Comfort 2 Growth

When the shit hits the fan, how do you handle the situation?

In my brief time here on this earth, I have learned that most people panic. They lose control of their minds and bodies. They make poor decisions based on limited logic and high emotion. The end result is usually disastrous.

Great leaders and heroes through history are generally known to be calm, cool and collected under pressure. Their ability to size up a situation, regardless of its circumstances, and then make a logical decision is very powerful and practical. Read more…

Have you ever written someone’s achievements off as good luck or coincidence? Do you think it’s possible that some people are luckier than others?

This idea of luck is a comfortable excuse to explain away another person’s triumph. Luck is mostly a matter of preparation, skill and hard work.

If you really think about it, the idea that there is a magical force randomly granting some people luck or favor, while damning others, is outrageous. It all boils doing to statistics and probability. Fortunately for us, these chances can be influenced. Read more…

Becoming highly effective at any skill requires two things;  an understanding of the material concepts (science), and an ability to creatively apply them in abstract form (art).

Generally, poor decisions and failure occur  because of two controllable variables:

1. Over analysis
2. Emotional complication

Over Analysis

We often slow or halt our learning process by over analysis. In other words, we do not allow our creative  side to grow through abstract trial and error. The time spent researching and analyzing different technical aspects of the goal take away from the time that should be dedicated to practice… Read more…

How often do you catch yourself checking out that cute girl or guy across the room? It seems our eyes and attention are magnetically drawn to the people we deem attractive.

In a study titled “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You: Attentional Adhesion to Mates and Rivals” conducted at FSU, researchers found heterosexual people of both sexes spend most of their attention and eye contact on people they considered a potential mate or competition… Read more…

An old adage states: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

Building and maintaining a strong social network is a major key to success.

This C2G Challenge aims to rekindle old friendships and strengthen bonds that have been worn down by time and neglect… Read more…

If you know me or have read some of my past writing, you will know I advocate living in the now or in the moment.

The ability to be fully aware of your surroundings and what is happening in your mind is very important to your well being. It promotes relaxation, mental focus and increases your ability to connect with others.

It has been found that the ability to delay gratification, as opposed to succumbing to instant gratification, directly correlates with success, intelligence and general health.

Marshmallow Experiments Read more…

Redwoods don’t reach their heights over night. Mountains take millions of years to reach their peaks. The grand canyon had its beginnings as a small stream. These examples from nature prove to us the power of progression.

Many people are perfectionists. They spend too much time obsessing over minor details.  If you focus on petty flaws, it’s easy to become stressed or discouraged.

Expecting perfection prematurely is a sure fire way to sabotage your goals. The key to growing is progression over time; trying to make each day better than your last. With each step forward you are closer to achieving your dreams. You will get there, as long as you keep moving forward.

Crawl, Walk, Run

There is a learning curve to practically everything in life. Becoming acquainted with a new endeavor is challenging, you must learn the basics. A metaphor of crawling can be used. Like a baby, you begin your journey of growth slowly.

Once you get a grip on the idea, progression becomes easier. You start gaining momentum. You begin walking towards your goal, stretching your legs out.  Creativity begins to strike and you start incorporating your own style.

After you’ve got your legs under you, your skill begins to rapidly increase. You begin running towards your goal. The days of crawling forward are distant moments of your past.

How do you eat an elephant?

Our dreams and goals often seem intimidating. We look at where we are, then imagine where we want to be. The road to that place seems long and arduous. We question our ability to achieve what we aim for.

If you want to eat an elephant, how would do possibly do it? One bite at a time. This is how you achieve your dreams.

Set your sights high. Where do you want to be?

Next, break down that dream in to mile stones. What series of event must take place to put you where you want to be?

Continue breaking down these milestones until you come to where you are today. What is the absolutely next tangible step to put yourself in the direction of where you want to be?

Is it to research schools or certifications? Is it to pick up the phone and schedule an interview? Figure out the smallest, first step to put yourself on the path of progression.

Ready, Fire, Aim

We are often scared to take that initial step. Sometimes we have to leap before we look. It’s a ready, fire, aim mentality.

You point yourself in the right direction, take that first shot, then evaluate what you need to do to improve. If you repeat this process over and over again, you will grow every time. You can truly discover where your passion lies.

Don’t let the Negative Nancys or the Naysaying Neds of the world discourage you from your goals. It is better to risk today, because tomorrow you can always try again.

Today’s post will be  from our first guest writer! My good buddy Joel has put together a brief essay on some of the skills and pet peeves that people should be aware of on the road.

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I would like to thank Comfort 2 Growth for giving me an opportunity to share my thoughts with his audience.

This is my first attempt at communicating my thoughts in such a way. I am not very articulate and have terrible writing skills, so please forgive my poor grammar.  As engineering major there was never much fuss over bad grammar.

Today, I will be discussing driving.  I recently took a job that requires me to commute roughly 150 miles per day.  Spending all this time on the road, I have developed some techniques to drive safely, effectively, and efficiently. Furthermore, I have also listed some of the many behaviors of other drivers that are dangerous or annoying.

Becoming an effective driver is important. A lack of road awareness and safety can land you, or others, in the hospital or the morgue. It’s easy for us to become comfortable while driving.

Follow these tips to grow your driving ability! Read more…

C2GC: Early Rising Update

It’s been over three weeks of the C2G Early Rising Challenge. I’ve slackened up a bit and over slept a few times, by choice, but I felt it was for best for my overall energy level.

Waking up early has definitely proved its benefits to me and I plan on practicing it past the thirty day mark.

If you have yet to attempt rising early, I recommend giving it a shot. Try it for a week. Consciously attempt to knock out a major action item before you would normally even wake up, it’s pretty enlightening.

C2GC: Ending Information Addiction

The C2GC of Ending Information Addiction is still proving tough. This may be due to my current circumstances of leveraging the web to build my income and plan out some future career steps.

I have however successfully cut down on my TV time. I am watching under an hour of TV programming daily, almost to no time at all. This however may change with the advent of Football season.

Weekend Reading and Links from around the Web

• The U.S. Tax System Explained with Beer
• Pandora - Awesome, free, web radio that finds music based on your preferences.
• Evernote - Allows you to record and remember anything, everywhere. I can jot notes to my phone, clip web media and store files on the web and access them on my phone or by computer. Great organizational tool.
• 8 Ways to Spot Emotional Manipulation
• Consciousness, Qualia, and Self – A discussion about what makes us human and how our interpretation of reality differs from insects and other animals.
• Great Passwork… Anything can be accomplished with outstanding team work!

Enjoy your weekend and push some comfort boundaries!

P.S. Don’t forget to remember what it means to be an American today. Our liberties and freedoms are not granted without sacrifice.

I have to give President Obama credit. He is a phenomenal public speaker and orator. His ability to inject emotion and passion in his words is uncanny

The examples and rhetoric he uses make it very hard for anyone to disconnect with. He tells stories that force you to agree with in fear of being labeled heartless and uncaring towards suffering people

Obama’s ability to market his ideas and message has rarely been seen before in a President. All marketeers should take lesson in how Obama orchestrated his path to the white house. It was pure marketing and persuasive genius.

These skillful tactics that Obama employs make it easy for people to rally emotion behind. Unfortunately, Obama’s messages seem to be more fantasy than truth. More idealistic than feasible. It seems that more and more people are beginning to discover that there may not be much substance behind his powerful rhetoric, as seen in his tanking public opinion poll numbers.

His promises and plans all seem great when he talks of them. Not once did he explain how his plans will actually work. He only stated his intended outcomes; not the necessary leg work, sacrifices, and risks involved.

Proper health care reform is critical for this country. Unfortunately reform can either take us in two directions. Either to a more efficient and effective method to support our citizens; or towards a more bloated, debt-ridden, corrupt system that burdens our future.

I personally do not know the answer or plan to solve this country’s health care crisis. However, I do recognize that people must learn to pull the wool off their eyes and examine the facts and concrete plans that lie underneath the rhetoric.

I found the GOP response by Rep. Boustany quite interesting and I encourage you to check it out. You can find the video here.

Here is another essay on the Obama’s address last night that examines the promises he made in more detail.