Get ready : Here Comes Mr Jordan ...

I was going to post about being a Spartan and what it means. Before doing so -  I googled it and up pops an explanation that suits what I am trying to convey just about perfectly.

What is the Spartan lifestyle?

"Learning to live simply and frugally is the key to happiness. The ancient spartans were masters of being simple. Learn how to live a spartan lifestyle!'

Here is a link to an eHow post by member grantandsara on the five steps to becoming a Spartan :

http://www.ehow.com/how_4919263_live-spartan-lifestyle.html#ixzz0wUKEiVR0

These are worth repeating...

"Instructions.

Step 1: Start with yourself. Simplify your daily routine. Get a low maintenance haircut, and simplify your wardrobe to a few basic outfits.

Step 2: Make your living space organized. Throw away the things you do not need. If it doesn't make your life simpler, get rid of it.

Step 3: One of the keys to a spartan lifestyle is investing in yourself. Start a simple and intense exercise regimen. Simplify your diet by throwing out junk food and eating only simple whole foods, like grains, meat and fruit. Not only is this healthier, it will save you money.

Step 4:  Get your finances together. Save your money by not spending it. Before you buy something, ask yourself "Do I need this? Will it make my life simpler?" is the answer is no, dont buy it!

Step 5:   Enjoy the simple things in life, like taking a walk, or playing with your dog. Devote yourself to the enjoyment of life itself, not your material possessions."
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Now in my last article, I posted about keeping a journal.

There, I wrote about a dark force I know personally that makes us grow away from the Spartan life.  I will call this force - lack of organization and too much accumulation of "stuff" , over time.

Try to perform a few acts of organization every day.  Start by starting to clear off a table or a messy desk and then think about branching out.  Did you know that Best Buy will take your old TV's and monitors and recycle them? UP to two a day.

Here is another idea.  Take a paper bag for recycling papers and a garbage bag and put it in every room that you want to start clearing out.   When you are in a room and spending time, do those few acts of organization every day. Pace yourself.  It doesn't have to happen all in one day.  Why?  Because changing bad habits has to grow in awareness within our own self.  So I am saying that by changing a little bit everyday during the course of the days over time may help us and achieve our goals of enjoying the simple life where we use what we have and leave the rest behind..

The stuff you don't use and probably never will? Get rid of it ! Sell it or even give it away..

What becomes more difficult in our minds -  is the stuff we might use.  Some experts say put that stuff in a special place like a box somewhere.  If you don't use it over time, get rid of it.

But here is a simple thought for today.  Try this.  When you leave somewhere, anywhere - let us try leaving it a little better than when we were there.  Think about that... It can get pretty deep.

But let's apply it back to organization again. For example, everytime you get out of your car -  take some of those  napkins and maybe that paper coffee cup you threw in the back out and toss it !  Sometime take a hose and some soap and wash you car clean and spray some sheen on those tires too. A good Spartan takes care of his horse and chariot too.

Now I want you to organize a special space because we are going to take a journey together.

Did you ever see the orginal "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" movie? It is one of my favorites. Here is the story line offered by Turner Classic Movies:
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"Heavenly comedy classic stars Robert Montgomery as the amiable boxer who arrives in Paradise 50 years before his time and is given a second shot at life by the angels. Sent back to Earth in the body of a wealthy--and recently murdered--playboy, Montgomery must get his new life straightened out while trying to resume his boxing career."
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Now folks, if you are still with me here - I am going to tell you something. Maybe there's a reason. Perhaps YOU need to get yourself "back in the pink" and back into shape, like Joe Pendelton had to turn around his newly acquired body in that movie. So do I.

Let's do it together. Let's return to living the Spartan lifestyle. Let's simplify. Start today in your mind. That is the first step for anything. Start in your mind. Soon we will be "back in the pink" like Joe Pendelton says.

I want you to get the orginal " Here Comes Mr. Jordan" movie and watch it if you have not seen it. The one with Robert Montgomery.

Stay tuned, as our journey  together is just starting. Stop back tomorrow for more. Let's reconstruct our spirit, our mind and our body.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzXMFdvJ6Tk

leave the rest behind ..

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Keep a Journal.

The act of writing, in your own hand is becoming a lost art for many. Make a journal. Use a notebook and a pen. List what you need to do and where you want to go. Even draw figures and charts and circle what is important. If nobody understands it but YOU That's OK! maybe even better.

There is something about sitting down and thinking about how we spend our time and where we need to improve and where we want to move forward in life - and then putting it down on paper, that can be a start of something that is often easy to say but harder to do- ACTION. That's what we need - Make an ACTION PLAN!

Taking ACTION means to start TODAY.

Now say your journal finds a continuing theme like for example- a need to get better organized and to simplify ..

That journal states the case. The thing to do is to recognize the problem. The journal forces us to WRITE it DOWN - and then it is up to US to ACT.

But here is something. You don't have to do it all in one day.

An action plan may be to do ONE ACT of organization per day/ Hopefully once started, that may spur THREE acts of organization in a day and maybe it would overcome (over time) the TWO acts of our naturally unorganized lifestyle???

well maybe? it's worth a TRY!

But that is just an example. Do you think maybe it applies to me?

Nobody escapes. Over time, foilbles of life find us that we have to fight and overcome. NOBODY escapes it. WE ALL can improve in some areas of our life. Maybe we need to try to be kinder to others and follow the golden rule.

Sometimes I wish I could write an action plan for other people. For example, I still see a lot of smokers around. If I were a smoker. I would make a plan to quit and put it down. I would suggest trying electronic cigaretts for some who cold turkey just does not work. If you don't know what an electronic cigarette us - Google it. I have heard people say it WORKS and is the new smoking of the FUTURE for some.

That is just another example. No matter WHAT is up with you-

Keep a journal. It will help.
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Well, stay tuned. tomorrow I may post about something else.

If interested in more, scroll down.

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How to Cut Your Own Hair

Today, I would like to discuss something that may help you. This is geared to anybody who wants to cut their own hair. Now, Why do we want to do that? I have a few reasons why I do it.

1. I like my Barber, me.

2. It's most convenient.

3. I don't like waiting in lines and I would rather use my own equipment.

4. It saves $.

5. It kind of gives you a sense of satisfaction and independence.

The last one is really why I do it. So let's "cut" to the chase. Here is how to do it.

First, I am talking about a rather close haircut for men and boys. The tools you need are a barber comb and sissors, a pair of electric clippers with #1, #2, #3 and #4 attachments and a mirror. Now don't be shy about cutting you own hair, it's simple!

The style I like is kind of like a "flat top with rounded edges" on the sides...

So, I will typically let my hair grow for maybe a month or so and then buzz it.

Here is what to do...

First, wet your hair down and towel it quick then comb it.

So you can divide your head into separate sections, the top, back, sides and around the ears.

Now, if my hair is longer - sometimes I use my index and middle fingers on one hand as a spacer to cut my hair with the sissors the same length on the top, for starters. But if my hair is not real, real long -- I skip that step and go right to the electric clippers.

I have a Wahl "homecut" electric clipper kit. So here is what I do...

First, clip on a #2 attachment which is fairly short. Now use this to go across the sides like around your ears and around the back. You can go all over, up the side of your head, but not on the top.

Don't be afraid- you can buzz from different directions just try to stay within the lines and sections that you set up in your mind. For me, I take the #2 on the sides and back. In the back, I take the # 2 up to about an inch or two from what I call "the top".

Ok , that is Step 1.

So next -- I like it a little longer on the top, so remove #2 and clip on a #4 . Now take the electric clippers and buzz the top of your head using the #4. Go all over the top and don't be afraid because that attachment will do the work. When you are done with the top all your hair should be basically the same length on the top and may look like kind of like a what they call a "flat top".

Now you are NOT done yet!

Here is Step 3-- sometimes I do this -- I take a #1 which is shorter and go around the ears from front to back... I do it just the width of the clippers, but this gets the longer hairs off your ears and gives a cleaned up look...

OK did YOU do that ??? YOU are STILL not done!

Now, I want you to remove the attachment... and flip the clipper to the back side...

Trim the sideburns ...

Now take your hand and use it to draw a line on the back of your neck where where you want your collar to hit your hair. I want you to flip the clippers and shave that line down the back of your neck - to make a "square back".

Now, clip on the the #1 again and buzz up from that squared off back about an inch. That kind of tapers the hair in the back, similar to the way we did it on the sides..

Now you are about DONE!!! But not YET.

I want you kind of towel your hair off and mess it up...

It should be short now and hard to mess up, BUT when you towel it you may see spots where you missed and that hairs are sticking out higher than the others. This is where you do some clean up work... You can use the clippers real gingerly to buzz these hairs and/or you grab the sissors and hit those stand up hairs with the sissors ...

Now you are ALMOST DONE!

But here is the funny thing about God. My- oh -my he must have a sense of humor !

Why does it have to be that the older men get, the more hair we grow in weird places like our ear lobes???

So you look real close and if you have funny hairs growing off your ears, you be your own best friend and trim them...

Now look in the mirror. Do YOU like what YOU see ?? YOU will if you realize that God loves YOU.

Now Ok enough self admiration! Take your clippers and dry them off and put a dash of clipper oil on the tip of the cutting edges and then flip the side lever a few times to work in the oil. hit them with the towel and pack them away for another month or two. Take a shop vac and suck up the hair off the floor and off your back. Congrats - all done!

Once you can do that for yourself, you will get better each time. Now here is something else -- after you feel comfortable about doing that on your own hair, maybe your kids will let you do their's too ! Or you can do the same thing for other people.
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