SimonvanDuivenvoorde

Once upon a time I was a fairly heavy coffee user drinking 8 to 10 cup of joe’s a day. It wasn’t the good stuff either, it was low quality / even worse taste coffee made from real coffee powder. Yeah! Then one day I decided to quit. Cold turkey. I suffered 3 days of headaches before giving in and getting a shot (which relieved me from my headaches). This was the moment I realized that drinking large amounts of coffee each day probably wasn’t the best thing to do. From that day, 1,5 year ago, I’ve started lessen my coffee consumption.

Recently I, once again, drastically cut down on my coffee. Two weeks went by without drinking a cup and… it felt really good. I was way more relaxed and could focus more easily. I had more real, raw energy, energy not coming from a coffee-buzz or high.

Looking for motivation to cut down on coffee? Look no further, hereby the 8 reasons to stop drinking coffee.

I watched the amazing movie Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino a couple of weeks ago. It’s a great, exciting movie which tells to story of… well.. Jews vs. Nazi’s. (I’m not writing the plot here, I you want to know more about the movie then check out the trailer or IMDB)

The whole movie is based on complex and intense dialogues and possesses some great one-liners.

So hereby I present you an overview of the 7 inspirational quotes and lessons (in business and life) from Inglourious Basterds.

Every month I reflect on the activities of the past month to see what I’ve done and to track progress. Today it’s time for: May.

May was a month dominated by short breaks and big parties a.k.a. bad input for training. Although I’m very much committed on completing the Ironman I’m not planning on living a mormon lifestyle in which I don’t have the opportunity to exploit the wonderful pleasures in life.

Enjoy life and train/party hard. But do it both responsible and create the best of both world. Keep in mind that while you party at night you must be prepared to wake up at 08:00 am to kick some serious ass. That may sound as a bit much but trust me, I’ve been there, it’s all worth it.

Now lets continue with the breakdown.

Definition of natural resources:

Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. Natural resources are derived from the environment. Many of them are essential for our survival while others are used for satisfying our wants. - from Wikipedia

The easiest thing to do is to start. In the beginning you’re motivated, eager and can’t wait for the change of lifestyle. You’re interested and soaking up knowledge while reading books and blogs. In the first few days and weeks the rapid progress keeps you going and motivated. And then, as Seth Godin has branded it, The Dip happens. The Dip is the part where it’s not new anymore and where the rapid and easy progress you were booking is taking more time and getting more difficult. You must invest a lot more hours to get the same increase in skill… and that sucks.

This is also the part where most people quit. After the initial burst of enthusiasm and skill they get bored and realize that the easy part is over. The fun part is over and it’s very temping to call it a day. The smart thing however is to stick (if you have choosen the right art to master) and to make change happen.

Now the good part: now you know that this moment is coming. The Big Bad Dip is looking for you. So be ready and when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Read on to find how you can ‘easily’ cross The Dip.

As promised I will give regular updates concerning my IronMan training schedule (editor’s note; this won’t be a weekly item as announced, but I’m aiming for fortnight updates).

This time I will reflect on week 17, 18 & 19 and I will take a look at the upcoming schedule for weeks 20 & 21.

It’s been a couple of weeks of practicing (a lot) and learning (a lot). A bunch of ups (some good sessions) and some downs (hurting, sick). What I’m noticing is that the time of quick wins is over; it now comes to putting in the hard work and the practice hours. Keeping my head down and try to rush through the dip.

Check out what I’ve been up to.

Okay, you set your goals and you’re ready to change the world. To shock it. To be amazing. Ready to change your world. Your habits. Your Methods. Your life.

Now slow down. Take control and put yourself in slow motion. Don’t rush yourself, head down, into it. But relax and take small, but deliberate, steps towards your goal.

The last couple of weeks I embarked on a journey and I want to share some key learnings with you guys. Faults I made (for you) so you won’t have to make them.

Hereby I present to you the 6 reasons to take it slow on a new adventure (based on my own experience).

To measure is to know, therefore I will give insight in some key personal statistics on a monthly basis to keep you updated and to track of my progress.

As stated before I’m very competitive by nature. That’s why I take great pleasure in becoming better, faster, and stronger swimmer, biker and runner. That’s my goal, I want to improve and see what I’m capable of. This is what makes me tick, why I am training.

To measure progress you need information about your performance. What are the metrics, the key performance indicators of your goal? Keep track of those during your training and you can watch yourself and your achievements grow in the progress (free motivation!). Based on this information you can adjust and optimize your schedule and this is what I’m going to do in this section.

I’m already started a couple of months ago with some light training (running) to practice for a 12km run a so I’m not completely out of shape.

Let’s give it a go!

As Mike Tiojanco from Pursuit of Change said it all recently in a guest post by him on the Art of Great Things: ‘Practice - and only practice - makes perfect’. He goes on by saying ‘Only one thing will make you a great runner: running’.

I have defined my goal as competing in and completing the IronMan. There is an important part here in the equation and that is training. To track my progress and give insight in my training habits (and to be accountable when I’m slacking!) I will take the time at the end, or beginning, of every week to take a look at my training schedule for the upcoming week. I will also reflect on the past week and give oversight and feedback on the progress.

Take a look at the activities of past week (week 16) and the upcoming week (week 17).

I live a good life. As a matter of fact, I live a pretty damn good life. Why on earth should I volunteer and train for a year for an intense and grueling IronMan? And then still don’t know if I’ll finish.

But I’m committed. and I’m looking forward to it. I love a challenge and competing (although I should note that the thing I love most is winning but I think we can all agree that I won’t be winning an IronMan in this lifetime). I want to take on this challenge to learn more about myself. To explore my boundaries.

I want to experience what I takes to embrace a complete different lifestyle. What sacrifices do you have to make? What experience will you gain and what lessons you will learn?

I don’t just want to live, I want to live life to the fullest and make the most out of it.