Another Night of Blue Zone Sleep

My sleep goal is simple – secure a 'blue zone' score in every category as measured by my smart watch.  If you're struggling to get things done during the day, take a look at how you're sleeping.  The sleep score factors are sleep time, physical recovery, restfulness, mental recovery, and sleep cycles.  Last night I managed to be in the blue zone in every category reaching the excellent range with a score of 86.  My body appears to be okay on the low end of the recommended sleep range.  When I fall into the 'red zone' it's usually because I woke up before getting the minimum of seven hours of sleep.  Another area of weakness for me is restfulness.  If you are up more than 10% of the night you will find yourself in the red zone in this category.

Anxiety plays a role regarding the quality of your sleep.  By measuring your sleep quality nightly, you can determine how anxiety is hurting you and make minor adjustments to minimize its effects.  Ask your physician about ashwagandha, an evergreen shrub that grows in Asia and Africa.   I started out with half of the recommended serving size about a year ago before I bought my smart watch.  This plant is a popular ancient remedy for reducing stress and enhancing sleep quality.  I plan to increase the dose in a future experiment to see what happens to my sleep score.  Remember to check in with your doctor before you make any changes as these stories are for anecdotal purposes and not meant to be considered as medical advice.  As a sidebar, I would like to insert something from a casual conversation I had with a doctor recently about my food choices.  He said, "well, you're not dead so maybe your choices aren't so bad."  He did seem surprised that I don't take any prescription medicine.  Meanwhile, my experiments will continue as I seek the best ways to sleep in the blue zone.  Have a great day.

Why You are Your Own Best Life Coach

There is only one person in this world who knows exactly how to get your best daily performance – you.  Yes, you.  Think about it.  Does anyone else know you better than yourself?  The truth is we all keep things about ourselves hidden from the rest of the world.  Too bad you can't hide from yourself.  Why not take what's buried deep within you and use it to make yourself better?  If you're serious about self improvement, read on.

The key to being your own coach is to never give up on yourself.  Seek to be better today than you were yesterday.  As long as you stay in the game you will win the game of life.  You were born with no rules or playbook.  You learned to walk and talk.  You learned how to get along with well with others.  You discovered your strengths and weaknesses.  If you think back to when you were young, you had dreams.  Perhaps others told you that you weren't good enough to achieve those dreams.  You threw in the towel and settled for other people's ideas about what you should do with your life.  That's why being your own coach is a great idea.  You are capable of reviving those old dreams you abandoned.  

Start small.  Learn to get good at making small winning changes that lead to life-changing habits.   Remember that no one else is in charge of your success.  It's all on you.  Be kind to yourself and take care of your body, mind, and soul.  Be positive.  Don't worry about mistakes.  Write down all your important goals and review the list daily.  Remember to thank yourself for all the success you are experiencing.  Have a great day. 

Why Do Some People Make Goal Achievement Look So Easy?

Have you ever wondered why some people make achieving their goals look effortless? If you were to take a deep dive into their past, you'd probably see that this wasn’t always the case. In my life, there have been some lean years when getting to the finish line on my biggest goals felt like an uphill battle. I often hit the reset button, carrying unfulfilled goals into the new year, only to start over again.

Think about the biggest goal you have right now. What are the odds you’ll complete this goal in your lifetime? 100%? 90%? 80%? Is it a coin toss at 50/50? Will the dream die before you do? I have a solution to help you become a champion at goal achievement.

The key is to give yourself daily tasks that will nudge you toward completing your goal. The more you can break your major goals down into smaller, manageable tasks, the greater your odds of success.

Take, for example, the biggest goal on my list: building a dream mobile home on wheels by Thanksgiving 2025. There are mini-steps to getting this done. Perhaps the largest obstacle is raising the cash needed to buy the vehicle before starting the build. Every morning, the first thing I see on my laptop screen is the ‘Timeline for Lucy,’ which outlines specific checkpoints with target amounts. I may or may not reach these checkpoints by the desired dates, and that’s okay. The smaller time targets help me make adjustments, keeping me on track to reach the final financial goal by 8/08.

The period after reaching the financial goal is equally challenging, as this is when I’ll need to roll up my sleeves and start building the van. The timeline is just over 100 days. For a professional van builder, this is more than enough time. But for a rookie with a full-time day job, it means dedicating most of my free time to the project. The learning process is ongoing—every day, I’m gaining new knowledge about plumbing, electrical systems, solar panels, insulation, and more. My goal is to have a solid understanding of the building process so that when I finally acquire the van, I can hit the ground running.

There’s one more crucial component to achieving your goals: the “why.” The why is your reason, your driving force behind wanting to complete your goal. My why is the desire to spend more time traveling with my wife, which means I need an affordable alternative for future travels. Achieving this goal while we’re still young enough to enjoy it is my top priority.

How about you? Are you ready to become a champion at goal achievement? Today is the perfect day to get started. Have a great day!

Preparation for Next Tennis Season Begins Today

 Our team will be back on the courts today.  First match of the new season is in September.  I'm thankful our players are so dedicated.  This year I will be returning to the Men's 40+ and 55+ teams while letting go of the 18+ age group.  Letting go doesn't mean giving up.  It means I'm creating more time to put balance in my life.  The plus side of winning our age groups and qualifying for post season play is more high level tennis outside the state.  The negative side is giving up most of my vacation time to play on three teams.  

These next twelve months will be my busiest ever.  I'm setting up checkpoints to help me stay focused on my goals.  These daily blogs will serve as an accountability report.  Stay tuned.  Have a great day.

Sleep Improvement Tip

 I believe I recorded my fastest fall asleep time ever last night and it was so quick I was shocked by the report.  These measurements can't be done without the aid of monitoring devices like my smart watch.  Drum roll please.  Last night I hit the pillow at 8:45 which is my target.  According to my smart watch, it was lights out six minutes later.  There are many variables that contributed to this such as the number of hours I was on the tennis courts leading up to last night.  I take all these variables into account while seeking optimum sleep.  For me, it's the trends that matter and everything sleep related is going in a positive direction.  Proper sleep at night leads to increased productivity during the day.  Final sleep score last night was 86.    Restfulness came in at 89% which is outside the blue zone by one percentage point.  This was the only area not in the ideal zone.  

When it comes to optimizing your sleep, the tiny steps matter, like setting a consistent go-to-bed time target and sticking to it.  This will be a lifelong pursuit for me.  At age 64, I need all the help I can get.  In my opinion, there is nothing better you can do than to maximize your sleep patterns.  Have a great day.

Joy in the Journey

The first practice of our next tennis season is a couple of days away.  Our second home on wheels purchase is forty-nine weeks out.  The most distant goal – participating in the men's 90 nationals, happens to be 26 years in the future.  No matter where the end zone is located, it's not really the goal that brings the joy, it's the pursuit of the goal.  That's where joy can be found if you have the right mindset.  

One of my teammates told me after we were eliminated from the tennis sectionals in Springfield, "I would do everything again even the outcome was the same."  When he says everything again, he's referring to intense practices in high humidity and out of this world heat indexes.  He's talking about all the sacrifices.  He's including all the injuries and setbacks.  My teammate knows where the ultimate joy is.  It's in the journey.  

It took me fifty years of playing tennis to develop a good backhand.  I'm pretty sure I will need every free moment of the next forty-nine weeks to learn the necessary skills to build our 'Five Star Lucy' van.  If my wood shop teacher from high school who also served as my first tennis coach is reading this, he would surely agree about the backhand needing work and concur on my need for improvement with wood working.  It's never too late to learn new skills.  It's never too late to set goals no matter how many times you have been around the sun in your lifetime.   

I would like to give a shoutout to my wife this morning.  She is well aware that the journey is not ever easy.  I will do my best to find joy daily as we strive to reach our 50th wedding anniversary in 15 years.  Have a great day.

Iowa Wildcard Team Out of Tournament

Thunderstorms and lightning forced delays during our match play in the third round of sectionals yesterday.  My singles match and two of our doubles teams were still playing when officials suspended play.  We returned to play indoors six hours after our original start time and complete the matches.  Unfortunately for us, we were defeated 5-0 in the final round of round robin play.

I would like to salute my teammates who fought hard against some of the strongest players we have ever faced.  We showed up with the minimum of nine players while other teams rotated up to 18 players during round robin play.  I'm thankful for the lessons learned and the comradery.  Thanks also for supporting our team.  Practice for next season resumes on Wednesday.  It's time to go home.  Special thanks to team captain, Jim Sichterman, for leading our team and setting up the best accommodations ever through VRBO.  Have a great day.  Good luck to the state champion Iowa team who won their pool yesterday and will be playing in the semifinals this morning.

Round 3 of Tennis This Morning

Eight of the best teams in the Midwest are still alive after the first two rounds of pool play in the USTA sectionals.  This morning the two 4th place finishers are out.  We are on the edge.  Most of the matches have been decided by super tiebreakers.  The margin of victory is as slim as it gets.

Our wild card team must win against Oklahoma in order to advance to the quarterfinals.  The good news is we have a player joining us to strengthen our lineup.  Nick is a school teacher and he was needed to welcome the kids back to school.  We showed up at the tournament with the bare minimum of nine players to cover one singles and four doubles matches for each round.  

We are fortunate our team captain booked us a high end VRBO.  Rest and recovery is vital at this stage of the tournament.  We are ready to.  The next round is at 9:30am.  Have a great day.

Let the Tennis Games Begin

 Our first round of the tennis tournament begins at 7:30am this morning.  The team arrived yesterday in order to get a good night of rest and be ready for the early start.  Stay tuned for updates.  It's going to be an action packed weekend.  Have a great day.

Men's Wild Card Team Heads to Springfield for Sectionals

 Our men's 4.0 team in the 40+ age group is headed to Springfield, MO this morning.  First round match play is 7:30 am tomorrow followed by a second round robin team match at 11:30 am.  The team plays the final round robin match on Saturday at 9:30 am.  The last place team in each pool goes home.  2nd and 3rd place finishers in round robin pool play advance to the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon once all pool play matches are completed.  First place in each pool advances directly to the semifinals at 9:30 am on Sunday.  Finals are at 12:30pm on Sunday.  

I'm thrilled to be a part of this team.  We are like family.  Every member of this team has been working on continuous improvement for over a decade.  The outcomes are usually decided by the smallest of margins.  Anything can happen.  I know one thing for certain – the competition will be fierce.  It's time to get on the road.  Have a great day.

How Sleep Tracking is Changing My Life

 It's been nine months since I began sleep tracking.  My smart watch isn't perfect when it comes to measuring nightly sleep but that's okay.  I'm looking for trends based on different variables I introduce in order to find my optimum sleep patterns.  Like any new habit, it takes time to develop a winning routine.

Poor sleep translates to poor performance during the day.  Quality sleep sets up superior performance.  It's like taking your vehicle to your mechanic for an overhaul.  Regular maintenance keeps you on the road towards goal achievement.  

Think back to a time in your life when you were raising your family.  How difficult was it for you to get the kids to bed?  How did you handle situations when someone woke up in the middle of the night?  Your sleep patterns are influenced the same way as young children who don't want to go to bed.  Allow yourself to stay awake too long before retiring for the evening will hurt your productivity the next day.

My life is dramatically better now that I'm taking control of my sleep patterns.  The feedback I'm getting from my smart watch is helping me to make adjustments.  It's all about the baby steps.  If you're serious about improving the quality of your sleep, take it slow.  Resist the temptation to stay up too late.  Find routines that help you ease into a great night of sleep.  Be consistent.  Have a great day.

Two Winning Strategies for Self-Improvement

 If you're looking for a quick way to be the best version of yourself, this isn't it.  Today's story is a slow and steady approach.  All I can say is this strategy works because you are only competing against one person – yourself.  Should you dare to accept the challenge, you will witness a massive transformation in any area of your life you choose to change.  There are two strategies that can be used separately or combined in any ratio.  Here goes:

Strategy Number One – Cut out 1% of the waste in your life, one day at a time.  You already know in your heart that you are wasting part of your day.  All that is necessary is for you to beat yesterday's wasted time by 1%.  It may mean reducing social media time.  I recommend keeping notes about the 1% you cut and track it for as long as you want to compete with yesterday's productivity.  

Strategy Number Two – Add 1% more time to productive activities that bring you joy.  It may be learning a new language or skill.  All you need to do is be 1% better today at managing your time than you were yesterday.  

Be wary of how your brain will fight back when you are using these two strategies and make the appropriate adjustments.  Give yourself wiggle room.  For example, if your brain tells you there isn't enough time to add 1% to your productive activities, tell your brain you are going to focus on strategy number one, cutting out activities until you create enough space to work on strategy number two.  

If you would like an added incentive to stay motivated, imagine what the end of the contest looks like should you continuously lose to your old self.  This happens when others give up on themselves.  They look to the past and see the best version of themselves.  Depression sets in.  They throw in the towel.  If you follow their example, the old you wins and you lose out on being the best version of yourself.  If you are not improving at least one percent per day, you are losing.  Good luck in the competition with your self.  Have a great day.

Tools for Removing Goal Impediments

Like it or not, you may have some stubborn goal impediments in your life.  Some of these impediments were given to you when you were young and your brain absorbed them like a sponge.  Think of the baby circus elephant who was chained up shortly after birth.  He wanted to break out of captivity but the chains were too strong.  He gave up not realizing that someday when he was bigger and stronger he could break free.   The chains became his impediment to freedom.

Do you recall all the times you failed at something and other people told you to give up?  Maybe your voice is actually the loudest and the most critical.  The only people I know who are champions at removing goal impediments happen to be babies.  How many babies do you know who gave up after falling down when learning to walk?  That's because they are born without limitations.  Limitations are self-inflicted.  Loved ones teach you to have goal impediments because they don't want you to get hurt.  Breaking news!  Failure hurts.  Pain avoidance is another fancy name for incarceration.  

If you think about it for a while, you may discover that some of your toughest goal impediments are invisible.  They reside inside your brain.  If they happen to be invisible, how do you think you can remove them and set yourself free?  

I believe one of the best solutions for removing goal impediments is to observe others in similar situations who discovered their own tools and used them to create a new life for themselves.  These people are the mavericks.  Their own actions inspire others to break free on their journey towards the achievement of pre-determined worthwhile goals.  This journey requires your own personal pledge to remove every obstacle in your way, even the ones you constructed from your own failures.  

I happen to be a believer that changing your perspective creates opportunities to see your goal impediments from another point of view.  I often find my mind drifting into the future where I imagine myself already set free from whatever happens to be blocking me in the present.  I have this imaginary conversation with my future self and ask, "How did you remove the obstacle?"   It's the same scenario as having a newly freed circus elephant traveling back in time to have a conversation with his  captive self and telling him, "all you have to do is believe you are stronger than the chains."  

The final tool for goal impediment removal is invisible.  Sometimes you need invisible tools to fight invisible self-inflicted obstacles.  Let's call this tool a "failure stun gun."  If this is too much sci-fi for your taste buds, you can give it your own name.  The idea is that you pull the trigger on this failure stun gun every time you fall down.  These zaps are meant to teach your brain that failure can no longer slow you down or stop you.  In fact, failure is necessary.  You may ask, "how often do I need to use my "failure stun gun?"  Well, how many times does a baby need to fall down before he masters walking?  The older you get and the more set in your ways you become, the more often you will need to zap yourself with your failure stun gun.  New habits are much harder to create but they will eventually be stronger than your old bad habits that got you stuck in the mud.

Load your tool box with goal impediment removal tools.  Use them as often as you need them to reach your goals.  Your future self will thank you for doing this.  Have a great day.

Day 4 of 4 – Productivity Experiment is Complete

Today is the final day of my 4 day productivity experiment.  All major tasks on the 'honey do' are complete.  Today my wife and I will rest.  You may be asking, "Michael, why are you resting when you are focused on productivity?"  The answer is productivity is meant to be long-term.  These four days were set aside to work on the toughest tasks that have been lingering for too long.  I'm attempting to set up a template for living my best life free of regrets due to my procrastination tendencies.  Rest is an important part of productivity.  Without sufficient rest, burnout occurs.  My template looks like this... six days focused on productivity and one day of rest.  If this is good enough for the Creator of the universe, it's good enough for me.

Should you be interested in setting up your own productivity experiment, I recommend you allocate a specific number of days to do the most challenging priorities in your life.  Mix in some small fun goals that you can work on during your rest breaks while making sure your breaks are no longer than fifteen minutes every two hours.  Start day one with your most challenging item on your priority list and don't stop no matter how long it takes.  

I hit the wall on day 2 while I was mowing the yard after five hours working on priority number 2, sawing and hauling dead trees.   My muscles were sore from standing on a ladder the day before setting up bike racks in our garage.  It was the first time I had to stop before the mowing was done.  I resumed the mowing on day 3 while I tackled the major priority for day 3 – reinstalling the broken door on our outdoor shed.  The hinge was ripped off when the tornadic winds lifted the shed off the ground and landed it in a neighbors back yard two properties away.  Rather than discard the shed, I rebuilt it.  The doors actually work now.  I'm becoming best friends with the folks at Ace Hardware who have been guiding me on my journey.  I'm gaining the confidence I need to build our dream home on wheels from scratch.  Some of my friends question why I don't buy a conversion van already built by experts.  The answer can be found in the productivity experiment that ends today – the joy is in the journey, not crossing the finish line.  I'm fully appreciating the person I'm becoming.  The original Mike Mulligan had his steam shovel, Mary Anne. If I'm able to stay focused, My wife and I will have our 'Five Star Lucy' complete with everything we need to enjoy the next chapter of our lives.  Stay tuned.  Have a great day.

Day 3 of 4 – Productivity Experiment

 I have something interesting to report from day 2 of my productivity experiment.  It happened at the five hour mark while I was mowing.  The weather was in the good range.   Temps were cooler than normal and there was abundant sunshine.  The humidity was high which is normal for this time of year.  I had already accomplished the top priority of the day, cutting and hauling dead tree branches.  This was a monumental task requiring rotating saws as the batteries died due to frequent use.  Then it happened.   I hit the wall.  Fatigue was off the charts.  I discovered new muscles, mostly from standing on a ladder the day before.

My wife wasn't surprised by my fatigue.  In fact, she did wonder why it didn't happen sooner.   I hit the showers deciding to finish the mowing today after my 8am tennis drills.  It's time to head to the courts now.  The honey do list is looking good.  Have a great day.

Day 2 of 4 – Productivity Experiment

 There are two categories in my 4 day productivity experiment – Things to do and things to avoid doing.  Yesterday I focused on the garage from 7:30am to 6pm.  I told my wife I would tackle the biggest priority first and move on.  The garage is near perfect now that bike racks have been installed.  The garage was the only area I had time for.   What helped is I avoided doing things on the 'things to avoid list' such as checking social media and taking excessive breaks.  So far so good.

Today is day 2.  The weather is stunning today.  I will be soaking up Vitamin D while mowing.  The area of focus today is the tree line on the south side of our property.  It's time to clear out the wilderness path so I can break out my hammock once the honey do list is complete.  Time to get busy.  Have a great day.

4 Day Productivity Experiment Begins Today

Getting things done is not easy if you happen to be a procrastinator.  I'm doing my best to change my ways.  The realization that time is flying is inspiring me to clean up my act.  So far so good.  Now for some intensity which begins today.  The idea is to maximize productivity while minimizing distractions.  Not easy.  I've been writing about how breaking tasks into bite-sized segments of 15 minute increments can help with time management.  This is my plan for the next four days off.  Although this time was originally reserved to be playing in the sectionals with my tennis team, not enough players were able to commit so I'm staying home working on another productivity experiment.  That frees up four days to complete the 'honey do' list.  I'm classifying everything on my list as 'acts of service.'  My reward is seeing the smile on my wife's face.

My overall goal for the remainder of this year is to be 1% better every day.  This four day experiment will serve as a way to break my procrastinator habits.  It's like a boot camp.  These next four days are going to be fast and furious.  Wish me luck.  Have a great day.

Prime Time for Your Priorities

Today's story is about getting things done.  If procrastination has been seeping into your life, this story is for you.  I'm referring to your top priorities.  In my opinion, a great way to move priorities from the back burner to the front burner is to reserve your best time of the day for your most important tasks.  I function best at the beginning of the day before sunrise.  It's prime time.  Prime time is when you have your highest energy levels.  If you're watching TV during prime time you are missing out on task management.

Your success using prime time to manage your top priorities magnifies when you repeat prime time task management daily over extended periods of time.  I recommend starting small with one 15 minute block of time set aside for your most important priority of the day.  That's right.  15 minutes.  The key is to build on the 15 minutes once you make this a permanent habit.  15 minutes becomes two blocks of time at 15 minutes each.  Prime time will mean different things to different people.  If you can keep this up and work your way towards 8 blocks of time at 15 minutes each, I have a feeling you will find all your top priorities are getting done.  There is something special about crossing things off your priority list.  It becomes a mindset.  The key is to devote prime time so you can be your best when you want to get things done.  Imagine what your life will look like if you keep this up.  Have a great day.

How Did You Sleep Last Night?

How did you sleep last night?  If you slept great, I would love to hear what you did.  If you didn't, what do you think you could do differently tonight to improve?  I'm all about doing the small things to improve the quality of my sleep.  The idea is to get 1% better every night.  For me, this seems to be working.  My sleep app on my smart watch gives me the feedback I need to make adjustments.  Last night's rating was an 84, one point below the "excellent" range for the general population.  While I can't control certain aspects of my sleep such as the amount of time I spend in deep sleep or REM sleep stages, I can control when I retire for the evening.  My phone app tells me the exact time I fall asleep which is different from the time I actually hit the pillow.  This is the part I'm currently working on – reducing the amount of time it takes to enter the sleep cycle.  Nightly routines prior to bedtime are helpful such as dimming the lights and turning off my cell phone ringer.

There appears to be a direct correlation between my day time activities and my night time sleep.  No physical activity during the day hurts my sleep score.  Going to bed too late impacts the score.  Worry about the next day causes the score to drop.  The first time I wore a watch at night I had a very poor sleep score, probably because I knew I was recording feedback.  It took a while before I stopped thinking about nightly tracking.  

Imagine what your life would be like if you spent the next year of your life striving to improve your sleep quality by 1% each night.  Is there any other investment you could make that provides a higher return other than committing to this?  What do you have to lose by focusing on sleep for twelve months?  Challenge yourself and go for it.  You may not be a sleep pro in the first weeks or months and that's okay.  Good things happen to people who are in it for the long haul.  Make sure you keep sleep records so you can measure your improvements.  Have a great day.

Time Target in Place for Adoption of 'Five Star Lucy'

 If you're struggling with goals, stay with me.  I'm doing my best to tackle some of my biggest goals yet including the acquisition of a van that I plan to transform into a second home on wheels.  The bar is as high as my expectations.  If I were single I could get by with tent camping but that isn't something my bride of 35 years would enjoy so I'm going five star with the Lucy adoption.  The goal is to bring her into the family by 8/08/25.  The reality is I need that much time to set aside enough funds to pay cash for her purchase.

A goal really isn't a goal until you go through all five steps.  I wrote about this in an earlier post.  Smart goals give your dreams wings.  They are specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, and time phased.  It helps to put your smart goals in writing for your regular review.  This is what Lucy looks like using the 'smart' goal layout...

1. Specific – Lucy will be tall enough for my wife and me to stand up inside.  That means Lucy is of the high roof variety.  Also, Lucy will be long enough to allow space for a bathroom/shower area.  The 159" wheel base is the biggest version Dodge makes.  Lucy's age is determined by my budget, meaning she will be at least four years old by her adoption date.  
2. Measurable – In Lucy's case, my plan is to set up 12 checkpoints to measure how much funds I set aside for her adoption.  As of today, 25% of the necessary funds are stashed away.  
3. Attainable – I wear a bracelet on my left wrist that sums up what I believe to be achievable.  This is my secret weapon for success.  It reads: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  
4. Reasonable – Some people call this realistic, as it relates to your life purpose.
5. Timely – I'm using the 8/08 adoption date because this relates to what defines me and my lifestyle.  8/08 super charges my goal.  It electrifies my dream of traversing the countryside and visiting friends and family.  

The vision board I created a couple of weeks ago has a picture of a 2018 Dodge ProMaster 159 High Roof Cargo Van.  The list of necessary tools are for my daily viewing to help me remember what will be needed once Five Star Lucy is adopted.  My wife told me four stars are enough for her to agree to travel with me but I really don't think she should settle for anything less than 'Five Star Lucy.'  

The last point I want to make about goals has to do with what happens when you become a champion at goal setting/completing.  It's not necessarily the finish line you cross; it has more to do with the person you become when you get good at achieving your goals.  My hope for you is that you dream big.  Go five star and never settle for anything less.  Put a note on your calendar for 8/08/25 and make sure to stop by to meet our new family member.  Have a great day.

Introducing the Voice of Narrator James

Never underestimate the value of a God moment.  I really don't know how it works.  What I do know is that when God inspires the meeting, much fruit is yielded.  Narrator James is one of those special people who makes lemonade out of lemons.  He has been blessed with the voice of an angel.  James introduced me to the world of audio books.  He is a professional narrator.  If all goes well,  you may hear the voice of narrator James sharing my story with his talent for speaking.  

Some of you may be asking, "Hey Michael, why don't you use your own voice?"  One of my sisters urged me to do this a while ago.  I would rather hire the voice of an angel to help me than fumble through at the expense of every other priority on my plate.  Also, I believe in building teams.  I do this in every area of my life.  Hiring James is like getting a first string quarterback.  James is responsible for teaching me about the bid process.  He warned me I would be flooded with offers.  He was right.  I got 34 candidates in two days.  The personal touch puts James in the pole position.  The icing on the cake was when his family visited my day job and flashed 'Live Long and Prosper' hand gestures as they strolled by.  Please welcome James with open arms.  May he and his family be abundantly blessed.  Have a great day. 

Cardio Tennis at 8am Today

My calendar for the next 12 months is filling up fast.  Although our team captain declined the first invitation to play in the Men's 18+ sectionals next week due to a shortage of available players, we did accept the wild card invite for the Men's 40+ sectionals in Springfield, Missouri the following week.  My boss at my day job granted time off requests for both weeks near the end of our tennis season which has been extended due to the wild card offer.  I'm super excited to return to Springfield for four days, especially since our team captain reserved a top-of-the-line 6bedroom VRBO outside of town on a majestic 33-acre property with a private pond.  

The 'Lucy Project' will be occupying most of my free time for the next 12 months.  I built a basic 3D model out of a shoe box to help me get a clear picture of her body parts.  I stopped at Lowe's on my way to my day job the other day and found a couple of tools that were marked down to $20 each because they were display models.  These tools were originally priced at $99 each.  My plan is to acquire all the necessary tools as they go on sale in preparation for the van build next summer.  All I can say right now is the planning stage is exhilarating.   The goal is to make Lucy five star so my wife will be comfortable on our future travels.  Time to head to the courts.  Have a great day.

How to Beat Fear at Its Own Game

We've all had times in our lives when the fear of change crippled us.  Just think of a time when you were stuck in a dead end job or you were living in a bad relationship.  Fear is usually what keeps us stuck.  It may appear to you that you simply can't get out because your fear of the unknown is greater than your desire to make changes in your life.

Picture yourself five or ten years from now doing exactly the same things.  There is one variable that you cannot avoid.  That variable is your own aging process.  If you are stuck now, how will it be for you when you are five or ten years older?  If you don't make the desired changes now, will you be better able to do this when you are older?  Will your job outlook be better or worse when you are older?  

Maybe now is the best time to face your fear of change while you are young enough and strong enough to leave whatever bad situation you find yourself in.  All you need to do is motivate yourself using your fear of being stuck forever to beat your fear of the unknown.  

The unknown is where the magic happens.  The unknown is where you learn.  There will be failure in the unknown as well.  In my opinion, failure in the unknown beats the failure to leave a situation that is miserable every time.  If you want to beat fear, confront it today.  Have a great day.

Happy 808

 

One of my newest readers wears a necklace sporting her favorite number, 888.  She seemed surprised when I told her my number happens to be 808.  I didn't have time to share the story behind my number, like my favorite travel destination which uses an 808 area code for Hawaii.  Maui is where my future bride said yes on a secluded beach one year before our wedding 35 years ago.  808 is also my Pacific coast time slot for daily blog posts now numbering over 5,400.  Despite moving away from the west coast twelve years ago, I decided to keep writing in the original time zone for the benefit of my first followers who share that time zone.  

I had a surgery scheduled 8/08, the day after my team came home from a USTA tournament.  The doctor was delayed meaning so they didn't put me to sleep until exactly 8:08 to repair a sports related hernia.  That day was a double 808 day.

Ironically, I've picked up readers simply because they were searching for the meaning of 808 that kept showing up in their heads.  If you happen to believe in angels, I found something about them with ties to the number 808.  According to a story I read, the 808 angel number means luck, manifestation, infinite possibilities, and the importance of building a solid foundation.  The only thing that precedes my daily blog messages is a collection of 5,000 love letters my bride and I wrote to each other.  All I can say is I'm thankful to have a solid foundation for my writing endeavors.  I've really enjoyed writing daily and giving back to the world.  Thank you for the opportunity to serve you every morning at 8:08.  Happy 808 day.  Have a great day.

How are You Helping Your Future Self?

If you were to imagine your future self, what would you see?  Pick any date in the future and think about what you look like.  Do you like what you see?  If the positive picture you see brings a smile to your face, congratulations.  If what you see scares you, don't fret.  That negative picture can be changed should you begin making small changes that influence your future health and wellness.

The best person to help your future self is you.  You are in charge of all the choices you make that will make life better or worse for your future self.  The longer you wait to help your future self, the less impact you will be able to make.  Imagine you are on your death bed.  How old are you?  Why are you nearly dead?  What if you could go back in time and reverse engineer every choice you made to change that picture of the future you?   Reverse engineering helps you understand what happens when you make bad choices.  For example, it wasn't the last cigarette you smoked that gave you stage IV cancer, it was that cigarette from an earlier time.  Go back far enough in time to make better choices and the future you is playing tennis or pickleball instead of being on life support.  

My word of encouragement to you today is to make a habit of helping your future self by asking daily questions about your choices.  Is what you are about to eat going to make the future you healthier or sicker?  Is the activity you are choosing going to make the future you healthier or more lethargic?  Is that new language you are thinking about learning going to make the future you a better world traveler or is the future you going to be upset you watched TV instead?  Keep in mind you don't really need to think big.  In fact, thinking small, when done consistently, will make the future you happy you cared enough to make better choices.  Have a great day.

Men's 4.0 Tennis Team Accepts Wildcard Invitation to Springfield, MO

 Our playoff hopes in the 40+ age group are still alive.  Team captain, Jim Sichterman, accepted the bid to play in Springfield, MO on August 23 - 25, after getting enough positive responses from a group email he sent out yesterday about the invitation to play against the best 4.0 teams in the Midwest.  The team narrowly missed capturing another state title in a hard fought match against a strong team from the Des Moines area in June.  Wild card bids are never guaranteed, however, once in the tournament anything is possible and wild card teams have fared well in past years.  This team never gives up.  We practiced last week when the heat index was well over 100º with extreme humidity in anticipation of a wild card invitation.    

The team will be staying in a 6 bedroom retreat home with a private pond located on 33-acres about twenty minutes from the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.  This is the home of the Springfield Lasers, a World Team Tennis team with a star studded roster which includes Marcelo Arevelo and Jean-Julian Roper who won the Men's doubles at the French Open in 2022.  Sadly, the team hasn't been active in Springfield the last couple of seasons.  It will be exciting for our team to play on world class tennis courts in a couple of weeks.  If you are in the Springfield area in August, make sure you stop by and cheer for my teammates.  Have a great day.

Why I'm Paying Cash for Lucy

It pretty much took a miracle to achieve financial independence.  I had to let go of a lot of things.  Possessions.  Warped ideas.  False expectations.  Pride.  The list goes on and on.  The old me always put the cart before the horse.  The old me leveraged like no other.  The new me sees the world differently.  Despite growing older, I believe my vision is getting better.  Perhaps this is because I can stand tall no longer burdened by the heavy debt I was carrying on my shoulders.

The apostle Paul spent a great deal of his time writing letters to new believers who sometimes struggled with his teachings.  Paul warned of 'principalities' that were trying to stop the spread of Christianity.  Principalities are still around today.  In my opinion, they will do everything possible to separate us from God.  Debt is one of their favorite weapons.  If you are struggling with debt, you may be the victim of these powers trying to turn you into a slave.  You may also be hearing voices in your head that are trying to stop you from achieving your dreams.  These voices may be coming from the principalities.  They hate you and everything about you.  These principalities cannot stand your success.  They are jealous you have a body and they don't.  They have been acting up lately.  The heat is on.  I refuse to cave in to their darkness.  That's why I'm paying cash for Lucy (my future second home on wheels).  The good news is that the principalities have a force much stronger than them.  They are outnumbered 2:1 and Jesus is on their side.  If you want to move mountains in your life, simply look beyond the principalities.  Have a great day.

The Power of Two

Did you ever wonder why Jesus instructed his followers to spread the word in groups of two rather than splitting up to cover twice as much territory?  I'm always searching for ways to do things as efficiently as possible.  If I had been around 2,000 years ago, I may have been baffled by the idea of groups of two.  The power of two is beginning to make sense to me.  There is something special about two people working on the same goal side-by-side.  It's accountability.  When one person stumbles, the other is there to help.  

Joni, I would like to thank you for being my accountability partner.  Even though you were away for a while on the east coast, I still feel your presence as I work on my 'dream big' checklist.   

If you don't have an accountability partner to help you, find one.  There is nothing better than having a friend on your journey who encourages you when times get tough.  Have a great day.

The Making of Lucy – Step 2...Puff Up the Vision

 You have my permission to skip this story if my 'Lucy' dream bores you.  This is one of those stories I'm writing to make sure 'Lucy' becomes a reality before the dream needs life support.  I don't have any data about how many dreams come true.  I'm simply making sure this dream comes true.  It passes the first test as it now can be classified as a 'smart goal.'  SMART stands for goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, and time stamped.  I'm adding one more item to this called 'Puff Up the Vision.'  This means I'm putting a vision in my head that will sustain me for the next 12 months while I transform 'Lucy' into a second home on wheels.  Here is what I will be repeating in my head until the transformation is complete...

My wife and I are sitting on top of Lucy on a deck made out of the same composite materials used to build our patio deck last year.  By the way, that deck also started as a vision.  I visualized the patio deck years before the small dilapidated one was transformed into our favorite place to spend our time.  We repeated something from our time in Southern California where we spent most of our outdoor time on a patio swing.  This swing was the final step in a complete renovation of our home.  The rebuild was compliments of a nearby neighbor who first showed us his idea written on a napkin.  He and his dad turned our home into something really special.  All I did was add the swing so my wife and I could have watch the sunset while sipping wine.

Step two is in my head now and will be with me while I work on all the steps necessary to complete Lucy.  I will puff up the vision of the two of us sipping wine on top of Lucy in various places throughout the country.  Who knows?  Maybe we will be visiting you as we traverse the countryside.  This will be in my puffed up vision of Lucy.  Lucy already has wings.  Now I'm attempting to earn mine.  This is my ultimate act of service for my bride of 35 years.  Have a great day.  I'm heading off to the tennis courts in pursuit of my long-term dream to be healthy enough to be playing tennis in my 90's.  That's another story.  Drills are at 8am.  Adios!

The Making of Lucy – Step One

 Sometimes dreams come true.  Sometimes they don't.  The difference, in my opinion, is staying power.  How can one get one's brain to have this staying power all the way to completion?  I happen to believe giving your dreams wings helps.  The wings are different things to different people.  In my case, the making of Lucy has to do with plans that are so detailed that the dream becomes a reality inside my brain before Lucy comes into my life.  I gave Lucy her wings on my last day off from my day job 48 hours prior to this story.  If the wings I created for Lucy work, you will see the completed vision approximately one year from today.  This is step one.  

Think about a dream you have.  If you were to break that dream apart into specific steps, what would your first step look like?  I spent an entire day thinking about every possible tool I need to build Lucy.  Keep in mind that I have absolutely zero skills when it comes to construction.  Why would someone like me even attempt to build a second home on wheels when I lack the necessary skills and I don't have enough cash to pull off a project like this?  The answer is simple; my dream is bigger than any obstacles I'm currently experiencing.  I tend to believe I can acquire the necessary skills needed and I can set up a realistic budget that will allow me to stay true to sustaining my debt-free life.

This may seem silly to those who never made vision boards.  My vision board has a photo of Lucy.  There is nothing peculiar about that.  The uniqueness about my vision board is the compilation of all the tools I will need.  Let's label this:  "The Making of Lucy – Step One."  I shared my vision board with loved ones yesterday.  The response was better than expected.  My hope for you is that if you have a dream you would like to turn into a reality, you take that first step and go for it.  Step one may be the most difficult of steps.  I have a theme song to keep me going that was inspired when a three-year-old came home with a picture he showed his dad.  His dad asked, "What is this?"  The son replied, "It's Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."  Funny how dreams get wings.  Maybe my dream will inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and do something life-changing.  Have a great day.

A Great Day to Quit Something

Happy Thursday.  Happy August 1.  Most people probably aren't thinking about the end of the year these days because it seems so far off.  Well, this year is going to come to a conclusion in only 150 days.  If you're on track for your best year ever, congratulations.  If not, today is a great day to consider how you can get back on track while there's still time.

I've been working hard on letting go of things.  The concept of letting go seems easy to understand.  In my opinion, it gets easier when you make a habit of this.  The last book I read, "Dream Big," by Bob Goff is making a significant impact.  The author states that he designates every Thursday as a day to quit something.  Every Thursday he decides to let go of something no longer needed in his life.  It may be a harmful attitude.  It could be something in the closet he no longer needs.  It may be a job that no longer seems fulfilling.  I'm finding that every time I let go of something, it gives me an opportunity to make room for new things.  I've been letting go of a great deal of clutter these last thirty days.   How about you?  Is today a great day to quit something?  Give this idea a try and see what happens.  Have a great day.