Photo Credit- jrodmanjr

Phoenix, Arizona 2011

I hopped into my old Ford Truck and leaned back to rest. It was 3:30 AM and I had just finished swimming 30 laps after a brutal weight room workout. I was exhausted, but had an unbelievable high going, a high of endorphins, happiness and accomplishment. I turned the key and my truck started, this was another small win for me on this early morning. I rolled the windows down and let in the warm desert morning air. I felt accomplished, unstoppable and full of life.

I had lost 45 lbs in less than 2 months and I looked damn good. My impending deadline was two weeks away and I would embark on a voyage through Europe that would change my perspective and my life's path forever.

I remember how good I felt with my pals in Berlin, I need to get back to that feeling now.

Fast Forward to Today

Two years later I sit here in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood at my house, comfy on my couch, too comfortable...

I think back on the euphoric high from that evening, the work I put in day in and day out, the intense focus and unwavering determination. It is both disappointing and inspiring at the same time.

I have come so far since that day personally and professionally and grown from a single, nomadic guy seeking to understand himself and the world around him, to a man who has a fiancée, a career and a daughter. My life is rich in love, happiness and my career is flourishing but as in all things, there is a give and take that comes along with these things.

As much as it embarrasses me to admit to my audience, I have gained back the weight I lost during this enlightening period of my life, not all of it, but close. I know find myself less than 5 months away from my wedding day, a day I have dreamed of being my very best for my entire life and yet I sit here far away from the goal weight that will have me looking great, something my fiancée deserves, something I deserve to give to myself.

It is time to kick my ass into shape BEFORE my wedding day is here!

Photo Credit- Extra Medium

So as I did in 2011 proclaiming my 30lb weight loss in 42 days, I am once again proclaiming to my readers that NOW IS MY TIME!

No doubt, I have much more responsibility and far less time these days, with a daughter and a highly demanding career, however I aim to prove that these things are no match for strong will and determination, something I have proven I possessed in the pass and will once again find inside. I am out of time, it is now or never. I hope to be posting my wedding pictures 5 months from now in a follow up to this post, looking lean, mean, tan and unresistibly sexy.

THE WEDDING DIET

I know how to construct a diet that works, the problem is sticking to it. So for this diet I am choosing a plan that gives me enough time (5 months), to get in great shape and shed 65 LBS by my big day. This will not be a crash diet, however I will incorporate elements that will at times be very calorie restrictive as there are three phases in this diet I plan to incorporate to not only give me a jump start, but to cleanse my system .

 PHASE 1 Days 1-7

7 Day Juice Fast

Photo Credit- Katrina Rain

Diet

I completed a 7 day Juice Fast earlier this year and I can tell you it was difficult, but I haven't felt better in years. I plan to use this method to give me a nice jumpstart on the weight loss process, while also cleansing my digestive system and shrinking my stomach a bit which will help suppress my appetite once I start on a healthy diet 7 days later. During my last week long juice fast I lost 17 LBS and I would be thrilled to come close to this number this time.

Gym

During this time period I will be going to the gym only to hit some low intensity cardio walking on the treadmill or getting on the elliptical for 20-30 minutes, hitting some simple heart rate interval training. Also I'll be heading into the steam room and sauna to sweat out the garbage I've been putting in my body and might even get some swimming in if I'm feeling up to it.

Photo Credit- Tomasito.!

Phase 2 Days 7-90

This will serve as the most important phase of the diet hands down. The critical time period for nearly any diet is the 2nd week through the 90th day. 90 days seems to be what it takes to make life altering progress and 14 days seems to be the point where most people lose focus.

Diet

My diet for this phase will be simple and strict. Lots of veggies and lean protein and very minimal carbs.

Certain Low GI (Glycemic Index) or "Slow Carbs" will be the only carbohydrates I will be consuming but I plan on limiting these to mostly black beans or lentils. Also I will avoid dairy at all costs. This biggest thing I can stress to make this diet work is KEEP IT SIMPLE. Eating the same things over and over again is very boring, I get that, but it is the easiest way to prevent making exceptions and straying out of bounds. No bread, no dairy, no high GI carbs.

A sample day will look like this-

Breakfast- 60g Protein Shake

Lunch- Beef Patty 90/10 & Veggies

Dinner- 2 Chicken Breast Green beans

Pre bed- 60 g Protein

GYM

I really need to kill it at the gym in order to look amazing and fill out a nicely tailored suit with a nice V taper from my shoulders to my smaller waist.

The gym is the easiest part for me, I love it, it just takes consistently getting there every day.

Sample Week-

Monday- Chest/Back 3 exercises per muscle group 4 sets each exercise rep range 12,10,8,4-6

ex- Chest- BB Bench Press, Machine Flys, Incline Press

      Back- DB Rows, Wide Grip Pull Downs, Reverse Flys

Cardio- 20 MIN

Tuesday- Legs & Lower Back,

Legs- 4 exercises 4 sets 15,12,10,8 Lower back 2 exercises 4 sets 15,12,10,8

ex- Legs- Squats, Hamstring curls, Stiff leg dead lifts, quad extensions

      Lower Back- hyper extensions weighted, Supermans

Wednesday- Shoulders & Abs 3 exercises Shoulders 12,10,8,4-6 Abs 20,20,20

ex- Shoulders- DB Military Press, Front Raises, Upright rows

      Abs- bicycle crunches, weighted sit ups, leg raises

Cardio- 20 MIN

Thursday- Biceps & Triceps 3 exercises each 12,10,8,4-6

ex- Biceps- Seated Preacher Curls, DB Curls, UH pull downs

      Triceps- Skull Crushers, tri bar push downs, overhead db extensions

Friday- Weights Off Cardio 40 Min

Saturday-Chest/ bi's - 2 exercises supersets alternating- BENCH/Curls Flys/UH Pull downs Rotate muscle groups weekly

Sunday-OFF

Photo Credit- matthewcoughlin

Phase 3 ALL IN Days 90-150

Diet

My diet will remain very similar to Phase 2, however I will implement more good carbs in order to maintain more muscle mass and allow for increased intensity in the gym. I'll also allow for some dairy, but if weight loss stalls this is the first thing to cut.

sample day

Breakfast- 60g Protein, Oatmeal or yogurt

Lunch- Beef Patty/ Veggies with black beans

Dinner- Chicken or Fish- Veggies

Pre bed- 60g Protein, 1 tbsp Almond butter (sludge)

Workout

The gym is where I am going to earn that last 10% that will take me from good to great and in order to see amazing results, I will have to ratchet things up a notch after the initial 90 days. Here I will implement Some hardcore workout strategies I've used effectively in the past including German Volume Training for a jumpstart the first 3 weeks and then moving into a lower rep count workout and focusing on strength.

Week 1-3

German Volume Training as outlined here.

Week 4-8

min 3-4 exercises per muscle group 4 Sets 4-6 reps Max effort

Cardio- All low intensity at this point focusing on fat loss and trying to not lose any muscle. Longer cardio periods 40-60 minutes 5 days per week.

Helpful Tips & Tricks That Work

A few things that I have found work extremely well when on a diet like this are listed below.

• Drink a TON of water, 1-3 Gallons daily
• Keep a daily journal in a place you see everyday. Track diet and exercise here as well as progress.
• Pick out an outfit that you would like to wear confidently and put it on display in your home.
• Protein in the morning EVERYDAY within 30 min of waking up.
• Keep clothes and shoes in the car as back ups, no excuses for missing the gym.
• No Alcohol. It throws everything off.
• Any cheating is held to ONE meal, nothing more.

5 Months to my Wedding! Feel free to Join me on me journey to looking and feeling great and follow along. I will be posting updates every 2 to 3 weeks with progress, photos and maybe a video or two!

Complacency will always show its lazy, unchanging face, no matter how ambitious your goals and dreams are.

Buenos Aires, Argentina 2010

It was noon by the time I awoke and peeled myself from my seat soaked bed, feeling the ringing in my ears that comes along with a long night that stars with 2 for 1 well drinks and ends with hot dogs and beer at 4 AM. It was summer in the city and my little apartment in San Telmo didn’t include air conditioning in the outrageous $320 a month rent I was forking out.

Bummer.

These are the kind of mornings that make you take a short look in the mirror, indentify that you look about how you feel and then proclaim that you must accomplish something with your day and attempt to forge a more productive path in your future.

It was 2 months into my South American excursion and I decided that today would be the day that I finally shot some video for my blog which had become quite popular in recent months. I always felt like an idiot trying to shoot video while traveling. After all, I travel alone and being an oversized gringo, I just felt like I looked funny holding out a flip cam in an effort to document all the fun I was having.

For one, it kept me from having as much fun, but secondly, I just hate looking like a tourist. The best travel moments it seems cannot be caught on tape and are better off remembered through your own embellished memories that you will forever encapsulate in your own further embellished stories.

But I regress.

Today, I was going to capture some fucking video, one way or another.

In the following video, I documented my little day in the sun. From wake up to pass out on my journey through Buenos Aires, trying to give people a firsthand idea of what my experience was like. Through editing and the realization that sitting and talking to the camera wasn’t an option, the video is basically a music video of me messing around in BA, with Kid Cudi playing in the background, my jam at the time.

It is funny to me that I was trying so hard to make a video for my followers to see what I was doing, when in reality I never posted it because I was embarrassed to. I know look back at this and laugh. It reminds me of all more solo journeys through cities I’ve had that have been so random and awesome, heading out in an unknown city and just taking everything in, while throwing back some cold ones.

It took me forever to even make the video and I never even posted it…

Until now.

So check this out and enjoy my idiotic stumbling through a foreign city from when I was up, up and away in BA.

Via- Aaron Gustafso

At a deliberate pace that would annoy any frenetic city dweller that happened to be drudging angrily behind us,  my soon to be fiancée and I strolled arm and arm down 5^th Avenue. We were making our way to a free wine happy hour at the Vintage Park Hotel, a nightly bonus to guests of the hotel. Of course we weren’t staying at the hotel that night, but we were however resourceful thinkers.

Our agreed upon destination was Seattle’s tallest building, the Columbia Tower.  We would never make it there.

 I digress…

I’ll come back to this story later on, but for now I’d like to tell you why and how this monumental night came to be. This city, the city I now call home, is only 35 miles from where I was born and raised. But it is only recently that I’ve discovered how amazing Seattle really is.

 Why I Love Seattle

Via- Surrealize

Now let me be clear, I am not one of those hometown people who think their city is amazing just because they have never been anywhere else.  In fact for a while, I was a hater.

I blogged in 2009 about how fed up I was living in the area and how I needed to get away fast. This was before I ever discovered my hometown for what it really is. Living in the suburbs nearby a city IS NOT anything like living in the city.  

After traveling throughout the US, South America and Europe extensively, let me tell you why Seattle, my hometown tops the list of my favorite cities in the world.

The Culture & Diversity

Seattle is hugely diverse. Rainier Valley, just east of the city is actually the most diverse neighborhood in the country.  Now I normally try to avoid that area, but when I do go through, it is usually ok as long as I don’t smile, wink, nod or wave and make sure I take off my watch and ring.

In all seriousness it is a dangerous neighborhood in spots, but it isn’t that bad and Seattle as a whole is a pretty safe city, safer than most that I have lived in. The food here is also on another level. So many options, nearly anything you could want is nearby and they do it pretty damn well. From food trucks parked at the gas station to the high end boutique restaurants you can get whatever you need.

Diversity is welcomed here, similar to how I felt in Berlin (save for the stuck up Germans, which were definitely the minority), Seattle is a melting pot where everyone lives in cohesion with one another and generally we all get along. Sure this might be the image the entire US tries to convey, but things seem much less segregated here than in places like Arizona, where it feels more like the races stay more separated. I can’t explain why this is true, but I can feel it when I travel between these cities.

The Attitude

It is true, there is a bit of a tree hugging, hippie vibe here and you will get scowls for not using the recycling bin. You smell pot on the city streets, and it is basically legalized here. We are overall pretty accepting and welcoming. Sure there are a lot of annoying hipsters and dirty may be the new clean as many guys seem to go for the “Unshaven, withdrawn, wanna-be rockstar on a bender” look. But for the most part, people are pretty normal and nice. I would venture to say it is easier to make friends in this city than most others that I have traveled too.  Ballard is where I live, and along with Wallingford, Fremont, Greenlake and Capitol Hill, these are the neighborhoods that are where young professionals and young families are coming too in huge numbers. 

The Neighborhoods

The Cha on Capitol with the ladies

Capitol Hill is more the mecca for the young singles, but it is where we all go to party and check out the weird, but awesome bars.  Cha Cha Lounge and the Unicorn are among my favorites and the atmosphere and the diverse crowd are great for chilling and people watching, just plan your cab ride home, you’re not driving.

Ballard has changed immensely since the 90’s and home prices, rents and the demographics here are changing daily. Take a gander down Market St. and stroll Ballard Ave and you will get a feel for this areas personality and the ever changing town center. Cranes rise high above of 15^th Ave NW and new housing is springing up like crazy in this area. Old houses are being knocked down and new 3200 sqft homes are erected in their place, making better use of these in city lots that are becoming so scarce from the high demand.

Via- Transit Nerds

South Lake Union is quickly becoming the epicenter of the tech savvy, young entrepreneurs of the city and the Microsoft, Amazon and startup crowd all hang out around this area as new apartments and high end skyscrapers seem to be popping up monthly. A mass movement of high paid, business minded young professionals are flooding the area, driving demand for housing and services up and creating an entirely new, hip community (think San Francisco).

Via- SeattleRachel

Greenlake is dope during the summer and in general is a pretty cool place to congregate. Forza Coffee is among my favorite places in the area and it is actually where I am writing this from. You can chill, have a coffee, meet clients and hang out and work as long as you’d like, but do be warned, they play Dave Matthews sometimes. They also serve beer which is awesome if you want to call it in early and have a little happy hour action going on. A great way to liquor up your clients and get them to sign the contract for their new home, (kidding, kind of).

Via- Photocayote View from Wallingford

Wallingford is sweet, as is Freemont. Similar vibes here, Wallingford has some of the best views of the city in places and is centrally located between the best neighborhoods and nightlife. Fremont is pretty cool too, right across the bridge from Queen Anne and a quick ride into downtown. There are some cool local spots here and I would imagine this area is going to transform in the coming years, much the way Ballard is now.

Via- IRQ506

Downtown is pretty awesome too, and my fiancée and I will take the D line from Ballard into the city to hang out all day and knock back some cold ones before catching a bus back. The Yardhouse is pretty awesome, yes it is a chain, but I love every one of them. Downtown is well laid out and it is easy to walk around to nearly every major attraction weather permitting. If you get a chance, you have to hang on the rooftop deck of the Hard Rock in the summer time, one of the city’s best vantage points overlooking Pike Place Market. This is a good place to saddle up and catch a buzz while in the midst of the massive steel and glass skyscrapers rising to all sides around you.

Where Did I Leave Off?

Stopping at the Vintage Hotel for the free wine, I let Nicole know we would not be making it to the Columbia Tower tonight. She seemed disappointed, I understood. After all, that was my plan, I had to throw her off my scent.

Via- LarryUCS57

She tried to keep a positive outlook and we headed to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory as she wondered why I wasn’t ready to propose at the Columbia Tower, Did I have cold feet?

After an amazing dinner we headed back to our room at the Westin which is in two circular skyscrapers that look pretty damn cool and provide great views from nearly every room.  I conveniently couldn’t find my room key and Nicole opened the door and turned the light on.

 “What the Hell?” She exclaimed as she followed the rose pedals through the entry way into the room and saw the dim flicker of candle light off a bottle of Malbec, our favorite wine. As she turned around she saw this on the bed…

 And as she turned to me, I dropped to a knee and once again proclaimed my love for her, letting her know that there is no other woman in the world for me and there never would be.

Thanks to Mom and Dad for staging the room!!

She shuttered a tearful yes and my plan had come to fruition. The city I love, the woman I adore and our future together, building out careers and our family in this one of a kind place, Iit is more than I could ever ask for.

Seattle is the one for me, the city I will always call home. Though I may stray at times on trips around the world to see, learn and grow, I will always come back here. I have made my choices, chosen my city, my bride, my career and the future is bright.

Bling Bling

Now it is Your Turn

If you’ve been here, if you are from here, tell me why you love Seattle. What is it that draws you to this wonderful city?  I still am a newb having only lived in the actual city since January. Tell me what are your favorite places, bars, restaurants, things to do in and around Seattle?

Use the comments section below, I’d love your feedback!

It is no secret, I have been away from the blog for a while, caught up in pushing through one of the busiest and most challenging periods of my life. But now my friends, I am back!

I had blogged consistantly for nearly two and a half years and it was time for me to focus on living life, building a family and a career and more recently moving into and adjusting to a new city.

I started Living Bueno not just as a travel blog, documenting my new experiences while transversing the globe, but rather as a lifetsyle and self improvement movement. That movement is continuing now.

Building Your Best Life Today

Via- Shadowplay

Next week I will be turning 27, not nessesarily the most monumental of birthdays, I'll admit. However this year has definetly been a defining time in my life. I rebuilt my career and had an excellent year in real estate, got engaged to my beautiful fiancee and begun planning our wedding and moved to Ballard, living in the city of Seattle for the first time. This has been stressful and chaotic without question, however I feel like I am in a better place now than I have been ever before. What is exciting and inspiring to me is that making huge, difficult, but nessesary changes in your life is not nearly as difficult as it may seem.

How to Get What You Want Out of Life

Conquering any task you desire is possible. What is first nessesary however, is the concious decision to focus. Focus is by far one of the most underappriciated game changers in our society today. Nearly anyone who has accomplished anything great has had the ability to set everything else aside and single out a specific goal, driving forward with precision and unrelenting focus until the task is achieved.

The Power of Focus

Via- HammaD.TN

I decided about this time last year that I would get back into the real estate industry and that would be my chosen career path. It just made sense. I was damn good at it, I enjoyed it and I had all the connections in place to make it happen.

However without focus, this endeavor would have not been successful As a real estate broker, staying focused and on task is not the easiest thing to do. No one tells you what to do and you are in charge of your own business. Furthermore if you do not focus and create results, there is no wage to fall back on, commission only, no pay check will come in that you do not earn.

Having a strong focus and driving forward is what ultimatly propelled me to having a very good year in real estate sales. Focus however, seems to be a lost art in todays ADHD inducing society.

Most of us cannot get though ordering lunch without scrolling through facebook updates and it is a miricle anyone accomplishes anything with how distracted we all seem to be on a regular basis. Focus is overcoming the distractions, worrying about only the prize on the horizon, shunning the unimportant nuances that aim to destroy our dreams.

I do not speak of this as an all knowing guru who has conquered these deamons, but rather as someone who has suffered with this precise hinderance for too long and who is now attepting to change by overcoming it. Though adderal, ephedrine and other pharmacuticals can without question do one hell of a job in helping to fight this battle, at some point we all need to possess the ability to maintain prolonged focus and discipline in order to achieve our goals. Otherwise anything we dream up is nothing more than a new years resolution that is doomed to be broken when we lose focus a few days later.

More than anything this year, I knew that I know had a family to support and a life to build with my soulmate and partner. This goes along way in helping you focus on what is really important. If you are trying to achieve something great right now, you will simply have to want it bad enough to change and possses the ability to maintain your focus long enough to make it happen. THAT IS IT.

Focus and win or lose focus and perish.

The end.

Going forward

I'll be writing much more on how to build a great life in the coming weeks, something I am proud to say that I have done. I also have some huge goals for this year and  will be making some big moves here in the next few months to find out what I have up my sleeve. Improving my health by losing a ton of weight, learning new interesting skills and expanding my business tenfold are on my shortlist at the moment and for you travel nuts out there, I will be taking a trip near the end of the year!

Law #1- "When things are going crazy, you must stay sane"

I graduated high school in 2004. Despite above average grades and strong test scores, it seems that every teacher comment and counselors recommendation echoed the same sentiment.

Very intelligent with a lot of potential... IF he would apply himself.

I didn't see myself as a college type of guy. Another 4 years of school seemed like a brand of torture that I wasn't quite ready for. I opted to make a 2 year commitment and attend community college, dropping out about 3/4's the way through my freshman year.

I had big dreams and a whole lot of ambition, but no stability, no foundation and no life experience to guide me through the coming turbulent times.

Photo Credit- VinothChandar

It was at this time that I had begun a career in real estate in early 2005. At 18 years old, it wasn't going to be easy to convince my elder clients that I should be in charge of what is most people's largest asset. Again it seems that it would involve me having to actually apply myself.

I got lucky.

The market was peaking and by partnering with my mom, I had given myself a bit of much needed credibility. In the next three years we would enjoy moderate success in the real estate market as prices exploded and nearly everyone with a pulse signed up for an adjustable rate mortgage. Of course this madness would eventually come to an abrupt end, the crash leaving me in a tough spot.

I was young and admittedly rather careless financially. My income had grown every year, I had accumulated assets and bought and sold my own property for a handsome profit. I had a waterfront condo, a Mercedes and an extravagant lifestyle for a 20 year old, but mostly I had a big shit storm on my hands.

Photo Credit- Carolynconner

Naivety and irrational thinking that was brought on by this huge market boom had taught me in my first years as a real estate professional of a market that was not sound, artificially inflated by unsound mortgages backed by reckless government entities. I wasn't sophisticated enough at the time to understand fully why the market was so phony, it seemed as though prices would always rise, deals would always be out there and my income would only grow year over year.

Everything I had evaporated in a matter of months. My income stopped, prices fell and there was no way I could continue the lifestyle that I had adopted. Going from making six figures, to being broke and unable to get much more than a bartending gig, that will change your perspective pretty quickly.

A purging of our housing market was necessary, that is now quite obvious in retrospect. Along with this adjustment, my two properties I owned currently would get foreclosed on, my Mercedes repossessed. I say this honestly to you to point out one of the biggest and most costly lessons I've had to learn.

When things are going crazy, you must stay sane

I was at Rock bottom cleaning houses, bartending and doing freelance writing work over the next few years in order to make ends meet. I was down, but not out. To get back I would need to do what so many mentors before had instructed. I would be forced to apply myself in all facets

Stay tuned for part two...

Photo Credit - Paul Bica

Trust your instincts always.

Emotions are dangerous, instincts are much more stable.

Too many times in life I have put another's wants and needs before my own, shunning my true instincts to appease the emotional needs of another.

Now is my time. As a man, like it or not, you are the leader. Your life, your family and where you end up is solely to your own discretion.

Lead boldly and be unrelenting while trusting your instincts and moving toward the lifestyle of your dreams. In the end lifestyle is what we want to idolize. If you want a family, expendable income, trips around the world and a work less, live more lifestyle, you had better do what is necessary to get there.

For too long, longer than I even care to mention, I completely failed in this pursuit. I lived more, worked less without the necessary structure or discipline to get to my end game lifestyle. I was comfortable, not hungry. My life's compass was broken, not seeing tomorrow, only confined to my immediate worries of today, keeping everyone else happy, focusing not on what drove me forward.

A revolution of clarity has now captured my focus. It is not easy to wake up, break out of your rut and gain a firm directional bearing, knowing exactly what you desire in life. It is damn hard in reality and takes more than a little aimless wandering and self exploration to gain an understanding of what is truly important to you.

The fact is that you may now be completely lost like I was just a year ago today, having many accomplishments, experiences and relationships, yet no purpose or higher calling. Keep wandering, keep making mistakes and keep searching and when the time is right, follow your instincts.

NYC, where I made a decision that would eventually change my life.

Photo Credit - Leo Newball Jr.

A year ago today I flew from New York City to Seattle. I wasn't quite sure why at the time.

I was booking my plane ticket back to my home in Phoenix and was pissed off that the fare to Phoenix was $300 more than the one to my hometown of Seattle. I decided to take a trip back to Seattle and catch a cheap flight to Phoenix a few weeks later.

A split second decision forced me to follow my instinct and book the flight to Seattle instead, I felt a bit homesick and thought it was time to return after being gone for well over a year. Something told me to just book that flight, sleep on my brothers couch for a few weeks and see old friends.

Two weeks turned into two months and I met a girl.

I would leave two months later after having some of the best times of my life with my brother, bonding with my dad while hiking every weekend and meeting a woman who would change my life forever. I would sadly board a plane to Phoenix after not sleeping a wink the night before, wondering why I was leaving.

I would wander only a bit more in Phoenix before realizing that what I really wanted was back home all along. I talked with that girl everyday I was gone for three months and she was the first person I saw the day I returned in December.

We have been dating for 7 months now, my instincts tell me she is the one. She supported me through some of the hardest times in my life, encouraging me to get back into Real Estate, a career I thrive in and have since become very successful in, in only 3 months time.

Life pulls you in so many different directions. Trust your instincts always.

Your life, your happiness and your future could be dependent on that one split second decision to book that flight home.

Go with your gut, it may save your life!

(The following paragraph may require some knowledge of baseball)

Photo Credit- Mr. Empey

The bases were loaded, I was 12 and we were down a run in the 4^th inning in the district all-star baseball tournament. I remember these specific details quite well.

Homeboy on the mound thought it would be a good idea to try and sneak a fastball by on the outside corner, clearly he was scared. I was in fact the clean-up hitter and at 12 years old, I was 6ft tall and I'm sure a bit intimidating.

I swung hard, real hard and crushed the hell out of that fastball for an opposite field grand slam, giving us the lead and what would be the winning runs.

Now I am not trying to live in the past with this post, but rather to explain my take on things. I have always been and all or nothing type of guy. Mediocrity just seems too damn boring.

It was always a strike out or a home run, a no hitter or a bad loss where I’d walk (or bean) like 8 dudes (some on purpose out of frustration).

Confidence/Swag/Boldness/ whatever you’d like to call it

Excerpt from Robert Greene’s Phenomenal book The 48 Laws of Power

Law 28- Enter Action with Boldness

If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected through more audacity. Everybody admires the bold; no one honors the timid.

Photo Credit - Ian Sane

Got Swag? Why the hell not?

Why do anything half way? Why not enter into anything you do with boldness?

Swing for the damn fences already, life is too short as it is.

That is what I have tried to do for the past 3 years and documented here on this blog. While not everything has always been perfect, I have created an amazing life for myself and enjoyed experiences and places most people my age only dream of. I am uninterested in what others say is foolish, impossible or not practical. I am interested in doing amazing things, living an amazing life and becoming the best I can be in all areas of interest I pursue.

Set Big Ass Goals

• ·         When I was 330lbs I set a goal compete as a bodybuilder. I ended up losing 100lbs and deciding stepping on stage wasn’t nearly as important to me as just being in good shape. But the crazy goal drove me forward getting me close, showing me what I really wanted.
• ·         When I wanted to start traveling I set a goal to live abroad 3 months a year. I did this not once but twice and after seeing much of Europe and South America, I was content to stay home for a while and build a solid foundation in Seattle, but make a point to take sporadic long term trips throughout life.
• ·         I wanted to build a popular blog, get a few hundred hits per day. This is something that really took off and I was astonished that I pulled in my one millionth visitors earlier this year and my following shows me that there are a whole bunch of people that this message resonates with.

Not all my goals have worked out, but most of them did. The one certainty is that the goals I didn’t write down never even got off the ground.

So What Am I Doing These Days?

In a word, Hustlin’.

I started my career in real estate when I was 18 years old and did quite well for myself before the market crashed, buying a few properties before I turned 20. Of course the market crashing took away my income and wealth I had built and this downfall was what propelled me to make many positive life altering decisions, many of which I’ve documented here on this blog. This momentary defeat in retrospect was a mere bump in the road that has driven me forward with a new energy.

Having been down to my last dollar many times and spending my last few quarters on a beer or two, I know a little bit about struggling now. Trust me, that shit isn’t fun. But it sure creates a hunger inside you.

Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. ― Mike Tyson

I hit the mat hard, but I got back up, I always will, til death.

Stunningly enough I feel much better having hit bottom. I feel relentless with nothing to lose and it is pretty damn liberating. After all there is more than one billionaire in this world that at one time has been bankrupt.

My City

Photo Credit- JustunMarty

I returned to Seattle in December and after a brief hiatus and world wandering I have returned to the real estate business here with one goal. I will become the best realtor in Downtown Seattle, focusing my efforts on the in-city condominium market.

I’ve been doing pretty damn well so far and have managed to drum up quite a bit of business, but I am not aspiring to make a mere living. Naturally, I want to conquer the market and crush all competitors.

I am made for the big city atmosphere. When I arrive in downtown an immediate feeling overcomes me, a different energy arrives to deal with the frenetic pace of the city. I was made for this.

I know as a buyer I would want to work with an agent who was young and hungry, not withered and comfortable. After hitting bottom, I know that I can never and will never lose that hunger.

I am, forever, a shark. I will take on all comers relentlessly. The time is perfect and the condo market in downtown is heating up. Better yet no one is doing it right. There is blood in the water, its kill time. The absence of hunger around downtown is alarming, no one seems to want to step up and conquer the market.

I do though.

Goal- Sell $5 million of real estate in the next 12 months

I'm swinging for the fences and aiming for the top of those high-rises.

Used to not be allowed in the building, but now we on the rooftops-Wiz Khalifa

Up we go…

Photo Credit - tipiro

One of life’s great mysteries that transcends from billionaire bankers to down and out drunks is the search for everlasting and unconditional happiness. It is not surprising however that very few of us even have a clue as to what would truly provide us with this elusive and possibly unrealistic dream of eternal joy.

I have always looked forward, dreaming of the future and creating my castles in the sky in my daydreams, mentally molding my future empire, excluding no detail in these wishful ponderings.

What I am now realizing is that nearly all ambitious dreams and materialistic yearnings stem from some form of selfishness and vanity. While these two principals can be tremendously effective motivating factors, they are not what any great man should base his life’s plan on, as these pillars will crumble when more important, more fulfilling and more righteous needs inevitably arise.

Applying This Idea to Everyday Life

Here is the way I see things. At different points in my life I valued wealth, travel, creating a business and fitness over all other things in my life, literally all things. All of these things can unquestionable be rewarding in their own way, in no way should they be put in front of the things that truly matter in life.

Valuing others needs above your own may be the only way to ever experience unconditional happiness. Putting your family, friends and occasionally even a perfect strangers needs above your own, making this selfless sacrifice is something that so few of us in today’s society even consider.

The bottom line is that new Mercedes, waterfront property and that flashy suit might temporarily give you a feeling of satisfaction, but do nothing to cure the emptiness and yearning for more that lacking a real selfless purpose creates.

The Danger in Isolation

To dig further, let me use an anecdote from my own life.

For years I prized travel as the most important activity in my life and my wanderings did teach more about the world and its people that I could have ever imagined. What it also did however was teach me a great deal about myself. While the drunken nights and unforgettable journeys will always bring a smile to my face, this is not to say that being across the world and not knowing a person in the city I was in didn’t wear on my mind. That feeling of utter and complete loneliness was something that made me realize that no matter where I went and what I saw, I had left so many things I loved deeply back at home.

This isolation made me realize that it is not the places or the things that will matter when we leave this earth; it is the lives that we have affected and the legacy of good or evil that we have left in our wake that will remain.

My Reconciliation

My point is that we need a purpose. Wealth, the urge to travel, the yearning to be great at what you do, these are all more than noble pursuits. But they must be done in conjunction with an overarching story and purpose and such pursuits without these principals are done in vain.

My urge to provide for my girlfriend and our family, to be able to help my parents as they get older and to help all those who I hold dear as friends to create a brighter financial picture through real estate is what drives me forward. I am in a unique position where I have the ability to completely change the financial future of my clients with relative ease, setting them up for their selfless pursuits in the future.

My goal is to create the urgency in you to have an overarching purpose. Not just for the next trip overseas, the next promotion or pay raise, but rather for the greater good of your family and your loved ones. Without this commitment to the greater good of selflessness, all too many of us will allow these pursuits to fall by the wayside, waiting for brighter days which may never come.

Loving outwardly and having a selfless purpose that you can direct your pursuits in is in my opinion the only way that you will ever find unconditional happiness.

So now... What is your purpose?

Photo Credit- Nicholas_T

It is drizzling outside, not cold, but certainly not warm.

The bare branched trees line Colby Avenue in downtown Everett as I suck down enough caffeine to kill an Olsen twin at Starbucks and pound away violently at my laptop keyboard. Apparently typing powerfully with a purpose creates the best blog posts; in my mind anyway.

It has been almost 3 months since I arrived back in Everett, a city located just north of Seattle, and I am settling in quite nicely. Though in past years the mundane grey skies and continuously mediocre weather would wear on my spirit, today I feel that I could not be any happier than I am right here on soggy Colby Avenue surrounded by liberal hippies and Mac book flaunters. Yes the very same things that used to annoy me to no end are now almost endearing in this place that I have left and come back to, seeing it with new eyes, gaining a fresh perspective on my own hometown.

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. - T.S. Elliot

But the skies will clear; at least that is what we are to believe. When they do spring will come and remind us why we all love the Pacific Northwest so much. It seems that up here, as in life, it takes the cold, solitary, dull days in order to make us fully appreciate the bright, warm and beautiful ones. I’ve learned to find happiness amidst the chaos, the monotony and the indifferent times. This is what growing up feels like.

Next week I begin an ascent back to a position that is not unfamiliar. A career and lifestyle I have always loved yet fell out of touch with. The high stakes, limitless possibilities and complete creative control make for a career tailor-made for my own rebellious and ambitious personality.

I am settling in for good here in the Seattle area, diving head first into a career that I enjoyed for years, yet took a sabbatical from, leaving in search of deeper meaning. After seeing the world, what I wanted and more importantly what I did not want from life; the time to focus in and build a strong foundation for my life and future aspirations is now.

Without any further foreshadowing, what I am speaking of is my decision to again renew my career as a real estate professional here in the Seattle area. Being a professional in the real estate industry is something that I am damn good at; I wouldn’t say this if I was not. This is an industry in which I am truly built for and now am prepared to thrive in with the important lessons that I have learned over the past few years.

I will not sales pitch anyone reading this that is not my intent with this post. I will say that I am quite gifted in this role as a tireless researcher, relentless negotiator and unbelievable deal finder. These are things that have only grown since my time away from the business, with my maturation as a man and my commitment to doing things the right way, something that stemmed from lessons that I have learned from my past mistakes.

My Intentions

I have a few objectives right now and I will share them with you here so you know what I am about, straight up.

I intend to live my life according to God’s plan, doing my very best in everything I take on.

I intend to provide an amazing lifestyle for myself and my family.

I intend to always be learning, always be growing and never let my pride inhibit my progress.

I intend to always do my best in motivating, inspiring and guiding my friends, clients, readers, etc… never placing my own motivations over those in need.

Cool?

An update was in order, it’s been a while since I posted anything. I’ll continue to travel throughout life, improve my fitness, and write about my life, my adventures and my business here on the blog.

If you need a house around Seattle, I will find you the best deal period. If you need travel advice, weight loss advice, I’d love to tell you what has worked for me. It is humbling that nearly a million readers have visited LivingBueno in the past year, I hope my advice and stories continue to inspire, challenge and push my readers forward in the direction of their dreams.

Photo Credit - Reinhard Pantke

Split, Croatia

June 2011

It was just uncomfortable. Warm, crowded, and even smelly.

In fairness it was my probably my own fault, as I was in fact wrapping up a one and a half month backpacking tour through Europe. Needless to say, my clothes weren't spring fresh. But I will say it anyway. I smelled like someone you might find at your local Whole Foods wearing a hemp t-shirt and dread locks after a 2 week bender.

Perhaps my lucky seat partners in the waiting area were even a bit unhappy as I sat shoulder to shoulder in an inordinately crowded airport terminal in Split, Croatia. It was a warm summer day and my backpack of dirty clothes was perched high in my lap,  as I sat sweating and waiting for my flight to London.

Seconds later the attendant mercifully announced that my flight was ready to board. I boarded the plane and fell into my seat exhausted and slightly hung over. I let my head tilt upward and just smiled thinking about my crazy journey. Sometimes travel can be painful, but that smile is proof that the temporary pain is worth the everlasting memories. I remember thinking for a moment, if this thing crashes, I didn't do too damn bad, my life I thought was a success.

I was wrong though...

The fact was that I just hadn't answered my why yet. What did I want from my life?

Other than a checklist of goals I had set aside, I had nothing much to show for. I had no source of inspiration, no legacy to leave behind. I had nothing but great experiences all over the world and a checklist of cool things I'd accomplished in my journey of self discovery.

Photo Credit - Dawn

But How Did the Idea of This List Ever Come About?

A while back now I created a post, listing of the top 25 things I wanted to achieve before my 25th birthday. I made lists on both my 23rd and 24th birthdays in an effort to track my self improvement efforts and set out goals that I wanted to achieve.

I guess you could say this was a quarter life bucket list of sorts and I am proud to say that many of the goals I set out to conquer were achieved. Now that I am 25, and in fact rapidly approaching 26, I feel that it is time for a new list.

The New List

Turning 25 was really when it hit me that I was a true grown up. It was quite easy to mess around in my early 20's and simply get by, much of society encourages this in fact. For myself, I did not have a clear picture of what I truly wanted with my life and instead underwent a 2 + year period of self exploration and improvement. That period of my life is much of what is documented here on Living Bueno and I am glad to be able to look back and reflect on this important time in my life and provide ideas for other going through a similar stage.

Tonight however, things feel different and it is once again time to look forward, this time far beyond a one or two year window. I feel compelled in fact to make a new list of goals, a list that will serve more as a life plan that I can share with you. While my previous lists were more goal driven, including fun trips, physical goals or new skills, this list will focus on the bigger picture.

I write about this tonight because I have recently had a moment of clarity where the past, the present and the future all seem to make sense and I am able to answer the question many of us cannot;

"What do you want in life?"

It is a tough question to answer and I am not saying that I know all the answers. However if I can make a list of goals and dreams geared toward self improvement, amazing vacations and physical goals, I can surely make an attempt to figure out 10 things that I want to live my life for moving forward. Here goes nothing...

The List

Photo Credit - Hamed Saber

1. To Hold God First in my life- I am realizing now that I have been treating God like a buddy in the passenger seat of my car, instead of letting him take the wheel. While I did not grow up religious, having seen the inside of a church maybe twice before my 18th birthday, I have begun the process of growing my relationship with God and according to his plan.

I am a very proud and hard headed person and it has taken me awhile to come around and give up the reigns. The amazing thing that I have noticed is that once you let go, commit to living your life the right way according to gods plan, life seems to get a whole lot easier.

2. To Build an Amazing Relationship and a Strong Marriage- This is something that will likely shock many friends who know me. For a while now I have been completely jaded, unwelcoming to the idea that I would ever get married and start a family.

Things have changed. After finding a best friend, who after a few months become my girlfriend, I see clearly that life is not supposed to be lived alone. Independence is a great thing to enjoy, however there is no greater force in this world than love. I am glad I found it and want to spend my remaining years being the best man and provider I can be for my spouse and family, with God at the forefront of everything.

3. Family Comes First Always- Growing up it is easy to let you personal ambition, busy schedule and personal probelms consume your time. It is so easy to forget about the what really matters in life, your family. We spend our time worrying about what new venture we are going to start, what fire we have to put out at the office or what vacation we are planning and we fail to realize that these are mere hiccups in the plan for our lives.

Our family is the cornerstones, the pillars that hold us up and enable us to build a life in the first place. If that client at the office throws a fit, it will be ok, it really will. If I were to lose a family member and know that I wasn't the son, brother or cousin I should have been, that is not ok.

We have no excuse in life for not loving our family to the fullest of our abilities and this is something I intend to focus on forever. Rebuilding and maintaining the relationships with loved ones that they deserve.

4. Live A Life That My Grandchildren Will Be Proud Of- This goes along with the first three on this list, however it takes things a step further. It is one thing to live a good life you can be proud of, but it is another to leave a legacy, your true mark on the world, affecting and improving the lives of others both while you are here and after you are gone.

Photo Credit- Kevin Dooley

5. Realize My Full Potential Physically- I've made some amazing progress, realizing many of the goals I set out to accomplish on my 25 before 25 list. Now is the time to take things to the next level getting my body to another level and looking and feeling amazing.

I am over 100 lbs lighter, but I have weight to lose still and muscle to gain. I want to be a role model, showing others that you can not only lose weight and get healthy, but also enjoy an amazing physique no matter how bad things are for you right now. I still have a ways to go, but I will get there.

6. To Always Do My Best and Do the Right Thing- This one is damn hard, I'll admit. I am sly, too smart for my own good and overly creative sometimes when trying to figure out how to make things work. The truth is that if you vow to always not skew the lines, bend the rules and instead conduct yourself with integrity, honor and respect, you will prosper handsomely and also be able to sleep at night. Its a hell of a personal struggle, but this is something that I always want to be known for.

7. Always Encourage and Inspire- There is nothing that bothers me more than someone who pokes holes in everything. Those negative influences in your life who tell you all of the difficulties with nearly any endeavor you try to partake in. Everything is not possible for everybody, this is a fact. However I never want to impose limiting beliefs on anyone else. Positive encouragement with realistic helpful advice trumps negativity and nay saying any day of the week.

8. To Travel The World Slowly With My Family- Solo travel is great, its amazing. In all my adventures traveling the world I have to say that the only thing missing while out on the road was those loved ones who matter the most. I want to be in a position where I can share the amazing things that I have seen around the world with the people I love the most. There is a time for independent exploration and a time to live life hand in hand and for me the latter is where I am at now.

9. To Do My Best In Maintaining Friendships Around The World and At Home- I have met so many amazing people while traveling and right here at home in Seattle. I want to reconnect with old friends and continue to stay in touch with everyone I have met along the way. Living a life with a large social network of great friends of all different cultures and walks of life is truly rewarding. This is something that can only encourage growth and continual learning throughout life.

10. To Never Forget, Yet Let Go of The Past- Looking back is something that can be very productive in life and this blog has been my way of doing so in the past few years. However while reflection is productive, dwelling on the past does not help anyone. I never want to project feelings from past experiences of when I have been wronged on new people in my life.

Learning how to let go of the tough things that have happened and learning to trust, love and grow with someone new is a must when moving forward. Never forget where you can from, but build for the future and live in the present.