’ve relied on daily to-do lists just so that I can come home feeling like I did something and that today, I am better than I was yesterday. I try to get all of my tasks done in a timely manner and the ability to physically pass a line through a task on a piece of paper really aids in that. My latest have been:
-Renew license online. Check.
-Register for Vegas Open. Check.
-Send Bruno Malfacine Interview to Budo Dave. Check.
-Create website for zine. Check.
-Put out zine #3. Not yet.

My training has been fairly consistent but lacking. Now’s about the time I should start stepping it up since the Vegas Open is less than a month away and I’ve registered as featherweight. I’ve got about 5 pounds and I want to be walking around at that weight rather than be forced to cut. A couple weeks ago I flew to Atlanta and stayed with Jordon. He helped me with a work out plan and as soon as I got back I restarted at the gym near my house. It consists strictly of deadlifts, benchpress, front squats and grip exercises. I trust his knowledge and it is a tremendous help to feel like I’m making progress even if I don’t feel it. I never went to the gym before because I never really knew what to do and even if I did a bunch of things, I never knew when it was enough or how much because there’s no instant results. By trusting Jordon’s judgment I can get in there and out without hesitation about whether results will show. I’ve been going about twice a week generally and plan to step it up to three this week starting today.

On another note, I’m starting university again next month and I cannot wait. My hours at work will be minimized and I do not mind. I will be able to train still and advance myself every single day. Really, just the thought of having my daytime hours to myself even for two weekdays makes me ecstatic. The 29th of August needs to approach faster.

Yesterday I had an audition with MTV regarding a new life improvement show. I spent one of my working days applying to whatever casting I could find. When I got the voicemail the same day my 12 year old self giggled. I auditioned as a dependent jiu jitsu athlete who wants to not only become world champion but grow up essentially. Not exactly a great twist but the girls interviewing me seemed to enjoy learning about the sport. And even if I’m not considered for the show, the producers will know what jiu jitsu is all about by the time they’re done watching my audition tape. In that small chance I do end up on TV I can spread jiu jitsu even more. It'd be really cool.

My newest goals will be winning the Vegas Open on August 13th, losing about 6 pounds or so, saving/investing my money, getting more writing jobs, getting my zine issue 3 out, advance my website, do well in school.

If anyone can give me some business advice, help with distributing the zine, know anything about website design or want to give me more writing jobs don't hesitate to contact me.

Bruno Malfacine Interview
Pulling Guard Zine Website
How to Prepare for an Interview with a Successful Individual