The Next Step

   "When you get right down to the root of the word "succeed" you find that it simply means to  follow through."

So, by now, you have set a goal and it's specific, measurable, attainable, and timely. I'm glad that you're taking the necessary actions to be successful. But the next step you take is that one that really counts. Are you satisfied with just setting a goal? Or are you ready to accomplish your goals? It's not as hard to accomplish things as you would think. There are 3 things you need to do in order to get shit done in life: make a decision to do something, prepare like your life depends on it, and show up confident that your preparation gives you the best chance at victory. That's it, but don't confuse simple with easy. The question that inevitably comes up is, "What does it mean to prepare like my life depends on it?" My answer to that is simple: if failure of that particular goal meant death then what would you do to get it done? Would you spend the weekend dicking around on the Ps3? Would you continue to stay up until 3 a.m. watching TV re-runs? Or would you finally do what is necessary and turn your time in the gym(or library or wherever you need to go) into your new 'personal/social' time? Would you finally get to sleep a little earlier so that your body can fully recuperate for the next day of work? Would you finally start studying like you actually gave a shit about what you're looking at?

You see, once you finally accept that you need to dedicate yourself completely to your dream all of your decisions become easier. You can start labeling things as beneficial or harmful to your dream, and then make decisions based on that alone. Remember, only you know how long the preparation process for your dream will take so be accountable--it's your life that is on the line. Do whatever it takes. And lastly, remember to show up confident: if your goal is get a 2400 on the SAT then the day of the test don't be worrying about what may or may not be on the test. You have been preparing properly for the past days, months, and maybe even years so please stop worrying. It's completely normal for you to wake up nervous, but as the time goes by and test draws nearer, you should be getting more and more confident. By the time you get to the testing door you should be completely ready to reap the rewards from all the preparation you put in. You should literally kick the door in (preferably leaving your giant footprint cemented into the door) because of how ready you are for this test. And when the proctor says to begin you should attack the test as if you were the Batman himself. Always be respectful of your foe, but still kick the shit out of him.

Thanks for reading. JG

The Bridge Part 1: Everything You Need to Know About Goals

So, theoretically, you now understand that you're in control of your life, you now understand that no excuse is going to get you to the point where you are a happy and successful individual. So, where do we go from here? What is going to fill-in the gap between what we see ourselves becoming and where we are now?Enter the Bridge--a blog/video series that attempts to fill-in the gap. Part 1: Are Goals Important/WTF is a Goal :

  "If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else."- Yogi Berra

What is the purpose of a goal? So many successful people talk about goals and how we should all set them. Few of these people, however, give us any details about how we should go about setting these goals. A year ago, I emailed a few respected 'life coaches' across the country--I asked how one should go about setting goals. Most of them told me that an answer to my question would come at a price--specifically, 3 easy payments of $29.99; those that did supply an actual answer were not particularly helpful either: they more or less told me that just setting goals is all I should be worried about--they continued to say that, because of my youth, I'm already ahead of the game. And to me that is complete B.S. Because you know what: one day you and I are not going to be so young and the lessons we learn now and the habits that we develop now are going to be what we fall back on. So, please, do not think that the act of setting goals is going to help you become a happy and successful individual. And don't think that it will all figure itself out in the end--because it won't. Don't misconstrue this as me telling you not to set goals. Goal-setting is essential, but it's what the goal represents and how you go about selecting a goal that is actually important.

Back to the original question: What is the purpose of a goal? In my opinion a goal serves two important purposes:

1. Effective Goals give you direction--something meaningful to aim for and something meaningful to achieve--the accomplishment of effective goals brings you closer to happiness and or success
2. Effective Goals keep you accountable--they are an objective means to measuring one's progress.

  The key word preceding my mention of goal is effective. So many people set goals for things that have they have no interest in accomplishing. That is called wasting time--and time is something you're not going to get back. So what defines an effective goal? Enter the S.M.A.T. system.
     
        S.pecific-- The key to setting an effective goal is specificity. Whenever I ask a runner what goals they have they usually say something along the lines of, "I want to improve my times," or better yet, "I want to run a faster mile time." Ok, so obviously the second example is more specific because it is identifying the mile as what he/she wants to improve. However, it's not specific enough--my follow-up question would be how much faster do you want to run? Suppose the runner, who we will randomly call Anjan(is that even the name of anyone?), responds with, "I want to run a mile 20 seconds faster than my previous best"-- I would say great let's move on to the next step in the goal setting process. 

        M.easurable(prounounced Mayysurable--ok not really-- there's an inside joke there) My next question would be: Anjan what is your fastest current mile time? "Well I ran a 5:30 mile last year," says Anjan. We would then make Anjan's goal measurable by determining that he would have to run a 5:10(minus 20 seconds off of his PB) mile around Cary Academy's track. On to the next step in the goal-setting process! That was easy!

        A.ttainable--So Anjan, I would ask, are you willing and able to achieve this 5:10 mile? "Well golly gee, John what does willing and able mean?" It means are you willing to put in the effort to accomplish this  and are you able to sacrifice some sleep in the morning and those parties on the weekends so that you can get some extra training sessions in. Essentially, the attainable part of the process asks each of us how bad do you really want it? A hypothetical Anjan responds with,  "Well John, I really want this--I'll do whatever it takes--I'll take no days off!" Great Anjan, let's move on to the next step!

        T.imely--The final step in the process is putting a time period for you goal to be accomplished. While this time can change, you should have a general idea of when you want to accomplish your goal. Remember the importance of being specific. For our hypothetical Anjan, he will run his PR mile in a track meet during June at Cary Academy. The goal-setting process for this one goal is now complete.

As you can see, a little thought can go a long way. We went from a sub-optimal goal "I want to  run faster" to an effective goal: "I will run a 5:10 mile in a June track meet at Cary Academy." This shows us how creating effective goals is the key to remaining accountable: if June passes and the 5:10 mile never happens--then we know something went wrong. And because we know that something went wrong we can fix it for the next time.  Essentially, an effective goal-setting process allows us to accurately judge our successes and failures--which in turn allows us to progress as individuals. So remember the S.M.A.T. system the next time you think about your individual goals: it may be the difference between greatness and mediocrity.

Thanks for reading. JG

The Time is Now

                                     "Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda

Wow. After a 6 month hiatus it is nice to be back. I would say that I'm back for good, but you never know with me--so let's just be happy.  Alright, on to the important stuff:

How have things been going? Are you, the reader, living life to the fullest?(no this does not include getting 'white girl' wasted during the weekends) Are you working toward a vision? Or, better yet, are you living in a vision? Are you improving yourself and how you treat others? Are you finally taking accountability for where you are in the present? Or are you still blaming those around you, refusing to accept that, in the end, it's you who has to live with the consequences of not living up to your potential--it's you who has to end up, 20 years from now, wondering what could have been. Regardless, I hope that you aren't settling for the mediocrity that is plaguing this country right now. I hope that you are daring to dream, daring to break free from the limits that are imposed by a society that refuses to see past self-imposed boundaries. This blog has been and always will be about pushing past our potential, not only striving for greatness but achieving it, not settling for what seems 'good enough' or 'acceptable', but living life so that you are both successful and happy. It may not seem possible, but if I have learned anything--it's that you can have both. And the time to start having both success and happiness is now.

My goal in writing this blog, and in having meetings after-school, and in posting videos is to help you become the exception to what is going on right now. Right now it's the norm for kids to go to college for 4 years or so and then leave unhappy, in debt, and without a plan for living a life that will leave them both successful and happy. I want you to know right now that this does not have to be you, and as a matter of fact it shouldn't be you. Life is too short and time is too valuable to be wasted meandering around with no sense of purpose. Ignorance can no longer be an excuse for us. We know what we are worth and now it's time to go out get what we're worth. It's not going to be easy--so let's get to work.

Thanks for reading. JG

The difference between you and me

              "Journal writing is a voyage to the interior." - Christina Baldwin

"The wealthiest 100 people living in America all take daily notes." After reading that sentence I immediately did a Google search for the best notebook in the world (as well as the best pen, because what good is a great notebook with a terrible pen) and I began my journey into the unknown abyss that is journal writing. I didn't worry about whether or not I had anything important to actually put into the journal, because I figured it would all work itself out. I didn't worry about whether or not people would think I was a weird kid who wrote in a diary all day, because I figured I would get the last laugh (and they probably already think that anyway). And I certainly didn't worry about whether or not I would be wasting money on a 50$ notebook, because I knew and still know that money invested into personal development is money that is never wasted(okay there may be a few exception, but don't use the exception to prove the rule).

Well, it is now 3 months to the day that I decided to take action and make that Amazon purchase of 1 notebook and a set of  Precise V5 pens. And I can now say that it was one of the better decisions I have ever made (I now own 3 journals separated for different things). I have learned a lot about myself, and I actually found out that I have a knack and a love for poetry (yes even athletes and future SEALs can enjoy the arts). Without a doubt I recommend that everyone buys a personal journal for his/herself. In a world where it seems that we are just trying to make it from 1 homework assignment to the next, a daily journal is a great way to keep track of the important stuff: dreams, goals, desires, thoughts,and worries can all be safely organized in a journal. Daily writing also helps me slow things down and actually think problems out fully, which is not easy to do in our fast-paced society.

Regardless of whether or not you take my suggestion, which is to buy a journal, I want you to understand the lesson that stems from my purchase of a journal: I saw an opportunity to improve myself and I pounced on it. I didn't wait to see if I had money in my account(although you may want to check that)and I didn't wait for one of my friends to tell me it was a great or terrible idea. I just went ahead and bought the notebook. I guess what I am trying to say is take action. Action is the only thing that can change your life in an instant. Don't think to yourself, "I hope I become a doctor when I grow up" take action and tell yourself, and anyone who will listen, "I am going to be a doctor, and I don't care what obstacles stand in my way, because I know I have the determination and willpower to overcome all the challenges and problems that lie ahead of me." After that take more action and get your (warning: profane word) ass to the library and starting reading some books about doctors. Then create a list of all the things you need to do to become a doctor and do them.That is what action is all about.

Eliminate all the B.S in your life, take action, and try to get of your own way because you are the only real obstacle on the road to success. Good luck, although you probably won't need it.

Thanks for reading. JG

Common Sense

"Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage is"
Theodore Roosevelt

This post is about the little things that are slowly leaving society. As technology continues to advance--and distract the public--it seems as though daily interactions between people are changing. Unfortunately, they are changing for the worse. Too often I see people with their head down and their eyes engulfed into a tiny screen as they walk by me. While I understand that checking your phone is important, is it really that important that you have to be on it 24/7? Are your messages so urgent that you can't even say hello to me--or anyone else--as we walk past you? This world would be an infinitely better place if we all just smiled and said hello to everyone that walks by us. It's one thing to be weird about it, but it's another to be sincere and take the little effort to smile and ask someone how their day has been. It's also a very rewarding experience to make someone a little happier than when you first saw them.

 Another type of person that almost ceases to exist is one who holds doors for others. I'm not just talking about holding the door for a few girls that you think are attractive; I'm talking about holding the door for every person that you see regardless of their appearance or gender. I firmly believe in the 10 second rule: if a person is going to reach the door that I'm at in the next 10 seconds, I will be holding it for them. If you are unsure of how far away they are just do the right thing and stay at the door for a few extra seconds. This brings me to my next point: if you do see someone who is taking the extra effort to hold the door, make sure to thank them. In doing so more people will be inclined to follow the example and make the extra effort themselves, in turn making your community a much more enjoyable place.

My final point is in regards to eating with other people. At my lunch-table there is a rule that is (almost) never broken: every time you leave the table you must ask if anyone wants anything (i.e. water, food, napkin, etc.). This rule is one of my favorites, and I think it should be implemented by each and every table. First off it promotes face-to-face conversation with others (which is going out of style) and it also shows others that you are not just a selfish slob who eats a lot of food (OK maybe that only pertains to me). But,in complete seriousness,it does come off as an unselfish act and by taking the extra effort it goes a long way in displaying the tremendous character that you possess.

So remember the three keys to being loved by all: say hello, hold the door, and ask others what they want as you leave the table. Oh, and before I forget, my water is running kind of low...could you get me a refill?

Thanks for reading ~ John Guerra

My response to Amendment 1

"Why is that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?"- Ernest Gaines

I wholeheartedly believe in the Golden Rule. Through personal life experiences I have found it to be something that I constantly refer back to, in order to grow and develop as a person.  It simply states, "One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself." Most importantly, believing in the Golden rule allows me to formulate my own opinions on different topics and world problems as I try to empathize with those who are in each situation;however, religion often does not lend this same ability, and instead its dogmatic approach tells you what you should believe in. In my opinion, the biggest problem that  religion causes is that it goes against the whole idea of honestly expressing yourself and your personal thoughts as well as your true beliefs-- for fear of upsetting a "God".

Today (regardless of your religion) the Golden rule was violated and disgraced. The numbers today have shown that we have forgotten the most elementary and basic rule that we are all taught in Kindergarten. How can I, a straight man who is allowed to marry the one I love, tell another man that he cannot marry the one he loves just because the gender of the one we love is different? For this I do not blame religion, I blame the PEOPLE who have voted. The people are the ones who choose to let their religion affect so many innocent lives. I truly feel sorry for those who can not form their own thoughts independent of what their holy books (that were written during the bronze age) say. And guess what, if I do go to "Hell" because of this, I will go with a smile because I know I am one of the minority who did not do things in order to please others or in order to please their religion, I did and continue to do things based on what I believe is right. And at the end of the day, I can only hope you do the same.

And for those wondering what my religion is it is this: When I do good things I feel good and when I do bad things I don't feel good. Isn't that religion enough?

(P.S The President was a day late he cites the Golden Rule in an interview the day after I wrote this post http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/obama-comes-out-i-think-same-sex-couples-should-be-able-to-get-married/)

Thanks for reading. JG

Honest Expression

 "Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it."  Bruce Lee

This post is a message that will hopefully be a call to arms for some of you. Too many people nowadays are trying to become something for artificial reasons. At the private high school that I attend many students desire to go to a school like Harvard or Princeton. There is absolutely no problem with this, and I think it is great that these students are trying to further their education;however, it's their reasons, rather their lack of reasons, for attending said schools that is particularly troubling. It has become apparent to me that they want to attend these schools because of how the schools are perceived, while others think that an Ivy league school is where they are "supposed to go." Essentially these students are deciding their future not based on what they want, or where they know they would be successful, but on the way that society would view them and the college that they will attend. While some may blame the outside pressures on these students: namely parents and friends, I tend to think that majority of the problem lies within the student. At the end of the day, this is YOUR life and YOU decide what you want to make of it. It would be hypocritical of me to not tell you how I have come to the conclusion on where I want to go, and what I want to study-- so here are some suggestions to find out what you want to do in college and possibly where you want to go.
          How to find the Job and Major:

• Think about what jobs currently interest you and make a list (Navy SEAL,Lawyer, Strength Coach)
• Create a list of your two favorite subjects     (History, English)
• Research potential majors that involve one or both of your favorite subjects(I bought a book on majors)
• Cut that list of majors down to the two or three that interest you the most (Political Science, Philosophy)
• What jobs do your favorite majors prepare you for, ideally this should connect with the 1st bullet
• I plan on going to a 4 year college, then enlisting in the Navy and then attending Law school, but it is your job to find out how much schooling is needed beyond college, or if you even need to go to college for what you actually want to do. Just read an absolute ton of books, and you will find what you want to do.

           How to find the College (Do this after you have done the previous bullet points):

• Create a list of environments that you know you will be able to be successful in ( medium-sized school, near beach that is academically challenging)
• Think about how much money you are willing/able to pay for college (I want to have minimal debt)
• Assuming that you are a bright student looking for a good academic program, (yes I realize the horrors of assuming but let that not deter us) Google the top 25 undergrad programs for the 2 majors that you have created on the previous list. I have shown that here:  http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Top+25+political+science+undergraduate+programs
• Hopefully you have found a list of good programs, now it's your job to match the results of the best programs with the environment that you described in the first bullet of this section. 

Luckily, if you call reading and researching for 1.5 years luck, I found the school and jobs that I want to pursue by following the bullet points, but if you don't I would suggest looking at schools that fit your environment description and visiting them. Many students change majors, but it is a hassle to change schools-- So prioritize the school environment.  At the end of the day, YOU are the one who will have to deal with all-night study sessions, and YOU are the one who will have to fight tooth and nail to achieve the grades and success that you know you are capable of; so make it a little easier and pick an environment that enables you to do all of this, while allowing you personal time to morph into the beautiful butterfly that is clamoring to be let out. Take initiative in your life,  don't ever shortchange yourself and don't settle for anything except greatness, while this whole process takes time--I guarantee you will be better for it. "Look up, get up, and don't ever give up."

Thanks for reading. JG

                                           

The Journey

Whether or not you want to gain strength, lose weight, gain weight or look like the guy in the picture on the right it is going to take a journey. Contrary to popular belief, 4 weeks to six-pack abs will not give you six-pack abs. And no, following 8 weeks to a big chest will not make you look like the next  Mr. Olympia, but it will probably make you look like this kid http://www.cjlopez.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/skinny-guy.jpg. With that said not all hope is lost. Fortunately for us, some of the world's strongest men and athletes have been kind enough to share there 'secrets of success.' I say this somewhat jokingly because the formula for most of these top athletes seems to be the same: Hard Work + Smart Work + Time = Success. Instead of looking for the quick fix, how about you start taking what works and trying to apply it to your life. Hard Work is first in the equation so lets examine it first. Hard work does not mean working out for 6 hours one day and then not doing anything for the next 8 months. So be smart and plan 3 workouts a week and then focus on hard work during each workout. You see hard work and smart work are connected, in order for hard work to be effective it must also be smart work. If your goal is to run a marathon in the next year, then bench pressing maximal weights for the next year is not smart work. Although training the bench press is hard work, it is not smart work because it does not connect with your goal; therefore your efforts should be focused on something else. Another misunderstood factor of success is time. Believe it or not-- it does take time to build the body of your dreams and to achieve the goals that you are chasing. There is no way you can cheat time, if you missed your workout last week and you say to yourself, "It's okay I will just work out twice as long today" then you will not achieve optimal gains. Instead you will most likely end up training once a month, or even worse never. So how does time factor in to your success? Well, in my opinion, time is doing the hard work and smart work for weeks, then months, and eventually years all leading to success. I guess you could say time is what the journey is all about.

Thanks for reading. JG

The truth about strength

 "Silence is a source of great strength" - Lao Tzu

In this past year, I have learned a tremendous amount of information about what strength really is. While my physical strength has improved, I believe my improvement in mental strength has been more significant. Often many people view strength as how much you can bench press or squat or curl (lol). I however tend to believe that strength entails much more than the numbers one lifts in the weight room (especially considering the horrendous form used by most people today). So what is strength? I believe strength starts with the amount of resistance you can handle without giving up. While you can equate this to weight room, I often think about other experiences. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, my hero and favorite boxer of all-time, was wrongly convicted for murder and served 19 years in prison until finally his case was overturned in the year 1985. In prison Rubin never stopped taking care of his mind and body, every day he would total over 10,000 push-ups and he read hundreds of books each year. Another person who defines strength is Bruce Lee. While many people know of Bruce's punching and kicking power, few know of the strength he had to go beyond the limits that society placed on Chinese men in his time. Often directors of movies wanted to tell Bruce what moves he should do in each scene. Bruce refused to do this as he wanted to "honestly express himself." By refusing to be a robot Bruce turned down a lot of potential movies, as well as a lot of money. But as the truly strong people know it's never about the money. Another trait that Bruce had was humility. Nowadays as soon as a kid gets a little muscle he wants to show off to everyone he knows. We have all seen it, a kid gains 10 pounds and he thinks he is the next Ronnie Coleman; tank-tops and sleeveless shirts become a regular part of these "muscular" kids outfits. However, as soon as these types of kids reach a plateau or face a little adversity they never enter the weight room again. REAL STRENGTH is pushing past plateaus and not letting adversity get in the way of you and the goals you have set forth. Strength can not be achieved through anything except long hours and hard work.  So what are you waiting for ?

Thanks for reading. JG

Making the time

 

As you may have noticed, I have not provided a blog post in some time. What have I been doing? Well to start, I have been trying to simplify all aspects of my life. I have been removing unnecessary actions one at a time, and in doing so I have been able to identify what I view as necessary. So what have I removed? My first decision was to remove the act of watching the T.V. After T.V. was excluded, I moved onto removing use of my cell phone. All the worthless texts and phone calls no longer pollute my daily life. Another decision that I decided to make was to reduce the amount of times I check my e-mail. Being at school where each student has their own tablet computer; and a school where teachers e-mail there students on a regular basis (homework etc.) I have not been able to completely eliminate my use of e-mail. However, I have made it a short-term goal of checking my e-mail a maximum of two times per day. So with all this reduction what have I learned? For one, the common phrase, " I can't do what I want to, because I don't have time" should no longer apply in your life. Here is my typical week:

• Mondays through Fridays school from 8:00 A.M until 3:10 P.M 
• Work 10-25 hours a week
• Lift Weights 4 times a week 
• Run Hill sprints 1 time a week 
• Run Stadium stairs 1 time a week
• Play AAU basketball Fridays through Sundays in tournaments throughout the country
• Basketball practice 2 days a week for total of 6 hours
• Cook majority of my meals and eat 4-7 meals a day
• Read a minimum of  2 books per week
• Complete an average of 1 hour of homework per day

While your daily life may consist of more activities, I highly suggest that you write down everything that you have done in the past week. Once you have a list, consider everything on it and decide whether or not it will help you achieve the goals that you have set. If you do this, then I believe you will have much more time for the activities that will help you and more importantly it will give you more time for the activities that you enjoy. Simplicity may be the very thing your life is missing. 

Thanks for reading. JG