Viewing: Goal Setting & Motivation - View all posts

Walk, Sprint, Just Don’t Run…….. 



I remember the brief period 12 years ago or so when I got great enjoyment out of distance running. I would get off work, drive downtown to Belle Isle and start jogging. Its 5.2 miles all the way around and I’ve been able to go around twice. My goal was too eventually to work my way up to 20-30 miles and run a marathon. I loved the solace and meditative aspects of it. I got a lot of thinking done on those long runs. And if this is the reason why you run? – Than it should be the ONLY reason!

Do I still…Read more

Mother, Death, What Ifs, & Purpose 



I can’t tell you what my mother’s voice sounded like.  I can’t tell you what her hugs, kisses, or affection felt like.  I was too young to remember the love in the whispers that exhaled through her lungs. I don’t remember any of her bad habits, her slang, her corniness, or her perspectives.  Everything that I know about her are composed of stories told to me repeatedly by family, and the various letters, pictures, and objects that were all hers.  She is make-believe to me; an imaginary person given birth…

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Crying Son, Sacrificing life, business, Identify, and Being Happy 

 



I remember the day I went through my youngest son’s book bag when he 6 years-old. I found the usual - crayons, books, toys, and crumbs. As I looked through his school project folder I ran across a school assignment. It was a small stapled construction paper booklet in which he drew pictures of his emotions. When I turned to the page that read, “What makes me sad,” there was a drawn picture of him playing and crying while I was at my computer working. Talk about a guilt trip.
That year was 2009 and I was…Read more

How It All Started Pt. 3 Weight Loss, Low Fat diets, and how Fat won’t make you Fat 



It was an everyday ritual; a memory embedded in the cement of my childhood memories. Every night after dinner, my grandmother would pull out the slippery/slimy bottle of Cod Liver Oil, pour it in a tablespoon, hold it slightly over the sink, and call my name. I reluctantly would get up, slowly walk to the spoon oozing thick and smelling like fish, and take one big gulp. YUK!

My grand ma had one phrase – “This will make you smart.”

My grandmother cooked every day and almost the same things every week or…Read more

How It All Started Pt. 2 Weight Loss, Keto, Paleo, & Everything in Between 


Preface: I am not a doctor, personal trainer, health guru, nutrientalist, dietician, or mastermind.In the grand scheme of things – I’m a nobody; a regular guy who figured out what works for me.

You can all it a Ketogenic diet, a Paleo Diet and some think it’s the Atkins diet but it generally means one thing- Cut the Damn Carbs and don’t be afraid of fat.

The HISTORY- Cavemen (Paleolithic) had very few carbs a million years ago. They hunted and gathered all day and ate in the evening. This was the time…

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How It All Started Pt. 1 Weight Loss, Brain Dump, Clean Slate, & Poetry. 

I remember the days leading up to my first poetry workshop with my mentor Vievee Francis. All I could think about was the mandate she gave me. “Kahn; you’re going to have to forget everything you know and everything you’ve learned about poetry for this to work.” I didn’t understand then, but it makes sense now. I was going to her to learn and grow –not to play point/counterpoint, to disagree, or to give unnecessary opinions. I emptied out my brain, turned it into an unfilled sponge and absorbed every…

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Effort and Results are Two Different Things. 

There’s a man around the same age as me that works out at the gym the same hours I do (early a.m.). He hits every machine in the gym twice, he sweats non-stop, he drinks his water, he does his cardio, his ab work, he’s friendly, and extremely dedicated. The problem is that he does pretty much everything wrong. Most mornings I try to avoid watching him for fear of laughing at him or for fear that will eventually kill himself. I’ve tried to offer a little advice but he just shrugs it off.

Effort and Results…Read more

You’re Starting point, Photography, DJing, Weight Loss, and Business 

I remember when I first decided I wanted to make photography more business than pastime. I tore through articles in various trade magazines and ran up a high credit card bill ordering software and miscellaneous photo equipment that I “thought” I needed.

I also had a friend who started a DJ business around the same time and spent all his paychecks on lighting equipment and multiple speakers to go along with the basic stuff he already had. After his first few paid gigs – he learned he didn’t need half the…Read more

Smoking, Eating, My Grandfather, Cruises, and all things addictive 

It was never fun going to the doctor's office with my grandfather but there was always the joke I waited for -

Doc -”Mr. Smith have you ever smoked?
”Granddad - “Yes.”
Doc -”When did you quit Mr. Smith?”
Granddad - “When they raised cigarettes to 49 cents a pack!”

And the doctor would drop the pen and we would all laugh. No matter which doctor – it was always a funny/fun moment.

The truth was my grandfather had actually caught phenomena in his 40s or 50s, couldn't smoke because of coughing, and didn't…

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Weight loss, Entrepreneurship, Creating, Mind Over Body, and Changing Goals 

 



This blog post is not about low-fat diets, low-carb diets, insanity, cross-fit, work-out routines, or strength & conditioning training. That’s for a later date. This blog post is about consistency and basically making your mind up that you’re going to do something.  Beginning in 2003; I gained 10 pounds a year for 7 years reaching my heaviest weight of 265/270 lbs. It wasn’t because my wife was cooking good for me (though she was), it wasn’t because I was lazy – it was because I was chasing other goals.

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The O.J. Truck, Snow Removal, Youth, and Eddie Bauer 

I was 19 and had my sights dead set on an Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer. There was just one problem – I couldn’t afford one. I still figured I could use my hooptie as a down payment and figure out the rest later.

While most car salesmen were quick to shoot down my dream – there was one that tried to persuade me into another option. I can’t remember the guy’s name, but he was a typical salesman: shite shirt, grey pants, and overly friendly. He called me, and told me he had sometime better than a Explorer but I…Read more

Regrets, Parenting, and High School 

As parents we always try to make sure our children avoid the miscues and mishaps that we made. A few days ago; I encouraged my oldest son not to “leave anything on the table”
regarding high school. I told him to work as hard as possible in the classroom, to hustle beyond his potential on the court, and be a good friend and make valuable relationships. All things I weren’t good at.

For four years of high school all I had to show was a 2.0 grade point average. That’s it. I gave a 2.0 effort and that’s what…Read more

Personal Quote 

“Going through the motions” is for your day job. Not for the gym, your significant other, or anything else you consider yourself passionate about.
-KSD

Random experiences 

As I picked up the frozen Toll House cookie dough, put it into my cart – a woman a short distance away, twice my age, opposite my color: gave me a “1 dollar-off coupon.” So my faith in humanity has momentarily been restored.

Life is not a Math Problem 

As you can see from reading the previous blog post; I used to be very inconsistent with my goals. I worked my butt off‘till I found the taste of something newer and sweeter. Every “goal” I would say – “Ok, Kahn; this is it – you’re going to follow through on this one.” But I wouldn’t. “Not being able to follow thorough” was a fault of mine that I thought I could fix like a math problem. I was wrong.

My grandfather smoked for more than 30 years (all before I was born). As the story goes – he caught a bad…Read more

4 Boys, Statistics, Prison, Change, and Poetry 

The four black boys sitting around the Dell weren’t different than any other boys. All around 10 or 11, the same height, outfitted in uniform blues, and each colored a different but beautiful shade of brown. Shirt-tales out, shoes untied, they looked around to see if anyone was watching as each one took turns at the key board. I took a quick glance at the screen and heard one say, “That’s my dad right there.”

Then it hit me- they were looking up their fathers on Michigan’s offender search website.

You…Read more

London, Dancing, Colored Hair and your Birthday 

In 2005 I visited London for 10 days doing poetry performances/readings. My fourth day, I performed at an “Exhibition” with other visual artist, dancers, and actors. It was held at a factory turned art gallery full of about 90 people of all shapes, colors, and sizes. The performances were so diverse – I could easily spend another 10 days writing about them. During a break in the action I noticed a tall woman, early 40s, green, pink, red streaks running through her blond hair dancing and smiling as if no one…Read more

Holding on, Holding you back, Pinehurst, and Tears 

October 8, 2008 was emotional; it was the day we moved. I know for some– moving is a yearly thing-lol. Me; the only address I’d ever known since I was 15 months-old was Pinehurst. I was raised there and my mother was raised there. I knew every creek in the floor, the trick to unlock the back door, the problem with the basement bathroom, and all the best hiding spots. But it was time: our youngest daughter was due any day, we needed more space, and I needed a legitimate home office/studio.

Knowing all of…Read more

Struggling, Trying to Make it, Positivity, and Getting Sent Home 

50 percent of my friends or acquaintances I see daily exchange these phrases: “Struggling,” “Another day, another dolla’,” “Same shit, different toilet,” “Trying to make it do what it do,” “Just taking it one day at a time,” “Trying to be like you man; you got the best hand,” and “Just trying to hold on and make it happen.”

The funny thing is a lot of the times – there is no truth in these statements (at least from my end). Somewhere in adulthood talking about your “successes” became mildly “unpopular.”…Read more

Finding yourself, self-evaluation, and growing 

One of the most commonly known phrases of self- evaluation is; “I have to find myself.” While all of us at different points in life began to seek deeper understandings of our souls – what we don't understand is that it's not a “one-time thing.” Finding yourself never stops.

When I was 22 I re-found myself spiritually. Through self-evaluation I realized that I was going to church out of tradition and ritual rather than going to seek spiritual enlightenment. Through another self-evaluation process at age 24…

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Enterprise, Shoveling Shit, Identity, and the Military 

I worked at Enterprise Rent-A-Car from 2001 to 2003. We were encouraged to be friendly and make personal connections with the customers via small talk. I remember a customer who needed a vehicle due to car repair. Can’t remember his name but he was a black dude, about 35, dressed in Carhartt overalls. We talked sports, city life, and high school. He told me he graduated from Osborne High School, worked for BFI Waste Services, and a couple of friends were trying to talk him into going to the upcoming class…Read more

Pass along a blessing... 

While I'm sure a lot of us are up with our children opening gifts, putting together toys, and charging electronic gifts. Don't forget to reach out to a friend, coworker or neighbor who may be alone and without any family. While the holiday season is a festive time for gift-giving; its also ranks very high in suicides and suicide attempts. If you consider yourself “blessed” in any way – please pass it on.

 

You may save a life.

Jimi Says 

I used to live in a room full of mirrors; all I could see was me. I take my spirit and I crash my mirrors, now the whole world is here for me to see. 


-Jimi Hendrix