Day 9 ... Monday March 28, 2016

 Happy Easter everyone and welcome back to the best blog on this site. Do you know the saying.. "Don't judge a book by its cover"? Yes it is a cliche saying but the saying applies to a lot of things in life. Since I work in retail this is a concept that applies to my daily activities. Listen I am not talking solely on judging a person by their skin tone but rather the person as a whole. If 'How to win friends and Influence People' talks about this topic, then it must be important.

   Whenever I think of this topic an episode of The Nanny comes to mind. In this the nanny (Fran Dreshcer) is in a local park and sees someone who appears to be homeless and she gives him a bucket of chicken. Towards the end of the episode the man comes to her place of dwelling and it is revealed that the man is a millionaire investor who because of the nanny's kind heart is investing in the bosses play. Before you start saying that it all worked out at the end, think if she treated this person badly because she judged them without getting to know them. Her boss would not have had an investor for his latest play and she might have gotten reprimanded for her actions. An example of judging someone wrongly actually happens to me whenever I go to certain places. When I commute to work I am usually dressed down so sweatpants and a hooded sweater so people tend to look at me with a notion that I am lower class. I sometimes buy a couple of things in grand central terminal such as two packs of Altoids. When I buy multiple of an item they clerk makes sure that they tell me the price is a couple of dollars each and if I am sure I want both. That is the worst thing you can say in this situation because you are openly telling the consumer that you are judging them. 

   By judging a person or an item you are sending signals to your brain that the next couple of events will turn out in a negative fashion. There is an on going joke in my work place about a sandwich named the Bronx Tale. I was very adamant that I did not want the sandwich because of its contents and wanted something else for lunch. When that was the only option and I took that first bite my whole outlook did a 180. That sandwich literally brought a tear to my eye and made me eat my words. If I would have just said no and bought a slice of pizza I would have missed out on one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. So if you take anything from this post let it be this... Whenever you see something for the first time have an empty glass because a half filled cup can only take so much before over flowing. Remember the man behind the clown mask are usually the saddest people you will meet.

                                                                                                 Thanks for reading,

                                                                                                                 Josh

Day 8..... Friday March 25, 2016

Have you ever been stumped on a choice that seemed simple yet hard at the same time. Don't worry I'm not going to briefly talk today about being indecisive but rather pulling the trigger. No I am not talking about a trigger of a gun but a figurative trigger (making the important decision). Do not worry I still struggle pulling the trigger to this day, however you might learn a thing or two.

   Decision making is a quality that can be found not only in leaders but in every single one of us. Not all decisions are big but they all are important. Yes even ordering bacon on that cheeseburger for lunch today is an important decision. For many employees their decisions are often made by management, whether it is when they can take a vacation to what their job entails. Since that is the case most of us are not used to making decisions for ourselves. Have you ever had a day off from work and have done nothing productive with the day and wonder where the day went. Decision making is something that we must all learn to do if we want to have full control of our lives.

   If we are unable to make decisions for ourselves we are relinquishing our free will. Back in 1955 a woman made a decision to not give up her seat on a bus. That simple decision started a movement that would later change the world, all because Rosa Parks pulled the trigger. When we start paying attention to the actual decisions that we are making and making sure we are taking full advantage of it we will begin to evolve. No we are not turning into some swamp monster but we are actually making our mindsets evolve. Our mindsets are being changed from a simple worker bee to a super computer. Computers are not told what is or isn't logical they just take pieces of information and provide a solution.

   Pulling the trigger is not a simple task, it requires weighing the pros against the cons. Even after comparing the pros and cons the only way to know if you can pull the trigger is if you are able to follow through with the decision. Just because a simple yes could make you wealthy, if it goes against your moral code is it really worth doing? Like I said sometimes the easiest decision is often the hardest decision. So go out their and try to make your own decision instead of having someone make them for you.

                                                                                                        Keep pulling that trigger,

                                                                                                                              Josh

Day 7.... Thursday March 24, 2016

   Before we get started let me just apologize for not being able to post last night. Today everyone gets to learn a little bit about me. Today we will talk about my preference for reading books. Before you go complaining about that this post will not offer you anything useful hey I might surprise you. The three types of reading we will discuss are audio books, physical books and eBooks.

   Audio books are a great way to read books especially if you have a long commute. My commute to work is about 2.5hrs each way, yet I do not listen to audio books. "Wait Josh didn't you just say that audio books are perfect for those long commutes?", why yes I did but they actually don't work for me. I once tried to only do audio books only while I was a security guard. It is very hard for me to stay focused on something for an extended period of time. For everyone who enjoys audio books have you tried listening to the book on 2x speed?  The words are still audible and you cut your reading time in half.

   Physical books are my proffered method of reading when I'm lying in bed. I turn on my phone's flashlight and read in the dark, yes I am serious. The reason I read physical books while laying down is so that I won't get distracted from phone notifications. The reason that I son't read physical books on my commute is because I commute via the subway during rush hour in New York City. If you have never seen a crowded 4 train subway car just picture a two cans of sardines inside of one can. Physical books are good if you own them because you can write in the pages and put sticky notes on important pages. If I worked from home I would probably only read physical books.

   Last but not least we have my new favorite the eBook. What makes eBooks my new go-to solution is that it has cross platform sync. What is cross platform sync? Cross platform sync is when no matter what device I pick up as long as I am logged into my account it picks up where I left off. This is very important for me because I have many different devices that access my vast eBook library (one day I might do a post about it). Another reason is that I can easily use my phone on the train without inconveniencing the other riders. Since most of my books are on google I use my credits from Opinion Rewards to pay for some. Also notes automatically save to my google drive so I can always access them on the go. 

   Like I said this post listed some pros and cons of the different forms of book media and while you might not agree with me some people might actually learn something.

                                                                                                                                           Thanks For Reading,

                                                                                                                                                              Josh

Day 6...... Tuesday March 22, 2016

   Don't you hate when someone asks you what would you do if failing was not an option. It's a question than many motivational speakers love using in their books and speeches. I actually acted on this and did something that Timothy Ferriss preaches in the 4-Hour work week; I sent an email to someone famous that is one of the people who Influenced my life. The person I contacted was Steve Harvey.

   Don't worry this will not be a post on me trying to convince you to contact someone famous. I just wanted to actually talk about taking action despite fear. Before anyone starts saying "well Josh what do you know about fear, when have you ever experienced fear?" My answer to everyone asking the previous question my answer is everyday. We never know if today is our last day or what lies ahead, fear comes in many shapes and sizes. No matter how rational or irrational your fear is it can still affect us. Fear can be all consuming but being fearful can actually benefit you. My boss brought up a story about his nephew and how he taught him how to drive on the highway. His nephew who once feared the highway fell in love with driving once overcoming his fear.

   I am by no means an expert on helping people overcome their fears, but I am doing my best to over come my own fears. As I stated in an early post I am a shy person but yet I have sung and danced in front of over five hundred people. What made everything worth it was being able to overcome my fear even though it was only for four minutes. One day soon I will be able to have less fears than I do at this moment but until that day comes I will enjoy overcoming my fears little by little. 

Beneath is word for word what I emailed Steve Harvey. Hope you enjoy.... Josh 

Steve,

 

   First of all sorry for calling you by your first name in case it offends you. Back in my senior year of high school I had the pleasure of meeting you after a variety show you put on In Brooklyn Technical high school when you were principle for a day. I was not just part of the audience but I actually managed to sneak back stage and shake your hand and ask for a piece of advice. You told me to never give up on my dream and to never quit.

   A couple of months I found myself in a bit of a slump and began reading one of your books... Act like a success, Think like a success. The amount of information that I was able to gain from your novel was tremendous. Your book inspired me to pursue one of my own dreams which is to become a writer. So I recently started my own blogging site. I'm not going to bore you with trying to self-promote, that is not what this email is about.  

   I just wanted to ask you a question or rather for a tip as I did back in 2007. The question is 'What is it that keeps you going even though you are essentially at the top?' Might sound like something that not many people would care about but it intrigues me.

   If this actually reaches you and if you make it all the way to the end, then thank you. Continue being you because you are amazing.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Thanks,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Josh.

Day 5....... Monday March 21, 2016

   Actors are paid lots of money to put on a facade and we all pay to see it. Hey I'm not bashing fiction ( I am a fiction writer) all I am saying is would you pay the same amount of money to see the actor just be themselves. Who am I kidding look at how many people turn into to Keeping up with the Kardashians. Today's topic for discussion has nothing to do with the entertainment industry but rather than your own individuality. 

   Most of us tend to act differently depending who we are with, don't worry I do it to. There is nothing wrong with that remember you do not talk to your grandparents as you do with your best friend. The main problem that I notice is that some people tend to change who they are because of the "social norm". But Josh everyone will treat me differently or even shun me. I'm not going to lie but there are some people in my life that I no longer associate with because of their negative views on who I truly am. If someone can not accept you for what you are then there is a problem. So many motivational speakers always bring up the dash, do you know what the dash is? The dash is what separates your date of birth from you date of death. The reason I'm bringing this up because what matters 100% is what you do in your time on this planet.

   I'm not saying to make your imprint on this earth by running for president or anything (unless that is your dream, then go for it). What I am trying to say is to make in this world we have to be who we were destined to become. None of us have immortality so why waste what little time we have catering to someone else's will. Just because that person is happy are you? Are you happier being yourself or as an actor changing who you are to make the audience laugh at you? Remember the saddest face is the one behind the clown's mask.

                                                                                                                                                     Stay true to yourself, your friend....

                                                                                                                                                                         Josh

Day 4....... Sunday March 20, 2016

   My grandparents all immigrated to the United States of America back in the sixties. Thinking back on hard it must be to pack up and everything behind , wow that must have taken a lot of courage. As you might have guessed today's topic is courage. Courage is hard to measure but it is an essential quality that we all posses. Whether its moving to a new country or choosing  a dress to wear from prom both require courage.

   I don't know about you guys but alcohol tends to give me courage to do things that I normally wouldn't. I'm not talking about going streaking but courage to do other things such as talking to groups of the opposite sex. As I have stated before I am a bit shy but sometimes I do muster up some courage, hey I sang and danced in front of over five hundred people. But a real test of courage is following a dream and making that dream a reality. When everyone is telling you that it can not  be done and you show them different. Feats of courage that that go against the majority almost always lead to great feats of achievements.

   Like always you must be asking yourselves when was the last time I was courageous about anything. The answer like always is this blog, by pouring my heart out to you the reader I am leaving myself fully exposed. Why would I do such a thing, so that I can help some readers reading this blog. So if you want to ask that person out or ask for that raise you know you deserve, I say go for it the results might surprise you.

                                                                                                   From one courageous soul to another,

                                                                                                                                      Josh

Day 3 ........ Saturday March 19, 2016

    Do you ever find yourself looking at elderly coulles and wondering how they lasted so long together? The answer is love which can be  simple yet at the same time more complex than rocket science. As human beings we tend to "love" many aspects of our lives but do we truely love everything. Before we go further in this discussion let me clarify that this is not a post on why you should consider couples theorapy. This post is touching upon something that seems like a no brainer but almost no one is really doing it. The topic for today is doing things you love to do.

   Before everyone comes screaming at me that theres no way that my current job is my dream job and how can I love working over 60hrs a week... hold your horses. I never said anything about dream jobs thatis a post for another day, but yes I do enjoy what I currently do for a living. When you like or love what you do you feel like you have a purpose whereas I have gone to some of these stores and the employees are real life zombies. One of the cool perks of my job is that I'm able to meet someone new everyday and I've met former CEOs, proffesional atheletes, coaches and even a rocket scientist. I have some friends that make lots of money but hate what they do. I'm not trying to tell you to quit your job and join the circus, what I am recommending is finding something that you do love. It doesn't have to be a new profession, just something to look foward to at the end of the day.

   I used to work security and would do the graveyard shift midnight to eight am and sometimes I would have to do a double shift. Time truely dragged onand I was unhappy sitting in that seat waiting for my shift to end. I I would have been doing something that I love (writing), it might have saved me from binge watching friends, cheers and fraiser. When my work day starts coming to an end, I begin to think of what to write about and even though I am exhausted from working I actually have more energy writing this than I do first thing int

Day 2 ....... Friday March 18,2016

   Today makes roughly two weeks that I haven't consumed any energy drinks. Wait, before you think this blog is about to turn into a rant about having a healthy life style.... never that. The energy drink represents a routine that I have been doing since around 2009. Back then I would go out and get a red-bull to kill time because smokers in the fortune 500 company that I worked for were entitled to smoking breaks. For the employees that did not smoke there was no breaks offered. Since I worked in Manhattan I had to walk to a news stand to get my much "needed" energy drink.

   Fast forward to 2016 and I was still drinking a couple of red-bulls a day. Just bear in mind that these are the twenty ounce red-bulls and they cost $5 each. Don't worry readers, I am not about to go off on a tangent on how cutting back on certain things can save you money. What I want to talk about a bit today is breaking a routine. Do you ever find yourself seeing the same people on your way to work every day, or do you sometimes think you could commute to work with your eyes closed? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions you are stuck in a routine. I'm not saying all routines are bad but by being locked down in one routine you tend to miss the world around you. "Josh, what do you mean that I miss the world, I know exactly how to get from point a to b."- current readers. Have you ever left home 15 minutes early to commute to work, or have you ever gotten off one exit before your job and taken side streets to work? You never know what might happen, hey you could find that restaurant that you always said you would try or you might just meet a new friend. Because I stopped drinking red-bulls I saved enough money in one day to pay for this site.

   I'm not telling you to break your routine by quitting your job or by asking the barista that hands you your coffee everyday to marry you. All I am saying is to take baby steps into making sure that you do not end up another brick in the wall. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Instead of binge watching a show on Netflix why not pick up a book and see how fast you can finish it. Instead of dining out every night why not take that cooking class that you always wanted to do. Some people reading this might be saying I don't have enough time to do these activities, well that's fine and dandy but I want you to do one thing for me. I want you when you get a chance to look at the floor by your door way at home, is it worn out more than the flooring in any other part of the house? The answer is yes because you use it to enter and leave your house each day. Now for a second imagine the route you take to work every day, you footprints/tire-marks must be buried at least a foot in the pavement by now. If you did not understand what that sentence means it's simple, By doing the same routine over years you end up building a ditch that becomes harder to get out as time goes on. 

   Just so you do not think that I am a hypocrite I have changed my routine a lot these past couple of days. Almost everyone reading this post do not know that I am a shy person by nature. This blog is a way for me to break out my shell and start a new routine. My old routine was to commute two to three hours to work and then from work after a nine hours shift. I would be so exhausted after work that I would eat and either play some games or watch television. But now with this site I am able to set a new routine that I truthfully enjoy. Hopefully some of you reading this get to experience the excitement I get each time that I post on this site. Today's post actually took me an extra hour and a half because my original post did not save and I had to start from scratch. I think that it was actually for the best as I was able to put all my feelings into re writing it. Just remember: If you want change it has to start with you.

                                                                                                                                    Your friend and neighborhood blogger,

                                                                                                                                                                                 Josh

Day 1..... Thursday March 17, 2016

    This is my first time blogging, lets see how this goes. My name is Josh and  I'm an aspiring writer who just wants to share my world to the masses. I work as a manager for a small business seven days a week for about 65 hrs a week. Despite the long work weeks I will try my best to update this blog daily and upload content on my YouTube channel weekly.  I just started reading The 4-Hour Workweek By Timothy Ferris, so far the books is pretty enjoyable. As I head into my late twenties and into "adulthood" I have begun to read more biographies, business building, financial and self help books. One book that gave me inspiration to start this site was Tough Sh*t by Kevin Smith. Through reading this book I got to see an average Joe make his dream come true. This website is one of the vehicles that will help me achieve my dream.

   What is my true dream you may ask; Well it is not something that can be summed up in a few words. One of my dreams is to have a novel published in physical, electronic and in audio form. The novel doesn't have to be a New York Times best seller or even sell over a thousand copies. My dream is to have it inspire one person just like how I was inspired to love reading at age seven when I first picked up a Hardy Boys book. Dreams don't only come in one size, another one of my dreams was to buy a certain cologne and headphones once I reached a certain point in my life financially. Guess what, I now own both those items because I am on the right track. Some of you reading this might be asking yourselves how can I expect to publish a book when I am unable to use proper grammar. My answer is simple... Hard work and determination. 

   As I write more and more on this site you will get to know more about me. You will get to hear stories on bad choices I made during my tenure on this planet and the great choices I have made. This blog will paint a picture in your head on the hardships that I went through, mine are no where near the worse problems you can encounter. By revealing everything that I have gone through my goal is to show that you can do it no matter what is in your way. This website was one of my dreams and here it is. Just stick to your guns and we can make it together.

                                                                                                                                                   Thanks for reading & see you soon

                                                                                                                                                                          Josh.