As my awareness grows for the things around me, the more of a ridiculous joke or a bad written movie life feels.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m just in that mood right now.
I just think about the concept of life itself and everything around us, how old earth is and for how long we’ve been around. The amount of time we live seems so…unimportant.
A blink of an eye in terms of how long earth has been around, the universe for that matter.
Apparently, we humans, have been around a lot longer than we thought. 80 years or whatever the average is, isn’t shit.
I guess understanding that we only have a certain amount of time in this realm to make a difference should make us or motivate us to leave a strong mark in history like other great individuals have done.
Gandhi
George Washington
MLK
Einstein
All of those who did remarkable things.
Their perspective towards the world was different.
Instead of just living and coasting through life on auto-pilot, they made it their life mission to leave a mark in history.
Then gaining perspective would be what we need.
Focusing on what is important and what really matters in life.
Not consumerism
The amount of “friends” on Facebook
The amount of followers on Twitter
The bigger house
The amount of gadgets
The “cooler” car
It’s all irrelevant when thoughts are focused on global scale.
If we as humans were to disappear tomorrow it would take about 100,000 years for there to be no trace we were even here.
If the entire planet, solar system, even our galaxy were to disappear it would mean nothing on a universal scale.
That puts it in perspective, doesn’t it?
What’s your perspective in life?
As one of my resolutions for the year 2012 I have set out to explore, try and learn new things. And like many, public speaking has for the most part been one of those things that scare me.
So I joined my local Toastmasters club.
I have done a bit of public speaking in the past as well as some acting in plays when I was younger. Enjoyed that quite a bit actually but, the difference is that it was in Spanish (my native language) prior to moving to the U.S when I was 14 yrs old.
It might not seem like a big reason to now, years later be scared of speaking in front of a crowd. It’s been 8 years since I moved to the U.S and I could confidently say that my accent is pretty much gone. But the thought of English not being my native language and having been made fun of in school for not speaking it and having an accent, it’s still in the back of my head.
This led me to want to not just try something new but to improve and become a better communicator.
For those of you that don’t know…
Who and what is Toastmasters?
Toastmasters is a nonprofit organization comprised of over 250,000 members in over 106 countries, represented by over 12,500 clubs and dedicated to excellence in communication and leadership.
Most Toastmasters clubs meet weekly for 1-2 hours, and follow a pretty basic agenda:
- Prepared speeches – Members are given opportunities to prepare, rehearse, and then deliver presentations in front of their fellow members.
- Speech evaluations – Whenever you speak in Toastmasters, you receive helpful and supportive evaluations from your peers.
- Impromptu speaking (My favorite) – Members practice speaking “off the cuff” for one or two minutes by responding to general topics of interest (table topics).
My local club meets every 1st, 3rd and 5th Monday. Perfect for me as I have a pretty busy schedule.
Why I Decided to Join Toastmasters
1. To become a better communicator
2. To ease the fear of speaking in public
But, other factors that came to light after doing a bit of research.
The toastmasters website shows that:
- 52% of members are female and 48% are male.
- Average annual household income: $85,000-$99,000.
- 30% earn $100,000+ annually.
- 69% of members are between the ages of 35 and 49.
- 82% have a college degree.
- 36% have an advanced degree.
Great place to network and make various professional connections.
My Toastmasters Experience so Far
First joined in February, 2012 and everyone has been very supportive and helpful since the first time I walked through the door (Guess I got lucky).
There are very experienced speakers in the club.
Some have been members for over 10 years, given several speeches and won contests.
Competent Communicator Series
- The Ice Breaker
- Organize Your Speech
- Get to the Point
- How To Say It
- Your Body Speaks
- Vocal Variety
- Research Your Topic
- Get Comfortable with Visual Aids
- Persuade With Power
- Inspire Your Audience
The first step when joining is becoming a Competent Communicator. This an introductory public speaking course composed of 10 speeches that cover one fundamental skill for public speakers.
I decided to give my first speech in March 5th, 2012.
“The Ice Breaker” which is an introduction speech.
To introduce yourself, to conquer the fear of speaking in front of a group and provide a “base line”of your current strength and weaknesses.
It didn’t go as well as I wanted it to of course but I got tons of great feedback on what I did well, what I didn’t do so well and what I could improve upon for my next speech scheduled for April 16th.
That’s my update on what I’m pursuing as part of my 2012 resolutions.
If you’d like to improve on your public speaking, leadership, presentation and communication skills I definitely recommend at least checking out your local toastmasters club, it’s free to visit and really inexpensive to become a member.
The experience is great.
Everyone has their own personal reason for joining, but there are a few that most share:
- Become a better public speaker
- Overcome public speaking fears
- “Practice” presentations for other audiences
- Gain the confidence and courage to lead
- Commitment to excellence
What are you doing to follow up on your resolutions for 2012?
Resouces: http://www.toastmasters.org/
I believe that living is not all about making tons of money and living large.
I have reached a point where I would rather mininize my expenses and debt and live a comfortable and happy life doing what I love and experiencing things I have always wanted to experience.
Traveling and visiting ancient grounds has always appealed to me. I’m absolutely obsessed with past civilizations and I would definitely love to visit them all.
Not just to learn about the people who have lived here before us but to put the world into perspective. Put it in a perpective and realize that whatever this is, is bigger than us and we only have a certain amount of time in this realm.
Rather than focusing my time on trying to make more money to achieve a “better” lifestyle where posessions are what is being pursued, isn’t for the best use of my time. But instead seeking freedom to do what I please. And that is traveling and experiencing the world and all its beauty.That working a 9-5 isnt for the best use of our time but experiencing life is unless you love what you do.
After all, that’s what life is. A collection of one’s experiences.
I still need a vehicle to get me there but knowing that what I’m doing isn’t serving me is half the battle.
Yesterday was Day 63 and final day of my INSANITY journey.
Even though this programs only lasts a fixed amount of time, being and staying healthy is a commitment I have made for life.
Below is a picture from Day 0 (Feb ’11) to now (Mar ’12):
Pursuing the healthy lifestyle of eating better and exercising has transformed not only my body but my entire life.
I look at food differently, I no longer look at it as just food.
I look at it as fuel.
As something that my body needs to be healthy, last longer and perform as best as it can.
I no longer feel sluggish, heavy or tired all time.
The food intake is the most important thing in achieving a healthy lifestyle. I would say about 80% of it is all about the food one consumes.
My food intake during INSANITY wasn’t perfect. In fact, I had a few cheat days during the 63 days.
Diet (Calorie Breakdown)
| Fat | 26% |
| Carbs | 38% |
| Dietary Fiber | 5% |
| Protein | 31% |
I aimed for a 40/40/20 diet. 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats.
Even though I didn’t achieve those percentages, I came pretty close.
I believe I could’ve seen much better results if I stuck with the diet plan more rigidly but overall I’m very happy with my results.
Here are the results from Jan 2 (Day 1) to March 4 (Day 63):
Weight and Measurements
| Day 1 | Day 63 | |
| Weight | 209lbs | 202lbs |
| Neck | 14″ | 13.75″ |
| Chest | 42″ | 40.5″ |
| Waist | 35″ | 33″ |
| Hips | 39.5″ | 38″ |
| Left Bicep | 14″ | 14.5″ |
| Right Bicept | 14.5″ | 14″ |
| Left Thigh | 24″ | 23″ |
| Right Thigh | 24″ | 23″ |
Total weight loss: 7lbs
Total inches loss: 8.25″ all around
Body fat percentage, fat mass and lean mass
| Body Fat | 21% | 17% |
| Fat Mass | 44.1lbs | 36.1lbs |
| Lean Mass | 164.9lbs | 166.7lbs |
Now on to what I believe was the most noticeable change. As I progressed through the program I could tell I was much lighter, faster and stronger.
My endurance and cardio kept getting ridiculously higher and each time I took the fit test I could do better than the previous time around.
INSANITY Fit test results
| Move | Fit Test 1 (Day 1) | Fit Test 2 (Day 15) | Fit Test 3 (Day 36) | Fit Test 4 (Day 50) | Fit Test 5 (Day 63) |
| 1. Switch Kicks | 40 | 72 | 90 | 94 | 96 |
| 2. Power Jacks | 39 | 44 | 52 | 70 | 70 |
| 3. Power Knees | 54 | 63 | 78 | 80 | 90 |
| 4. Power Jumps | 20 | 30 | 41 | 51 | 52 |
| 5. Globe Jumps | 5 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| 6. Suicide Jumps | 7 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 17 |
| 7. Push-up Jacks | 23 | 25 | 23 | 28 | 30 |
| 8. Low Plan Oblique | 30 | 34 | 42 | 46 | 50 |
Prior to Insanity I completed P90X 3 times and went from 253lbs down to 203lbs. Gained 6lbs between P90x and INSANITY.
INSANITY was tough, probably the toughest workouts I’ve done.
Well worth it though, I am feeling great and will continue my journey with a hybrid between INSANITY and P90X.
We all have those moments when we ponder on what things used to be.
Whether we are thinking over good or not so good experiences and moments, it does not matter.
The experiences are there, to contemplate and ponder upon but not to dwell on them.
What matters is now, the present.
We are no longer in that moment.
We are not that person anymore.
Those experiences have molded us into what we are today.
It’s up to us to look at them and decide whether to change or stay the same based on our perception of the experience.
As Jeb Dickerson once said:
Our past is like a footprint. It only confirms we were there. No burden on our future does it bear. Bring the rain, clear the pane of clutter.
