Visit my daughter's own blog, The Country Cowgirl Rodeo, to see some new pictures, including her missing teeth, and me dressed in my South Dakota gear.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
New Pictures
And the teacher becomes the student ...
Wow! Exciting times.
I received my new phone adapter for higher quality recordings of my health and fitness podcast. (If you haven't heard the new professional voice over I had done, take a listen when you head over there and let me know your thoughts.) It turns out that I was a little impulsive when pulling the trigger and didn't read it carefully enough - it is a phone cord adapter, not a line adapter. Of course, I have a cordless phone. So, the interim solution is to get a duplexor (splitter) and use an older corded phone to record - we'll see how the quality is (without the hum, anything is bound to be better). Long term? I should probably invest in the right version, no?
I'm still waiting on the sound card. I'm also hoping the new Lose Fat, Not Faith Audio Set arrives by tomorrow, so that I can review the new packaging and listen to the mastered audio. If everything is fine, that will go live within days of my approval. I can't wait!
I just faxed off the contract to outsource my affiliate management. It was taking up a bit of time, so I did some research to perhaps hire someone part-time or as an independent contractor to manage this. As I was researching, I was contacted by a representative of a company that does this. I am always looking for synchronicity in my life - what others call coincidence, I consider opportunities waiting for me to plug into them, so I did some research on the company, read the testimonials, and decided to give it a spin. We'll see how the first few months go!
My wife is having a breakthrough week. We just hired a business coach for her - one recommended by my own coach, Mike Litman. She is really enjoying her coaching sessions. Again, I don't believe it is a coincidence, but synchronicity, that the same week she started focusing on her coaching and reading the books he recommended, that she also got her first listing and had some other opportunities come up. We're excited!
For me, I'm going to become a student (hence the title). Some of you may know that the first time I reached single digits body fat, I did it through an online personal trainer of my own (David Greenwalt with Club Lifestyle, the first option listed on that page). I then leaned down several times on my own, using the DietPower software and once even bulked using the services at Beverly International (link is on the same page as Club Lifestyle).
Well, I decided that I would learn yet another new method and erase what I think I know to learn from someone new. The Christian band I am coaching is having a TV shoot in a month, so it's time to shred down a bit for the camera. Instead of doing it on my own, I decided to hire Chris "SwoleCat" Janusz as my coach. I look forward to the process. I interviewed him for the Become Your Best Coaching Podcast and really enjoyed the connection we had. He also has some great testimonials at his site. My coaching is focused on overweight/obese people looking to change their lifestyle - while I can certainly help someone get shredded, it's not my main focus or priority. Chris, on the other hand, specializes in lose fat and gaining maximum muscle in a short period of time, so it will be exciting to see what happens in just 4 weeks.
It's the weekend! As an entrepreneur, weekend is a little interesting. I can really choose for any day to be a weekend day. However, since I do commit 150% of my heart and soul throughout the week, I do designate the weekend as a time to relax a bit from the job and of course do my best to honor a full day of rest for Sabbath on Sunday. No major plans for us this weekend, except our typical journey to Rapid City to have church with my grandparents.
Wow. The second month of the year is almost over! Can you believe it? Exciting times. The first quarter is about to conclude! It's been quite a journey ... this is officially one year since I launched the Natural Physiques website with a handful of articles. Look where we are today! Only months away from my celebration of the first year working 100% as my own boss.
Special thanks to ...
The Dream Team International for teaching me to leverage my time and work as a business owner, instead of trading one boss for another (most self-employed people find they work just as hard for their business, instead of "owning the business" and letting it work for them). Especially Ian King, who started this team and has been my number one mentor, coach, and partner in the tremendous success I've had this past year. I sat on his offer for three years before finally saying, "Show me what this is about." Oh, am I thankful I opened the door!
Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale, whose book Spiritual Marketing changed my life and whose mentoring changed my book.
John DiLemme who was crucial with helping me find my why and FLY ... and continues to be a great friend and role model.
Jeffrey Combs for his role in my own breakthroughs, the breakthroughs that my wife experienced, and the incredible energy and connections we will make in late March at his awesome event.
The incredible crew at FulfillmentCentral.com for not only doing such a great job of printing, pressing, packaging, delivering, and tracking my products, but also for their guiding spirit, their partnership, the doors they've helped me open, the awesome service they've given my customers, and for helping me make a crucial choice this past month that will ultimately impact the fate of this business.
And, of course, my #1 coach, Mike Litman and his awesome brother, Brian, for teaching me to stop getting paid for a hobby and instead to make a living with a business.
Hey, wait, how can I have two "#1" coaches? Well, heck, everyone I mentioned is #1 in my book - what an awesome team! I am truly blessed. Thank you, God.
Here's to an abundant and prosperous year for all of us,
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
I received my new phone adapter for higher quality recordings of my health and fitness podcast. (If you haven't heard the new professional voice over I had done, take a listen when you head over there and let me know your thoughts.) It turns out that I was a little impulsive when pulling the trigger and didn't read it carefully enough - it is a phone cord adapter, not a line adapter. Of course, I have a cordless phone. So, the interim solution is to get a duplexor (splitter) and use an older corded phone to record - we'll see how the quality is (without the hum, anything is bound to be better). Long term? I should probably invest in the right version, no?
I'm still waiting on the sound card. I'm also hoping the new Lose Fat, Not Faith Audio Set arrives by tomorrow, so that I can review the new packaging and listen to the mastered audio. If everything is fine, that will go live within days of my approval. I can't wait!
I just faxed off the contract to outsource my affiliate management. It was taking up a bit of time, so I did some research to perhaps hire someone part-time or as an independent contractor to manage this. As I was researching, I was contacted by a representative of a company that does this. I am always looking for synchronicity in my life - what others call coincidence, I consider opportunities waiting for me to plug into them, so I did some research on the company, read the testimonials, and decided to give it a spin. We'll see how the first few months go!
My wife is having a breakthrough week. We just hired a business coach for her - one recommended by my own coach, Mike Litman. She is really enjoying her coaching sessions. Again, I don't believe it is a coincidence, but synchronicity, that the same week she started focusing on her coaching and reading the books he recommended, that she also got her first listing and had some other opportunities come up. We're excited!
For me, I'm going to become a student (hence the title). Some of you may know that the first time I reached single digits body fat, I did it through an online personal trainer of my own (David Greenwalt with Club Lifestyle, the first option listed on that page). I then leaned down several times on my own, using the DietPower software and once even bulked using the services at Beverly International (link is on the same page as Club Lifestyle).
Well, I decided that I would learn yet another new method and erase what I think I know to learn from someone new. The Christian band I am coaching is having a TV shoot in a month, so it's time to shred down a bit for the camera. Instead of doing it on my own, I decided to hire Chris "SwoleCat" Janusz as my coach. I look forward to the process. I interviewed him for the Become Your Best Coaching Podcast and really enjoyed the connection we had. He also has some great testimonials at his site. My coaching is focused on overweight/obese people looking to change their lifestyle - while I can certainly help someone get shredded, it's not my main focus or priority. Chris, on the other hand, specializes in lose fat and gaining maximum muscle in a short period of time, so it will be exciting to see what happens in just 4 weeks.
It's the weekend! As an entrepreneur, weekend is a little interesting. I can really choose for any day to be a weekend day. However, since I do commit 150% of my heart and soul throughout the week, I do designate the weekend as a time to relax a bit from the job and of course do my best to honor a full day of rest for Sabbath on Sunday. No major plans for us this weekend, except our typical journey to Rapid City to have church with my grandparents.
Wow. The second month of the year is almost over! Can you believe it? Exciting times. The first quarter is about to conclude! It's been quite a journey ... this is officially one year since I launched the Natural Physiques website with a handful of articles. Look where we are today! Only months away from my celebration of the first year working 100% as my own boss.
Special thanks to ...
The Dream Team International for teaching me to leverage my time and work as a business owner, instead of trading one boss for another (most self-employed people find they work just as hard for their business, instead of "owning the business" and letting it work for them). Especially Ian King, who started this team and has been my number one mentor, coach, and partner in the tremendous success I've had this past year. I sat on his offer for three years before finally saying, "Show me what this is about." Oh, am I thankful I opened the door!
Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale, whose book Spiritual Marketing changed my life and whose mentoring changed my book.
John DiLemme who was crucial with helping me find my why and FLY ... and continues to be a great friend and role model.
Jeffrey Combs for his role in my own breakthroughs, the breakthroughs that my wife experienced, and the incredible energy and connections we will make in late March at his awesome event.
The incredible crew at FulfillmentCentral.com for not only doing such a great job of printing, pressing, packaging, delivering, and tracking my products, but also for their guiding spirit, their partnership, the doors they've helped me open, the awesome service they've given my customers, and for helping me make a crucial choice this past month that will ultimately impact the fate of this business.
And, of course, my #1 coach, Mike Litman and his awesome brother, Brian, for teaching me to stop getting paid for a hobby and instead to make a living with a business.
Hey, wait, how can I have two "#1" coaches? Well, heck, everyone I mentioned is #1 in my book - what an awesome team! I am truly blessed. Thank you, God.
Here's to an abundant and prosperous year for all of us,
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Fit Over 40
Whew!
I'm very excited to share, as I have with my Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Zine and in a review on the site, that Tom Venuto and Jon Benson released their new project - Fit Over 40.
I also finally got a new cover for the Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Book that will be right in line with the design for the CD. I'm waiting to receive my copy of the CD so that I can review it before releasing it officially. Since I have this ultra cool program for generating graphics, I also took the liberty of updating the graphic for the free CD offer.
I'm waiting to get a professional voiceover for the introduction to the Become Your Best Coaching Podcast and to receive some superior recording equipment to eliminate the hum.
Yesterday was an awesome day - I spent quite a bit with my family. I did my workout, which by now has my legs feeling like jelly. My wife hired a new coach for her Black Hills real estate business, so she was excited to finally connect with a mentor and receive her "homework" assignments. We decided to drive into Rapid City where the nearest large bookstore is to pick up some of the recommended reading materials.
We stopped by a health store in Sturgis and had lunch - a spinach feta focaccia with sesame corn chips and tabouli. It was very good. I drank some Smart Water but didn't feel any wiser for it. We had a great time in the bookstore and ended up browsing the CDs. It was buy 3 get 1 free so of course you HAVE to buy when presented with that situation, right? LOL. We don't usually splurge, so we grabbed some CDs ... Bocceli (my daughter LOVES his music — perhaps more than Doreen and I do), the soundtrack to a movie and a Prodigy remix. I remember listening to "Out of Space" and "Jericho" YEARS ago and finally got it on disc, so we were "jammin out" on the way back. I was ready for techno, armed with a double-shot espresso.
I came back, worked on the business a bit, and then it was time to head back to Spearfish for my daughter's gymnastics. We stayed there and visited with friends, then hit the salad bar at a local restaurant called the Millstone. I had some cottage cheese, a huge salad with sunflower seeds, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and used vinegar as the dressing and them some grapes and fruit jello. Afterwards, I did some more work - I had downloaded the Fit over 40 book and my wife and I were both very excited. While I try to keep the "noise" to my e-Zine at a minimum, as subscribers already receive an edition every week, this was one I wanted to send out right away. They are having a 72-hour special and it's not just a "72 hours and then we extend it and extend it and extend it" but really a 72 hour special. So, some people get disappointed and unsubscribe, others ignore it if they are not interested, and others download it and write me to thank me for sharing it with them - that's how newsletters go!
It's back to being productive, but I wanted to write this post because I realized I hadn't put in an entry for yesterday.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
I'm very excited to share, as I have with my Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Zine and in a review on the site, that Tom Venuto and Jon Benson released their new project - Fit Over 40.
I also finally got a new cover for the Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Book that will be right in line with the design for the CD. I'm waiting to receive my copy of the CD so that I can review it before releasing it officially. Since I have this ultra cool program for generating graphics, I also took the liberty of updating the graphic for the free CD offer.
I'm waiting to get a professional voiceover for the introduction to the Become Your Best Coaching Podcast and to receive some superior recording equipment to eliminate the hum.
Yesterday was an awesome day - I spent quite a bit with my family. I did my workout, which by now has my legs feeling like jelly. My wife hired a new coach for her Black Hills real estate business, so she was excited to finally connect with a mentor and receive her "homework" assignments. We decided to drive into Rapid City where the nearest large bookstore is to pick up some of the recommended reading materials.
We stopped by a health store in Sturgis and had lunch - a spinach feta focaccia with sesame corn chips and tabouli. It was very good. I drank some Smart Water but didn't feel any wiser for it. We had a great time in the bookstore and ended up browsing the CDs. It was buy 3 get 1 free so of course you HAVE to buy when presented with that situation, right? LOL. We don't usually splurge, so we grabbed some CDs ... Bocceli (my daughter LOVES his music — perhaps more than Doreen and I do), the soundtrack to a movie and a Prodigy remix. I remember listening to "Out of Space" and "Jericho" YEARS ago and finally got it on disc, so we were "jammin out" on the way back. I was ready for techno, armed with a double-shot espresso.
I came back, worked on the business a bit, and then it was time to head back to Spearfish for my daughter's gymnastics. We stayed there and visited with friends, then hit the salad bar at a local restaurant called the Millstone. I had some cottage cheese, a huge salad with sunflower seeds, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and used vinegar as the dressing and them some grapes and fruit jello. Afterwards, I did some more work - I had downloaded the Fit over 40 book and my wife and I were both very excited. While I try to keep the "noise" to my e-Zine at a minimum, as subscribers already receive an edition every week, this was one I wanted to send out right away. They are having a 72-hour special and it's not just a "72 hours and then we extend it and extend it and extend it" but really a 72 hour special. So, some people get disappointed and unsubscribe, others ignore it if they are not interested, and others download it and write me to thank me for sharing it with them - that's how newsletters go!
It's back to being productive, but I wanted to write this post because I realized I hadn't put in an entry for yesterday.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Busy is as busy does ...
... but fortunately, today, I was not "busy" ... I was productive! There IS a difference.
Let's see ... what are some highlights for today?
I caught up with the weekend e-mails that were waiting for me. I received some of the graphics for the page that advertises what I do as an online personal trainer - I'm very happy with the result! I also hired an independent contractor to do a study for me on online personal trainer. I want to publish a short white paper or special report that talks about the specific niche in general, what people like and don't like about it, how people have been empowered by online coaching and of course how my own service can tie into this. It's the first time I've outsourced this type of work, so I'm interested to see the results. I'll make it available for free when people sign up to the e-Zine and also as a direct download from the coaching page.
I'm also slowly getting the new edits from my book into place ... that process is going slow but is steadily moving in the right direction. My fulfillment center let me know today that the CD set is complete with new package design and professional voice over. I'm just waiting to receive a copy (goes out tomorrow) to preview before I make it official.
I am also waiting for some equipment that is due over the weekend. Due to the excitement over our health and fitness podcast, some people have voiced their strong opinion about the quality of the sound. I happen to strongly agree - I've been recording using an inexpensive Radio Shack component that does the trick but also introduces a nerve-wracking hiss. So, I found two components that will change that. The first is an external sound card that connects via USB to remove the on-board distortion (the signal is digital before it hits the latpop) and the second was a more advanced phone filter to grab the teleconference and record it. These should arrive any day and in time for next week's teleconference!
Speaking of which, we had quite a dynamic guest tonight, Joe Kasper. Our connection is quite interesting. Joe does some coaching with John DiLemme and Jeffrey Combs. I did not know Joe. I went to an event with Jeffrey Combs that changed my life. I sent my wife to the event. At the event, my wife met someone who, upon learning who she is, was shocked because he had just been on my website a few weeks earlier. He was introduced to my website by his friend, Joe Kasper, who can't remember exactly how he stumbled across it. So, we "met" through these connections, but had already "connected" through our mutual relationship with Jeffrey Combs - don't you love how God works?
Joe has a system that involves training slowly, but also for only 44 minutes per week. I have to admit this is something I am very curious about. I know and trust Joe, but this of course goes against intuition of what "tradition" teaches, so I will be using Joe's system soon and posting my results after we consult a bit. The interview is already online and out to the podcast subscribers (you don't need podcast software to browse, I have it on the main site as well).
Mondays are always incredible days. I have a leaders call for my network marketing organization, then my own Become Your Best Coaching call, then a mastermind call with people from all types of entrepreneurial pursuits who develop and brainstorm topics related to self improvement, personal development, and success in general. It's an exciting day.
As my calories are now a bit lower and I was verrrry tired this morning, I decided to commit to an early bed time. So, I jumped off of the mastermind call (it was a GREAT call, I hated to leave it early) to post this and now I'm off to catch some major SLEEEP! It will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow, as I hit a personal record today of 400 Hindu squats, 40 Hindu push-ups, and 150-count bridge hold (probably about 2 minutes). 500/50/3 minutes, look out, because here I come!
I posted a few new articles to the site. One I wrote to pull together various nutrition resources we have - if you don't subscribe to my Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Zine then you wouldn't know about the AWESOME Nutrition Generator resources I came across. This blog isn't for advertising, but sharing, so I'll just leave the link and let those who are curious check it out for themselves.
The other articles are personal development articles I wrote for an online magazine, and let them publish them for a bit before I repost them to my site. Another was a powerful article about faith posted by our Fitness for Kids author, Christina Chapan. It is a powerful story of how her Christian faith helps her deal with situations in life.
That's about it for me ... I look forward to posting more in the future and thank you for taking the time to read this and let me share a bit of my life with you.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Let's see ... what are some highlights for today?
I caught up with the weekend e-mails that were waiting for me. I received some of the graphics for the page that advertises what I do as an online personal trainer - I'm very happy with the result! I also hired an independent contractor to do a study for me on online personal trainer. I want to publish a short white paper or special report that talks about the specific niche in general, what people like and don't like about it, how people have been empowered by online coaching and of course how my own service can tie into this. It's the first time I've outsourced this type of work, so I'm interested to see the results. I'll make it available for free when people sign up to the e-Zine and also as a direct download from the coaching page.
I'm also slowly getting the new edits from my book into place ... that process is going slow but is steadily moving in the right direction. My fulfillment center let me know today that the CD set is complete with new package design and professional voice over. I'm just waiting to receive a copy (goes out tomorrow) to preview before I make it official.
I am also waiting for some equipment that is due over the weekend. Due to the excitement over our health and fitness podcast, some people have voiced their strong opinion about the quality of the sound. I happen to strongly agree - I've been recording using an inexpensive Radio Shack component that does the trick but also introduces a nerve-wracking hiss. So, I found two components that will change that. The first is an external sound card that connects via USB to remove the on-board distortion (the signal is digital before it hits the latpop) and the second was a more advanced phone filter to grab the teleconference and record it. These should arrive any day and in time for next week's teleconference!
Speaking of which, we had quite a dynamic guest tonight, Joe Kasper. Our connection is quite interesting. Joe does some coaching with John DiLemme and Jeffrey Combs. I did not know Joe. I went to an event with Jeffrey Combs that changed my life. I sent my wife to the event. At the event, my wife met someone who, upon learning who she is, was shocked because he had just been on my website a few weeks earlier. He was introduced to my website by his friend, Joe Kasper, who can't remember exactly how he stumbled across it. So, we "met" through these connections, but had already "connected" through our mutual relationship with Jeffrey Combs - don't you love how God works?
Joe has a system that involves training slowly, but also for only 44 minutes per week. I have to admit this is something I am very curious about. I know and trust Joe, but this of course goes against intuition of what "tradition" teaches, so I will be using Joe's system soon and posting my results after we consult a bit. The interview is already online and out to the podcast subscribers (you don't need podcast software to browse, I have it on the main site as well).
Mondays are always incredible days. I have a leaders call for my network marketing organization, then my own Become Your Best Coaching call, then a mastermind call with people from all types of entrepreneurial pursuits who develop and brainstorm topics related to self improvement, personal development, and success in general. It's an exciting day.
As my calories are now a bit lower and I was verrrry tired this morning, I decided to commit to an early bed time. So, I jumped off of the mastermind call (it was a GREAT call, I hated to leave it early) to post this and now I'm off to catch some major SLEEEP! It will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow, as I hit a personal record today of 400 Hindu squats, 40 Hindu push-ups, and 150-count bridge hold (probably about 2 minutes). 500/50/3 minutes, look out, because here I come!
I posted a few new articles to the site. One I wrote to pull together various nutrition resources we have - if you don't subscribe to my Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Zine then you wouldn't know about the AWESOME Nutrition Generator resources I came across. This blog isn't for advertising, but sharing, so I'll just leave the link and let those who are curious check it out for themselves.
The other articles are personal development articles I wrote for an online magazine, and let them publish them for a bit before I repost them to my site. Another was a powerful article about faith posted by our Fitness for Kids author, Christina Chapan. It is a powerful story of how her Christian faith helps her deal with situations in life.
That's about it for me ... I look forward to posting more in the future and thank you for taking the time to read this and let me share a bit of my life with you.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Ah, the lovely weekends
I apologize for not posting. We've been having so much fun!
Doreen and I decided to have a nice, relaxing weekend. Therefore, yesterday was simply taking it easy around the house. We had some errands to run in the nearby town of Spearfish, so we had a nice "date" out together (Mexican). I was delicious. We came home, watched a movie, and fell asleep.
Today, we started the day right ... with a delicious shake that had strawberries and blackberries mixed in. Then, we head down to church. Unfortunately, my grandfather was not feeling well, so he was not there. While our daughter was heading to her class, she was eating and suddenly said, "Mom, Dad, I have something in my mouth." Guess what? Her SECOND tooth was loose! So I said, "Let Daddy put that back where it belongs" and promptly yanked it for her. She was SO excited. Both of her bottom two front teeth not gone!
While she was in class, we enjoyed the company of our new friends, Ken and Julie. We chatted with them last week and met up with them again. We all decided it would be great one day to plan a dinner together in Rapidy City. I can't wait. I also found out that Ken is a freemason, which is very interesting since I am an Entered Apprentice myself. He also spent several years in Germany, so we were sharing stories from the months I spent there doing IT work for a former company that I was with.
The family decided to go out to celebrate Alyssa's first tooth loss (actually, two teeth over the weekend) and went to a nice restaurant owned by Kevin Costner called "Jake's" (named after his brother). My menu was ...
Buffalo carpaccio
Caribbean beef stew
Rack of lamb with buttermilk mashed potatoes
Vanilla cheesecake with caramel sauce
All of that shared with a nice glass of Mak Shiraz. My wife had seafood.
The restaurant is awesome ... great music (piano in the background) and exceptional food. The wine list has bottles from $15 to $350 so it suits a wide range of tastes.
During the dinner, we planned our vacations. We already have a few coming up ... one to California for a seminar my wife and I are attending, one to Chicago for a TV shoot, one to Florida to visit with our parents (all of our parents live in Florida) and then later this year to Colorado at a resort that is "ski out" directly to cross-country and downhill skiing. We asked Alyssa where in Europe she would like to go next year, and she said Italy. So we'll be planning a vacation to Venise and Rome (one week in Venise, one in Rome). We can't wait!
Now it's time to log my foods (I'm sure I went a bit over my calorie balance, but no worries as I'll pull it back into shape this coming week) and then spend some more quality time with Alyssa before she goes to bed and then Doreen (our son is out with friends).
I am looking forward to an abundant, blessed week, and pray the same for you.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Doreen and I decided to have a nice, relaxing weekend. Therefore, yesterday was simply taking it easy around the house. We had some errands to run in the nearby town of Spearfish, so we had a nice "date" out together (Mexican). I was delicious. We came home, watched a movie, and fell asleep.
Today, we started the day right ... with a delicious shake that had strawberries and blackberries mixed in. Then, we head down to church. Unfortunately, my grandfather was not feeling well, so he was not there. While our daughter was heading to her class, she was eating and suddenly said, "Mom, Dad, I have something in my mouth." Guess what? Her SECOND tooth was loose! So I said, "Let Daddy put that back where it belongs" and promptly yanked it for her. She was SO excited. Both of her bottom two front teeth not gone!
While she was in class, we enjoyed the company of our new friends, Ken and Julie. We chatted with them last week and met up with them again. We all decided it would be great one day to plan a dinner together in Rapidy City. I can't wait. I also found out that Ken is a freemason, which is very interesting since I am an Entered Apprentice myself. He also spent several years in Germany, so we were sharing stories from the months I spent there doing IT work for a former company that I was with.
The family decided to go out to celebrate Alyssa's first tooth loss (actually, two teeth over the weekend) and went to a nice restaurant owned by Kevin Costner called "Jake's" (named after his brother). My menu was ...
Buffalo carpaccio
Caribbean beef stew
Rack of lamb with buttermilk mashed potatoes
Vanilla cheesecake with caramel sauce
All of that shared with a nice glass of Mak Shiraz. My wife had seafood.
The restaurant is awesome ... great music (piano in the background) and exceptional food. The wine list has bottles from $15 to $350 so it suits a wide range of tastes.
During the dinner, we planned our vacations. We already have a few coming up ... one to California for a seminar my wife and I are attending, one to Chicago for a TV shoot, one to Florida to visit with our parents (all of our parents live in Florida) and then later this year to Colorado at a resort that is "ski out" directly to cross-country and downhill skiing. We asked Alyssa where in Europe she would like to go next year, and she said Italy. So we'll be planning a vacation to Venise and Rome (one week in Venise, one in Rome). We can't wait!
Now it's time to log my foods (I'm sure I went a bit over my calorie balance, but no worries as I'll pull it back into shape this coming week) and then spend some more quality time with Alyssa before she goes to bed and then Doreen (our son is out with friends).
I am looking forward to an abundant, blessed week, and pray the same for you.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Now That's What I Call News!
Heh. Cool.
I was quoted in an article in our local paper - right here. This is one day after having a little diddy published for my participation with the Christian Music Makeover.
Wow. I'll tell ya what, you'd think skiing wouldn't be so much of a drain. After all, your point your feet down and then gravity takes care of it all, right? LOL. I spent another two hours on the slope yesterday. It was a blast. It was a bit icier because we didn't have snow, but the temperature at least is staying down and they are furiously making snow for some of the longer runs on the side of the mountain that hasn't opened up yet. I had fun, soaked in the hottub for a bit and then was WIPED OUT. I participated in the international team call and worked with a few of my coaching clients, then it was straight to bed.
This morning, I was a little slow waking up but managed to stumble out of bed. Then, I decided - TIME TO FOCUS. No excuses. So, I jumped back into my routine ... now I'm up to 380 Hindu squats, 38 Hindu push-ups. I did a 130 count bridge hold last week but wimped out after about 60 seconds today. Odd how that happens, it's more of a mental exercise than anything.
Today I've been cleaning up the ad copy for a few sites, working on programs for new clients, and eagerly awaiting some new changes. I knocked out a few pages of the edited copy of my Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Book - this won't take as long as I had thought. I can't wait to get a final revision and then explore the possibilities for print. I am also looking forward to some new graphics for the coaching page and having a talk with a preferred customer of mine (a faithful taker of the pharmaceutical grade multivitamin we have - for those interested, check out the link then sign up as a preferred customer to receive it at wholesale cost. We're not talking about vitamins - he has a consulting firm for websites and we will be discussing some changes to the overall look and feel of the Natural Physiques website, including improving the navigation to make it easier for visitors to get to what they are looking for.
This is just a preliminary chat so I can get a work estimate and budget for the changes.
I also announced a major improvement to my affiliate program. If you recommend the Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Zine to anyone, you might consider this. I will now pay $0.10 US (a dime) per subscriber that comes through an affiliate link. In other words, by signing up as an affiliate (it's free) and instead of sending an e-mail like, "Hey, I found this e-Zine, go to xxx" but instead using an affiliate link, my affiliates will receive $0.10 for any person who clicks on the link and actively subscribes. I figure, hey, I know people are referring people to my site ... so why not reward them? A dime doesn't seem like much, until you figure that some people have referred a few hundred and that would be a free movie just for spreading the word (not to mention what someone earns when those subscriptions result in a sale of the book or e-Zine .. there are people who make a living doing this!)
I normally don't try to talk so much technical/business in my blog, but that's what I've been working on a lot this week! So there it is. I'm sure those of you considering your own business or with your own business can learn from my own strategies (and mistakes!) so I'm happy to share it here.
My daughter made a "cell" at school today. They put blue food coloring in water and put that in a ziplock, then took a candle holder and wrote nucleus in permanent black ink and dropped it in to float around. Pretty cool - she likes it.
I'm sipping some coffee that I made in the French press. Ahhhh ... awesome! So was the spinach feta hot pocket I had for lunch (Amy's Kitchen makes some great food).
I am off to do some more writing, spend some time with my daughter, and relax with my family.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
I was quoted in an article in our local paper - right here. This is one day after having a little diddy published for my participation with the Christian Music Makeover.
Wow. I'll tell ya what, you'd think skiing wouldn't be so much of a drain. After all, your point your feet down and then gravity takes care of it all, right? LOL. I spent another two hours on the slope yesterday. It was a blast. It was a bit icier because we didn't have snow, but the temperature at least is staying down and they are furiously making snow for some of the longer runs on the side of the mountain that hasn't opened up yet. I had fun, soaked in the hottub for a bit and then was WIPED OUT. I participated in the international team call and worked with a few of my coaching clients, then it was straight to bed.
This morning, I was a little slow waking up but managed to stumble out of bed. Then, I decided - TIME TO FOCUS. No excuses. So, I jumped back into my routine ... now I'm up to 380 Hindu squats, 38 Hindu push-ups. I did a 130 count bridge hold last week but wimped out after about 60 seconds today. Odd how that happens, it's more of a mental exercise than anything.
Today I've been cleaning up the ad copy for a few sites, working on programs for new clients, and eagerly awaiting some new changes. I knocked out a few pages of the edited copy of my Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Book - this won't take as long as I had thought. I can't wait to get a final revision and then explore the possibilities for print. I am also looking forward to some new graphics for the coaching page and having a talk with a preferred customer of mine (a faithful taker of the pharmaceutical grade multivitamin we have - for those interested, check out the link then sign up as a preferred customer to receive it at wholesale cost. We're not talking about vitamins - he has a consulting firm for websites and we will be discussing some changes to the overall look and feel of the Natural Physiques website, including improving the navigation to make it easier for visitors to get to what they are looking for.
This is just a preliminary chat so I can get a work estimate and budget for the changes.
I also announced a major improvement to my affiliate program. If you recommend the Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Zine to anyone, you might consider this. I will now pay $0.10 US (a dime) per subscriber that comes through an affiliate link. In other words, by signing up as an affiliate (it's free) and instead of sending an e-mail like, "Hey, I found this e-Zine, go to xxx" but instead using an affiliate link, my affiliates will receive $0.10 for any person who clicks on the link and actively subscribes. I figure, hey, I know people are referring people to my site ... so why not reward them? A dime doesn't seem like much, until you figure that some people have referred a few hundred and that would be a free movie just for spreading the word (not to mention what someone earns when those subscriptions result in a sale of the book or e-Zine .. there are people who make a living doing this!)
I normally don't try to talk so much technical/business in my blog, but that's what I've been working on a lot this week! So there it is. I'm sure those of you considering your own business or with your own business can learn from my own strategies (and mistakes!) so I'm happy to share it here.
My daughter made a "cell" at school today. They put blue food coloring in water and put that in a ziplock, then took a candle holder and wrote nucleus in permanent black ink and dropped it in to float around. Pretty cool - she likes it.
I'm sipping some coffee that I made in the French press. Ahhhh ... awesome! So was the spinach feta hot pocket I had for lunch (Amy's Kitchen makes some great food).
I am off to do some more writing, spend some time with my daughter, and relax with my family.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
Ahhh.
I'm spoiled. I can still feel the wind whipping across my face.
Today, it snowed for the second day. My daughter and I did not have our snow day yesterday (she had a cough and we didn't want to aggravate it) but Doreen decided to work from home. So, I smiled and asked, simply ... "Hon, may I .. SKI SKI SKI SKI SKI SKI!"
I made an awesome 900 calorie breakfast. It was buffalo sausage, eggs, olive oil, and cajun jack cheese in an omlette with a slice of whole wheat toast and all natural peanut butter on the side. I don't eat on the slopes unless I'm with company that eats, so I like to fuel up.
I drove to the slope, not sure what to expect. After all, while we just had two days of snow, it had been 60 degrees for several days. The parking lot was filled with snow, and the slopes looked nice, powdery and white.
So, I walked up. And ... for a second I thought I had missed something, that the place was closed. I mean, the chairlift was running ... but there wasn't a soul in sight! I stepped onto the lift and asked the attendant, "Is there snow up there?" He smiled and said, "It's actually pretty good." So, I rode to the top and stepped off.
WOW. First, I may have written about this before, but the view from Terry Peak is breath-taking. You are literally on top of the Black Hills, and can see not only to the distant peaks and ranges, but out onto the plain. In the midwest, the horizon is always a swirl of color where the multi-colored clouds meet with blue sky. It was beautiful, so I enjoyed the view, then stepped off of the slope. The temperature was in the teens. Going downhill with the wind whipping in my face only added to it. Let's just say by the time I reached the bottom, my face was a bit puckered. However, I had the most amazing run. It felt like I was just gliding over the surface and I felt, for once, in TOTAL control. I mean, there was just no though of falling or losing balance ... I was in flow, in the zone, and having a blast.
I rode up and down a few times and then stopped by the bar for a cup of coffee and baileys to work the numbness out of my fingertips before tackling the slope again. There were two young girls (I'm getting old, I can't tell if they are high school or college age any more) and a gentleman I had seen skiing (one of the few other people out there - it was awesome to pretty much own the slopes ourselves). He sat next to me and we chatted a bit. Then I set out and skiied another run.
While I was going up the chairlifts, I had been eyeballing the Ben Hur run. I have never skiied a black run (the more advanced runs) but have faithfully stuck to greens and blues. Well, I was looking at that run, and, well, it didn't look too bad. In fact, I felt ... yeah, I can take it. I got off of the chairlift and said, "I'd better ask someone first" so I skiied down a blue run. Felt awesome. No one at the bottom. No line. Back up the lift. Looking at that run again.
Okay, no one to ask ... let's see. How do I feel? I feel I need to make that run! I realized there was no choice, no convincing - only the conviction that I would do it and have fun. So, I got off, and steered to a new direction - the top of Ben Hur. Up and over the hill, and there it was, steeply descending to the base of the mountain. No fear, only thrill and excitement and I was off. About three seconds later, I was off again - this time, off my skis. I had hit a nasty ice patch. Nothing hurt, so I picked myself back up and headed down. This time I was going so fast, my coat was actually flapping into my face and the wind just felt like it was hollowing my face inside out. It felt GREAT. I made it to the bottom and realized it was one of the most fun runs I had been on.
I can't explain why, but just the last time I went out, some of those runs looked steep and I actually had a little fear. Today, there was just no run that phased me - I literally would look down the steepest slope and just think, that looks like fun!
After Ben Hur, I bumped into the gentleman at the bottom, so I asked him if he wanted to ski. His name was Elroy and he runs a dairy farm out east, near Sioux Falls. Apparently, he has been skiing for years. Very friendly man, told me a lot about the area and the history of the slope. Then, he proceeded to show me some various ways down and new runs I hadn't been on. In fact, he had a great little spur that allowed us to connect with Ben Hur below where the ice patch was. We did runs for a few hours and then it began to snow. We had time for maybe two more runs. He was parked at a different lodge, so we were going to go down this run and then ride back up and split up at the top. Well, I had no goggles. I had learned the lesson of putting my hood on and closing the part that blocks off my mouth (which was great, because I felt I could ski about 50mph faster that way without the wind kicking into my face) but no goggles. As we went down the run, a squall hit the mountain and there was a solid wall of snow. A solid wall of snow IN MY EYES. I practically did the entire run blind.
So, at the bottom, I politely told Elroy that I would be sitting out on the last run. We shook hands and parted ways.
On the way home, I realized the reason my feet didn't hurt on the slope was because they were frozen numb. They began to thaw in the truck and started hurting. Fortunately, I had some time when I got home to get into the hot tub. My daughter was excited - she always loves the hottub, especially when it's snowing. We break off icicles and watch them melt (and of course she tries to eat anything frozen).
After that, we went to watch my son play the last home game of the season. They did not win, but they put up a good fight and played some good ball. We went to the local restaurant (it's called the Stamp Mill) and while I had an urge to have a glass of wine, I reminded myself I had enjoyed myself over the week. So, I had steak, potatoes, and water.
Of course, this was not just a day of play! I put together a press release because I'm excited that my weekly interview show now has a podcast available. If you aren't familiar with these, it's like an audio magazine. You are reading a blog - the podcast is like an audio blog. People can "subscribe" and receive not just updates when I do new interviews, but receive the actual audio as well. Makes it convenient for those who can't make the show. I also spoke to a few of my visitors and this evening trained the newest member on my network marketing team. It always takes a few months to see how serious someone is. Many want to "get rich quick" and are disappointed when they learn this is a business and requires learning, training, and consistent action to work. However, the few who stick with it with an open mind begin to see the power of the leverage built into the business model. This new team member is incredibly proactive and has done more before our first one-on-one training session than some team members did their first month. It's a great start and with his focus and willingness to learn, I feel he is going to be a great success.
Now, I am sore and stiff (haven't been on the slopes in awhile ... although I did notice that it felt MUCH better after all of the Combat Conditioning I've been doing - thanks Matt - hey, maybe that's why I didn't feel wobbly or like I would fall?) Time to enjoy a nice cup of tea with Doreen next to our pellet stove fire and then get to bed early.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
I'm spoiled. I can still feel the wind whipping across my face.
Today, it snowed for the second day. My daughter and I did not have our snow day yesterday (she had a cough and we didn't want to aggravate it) but Doreen decided to work from home. So, I smiled and asked, simply ... "Hon, may I .. SKI SKI SKI SKI SKI SKI!"
I made an awesome 900 calorie breakfast. It was buffalo sausage, eggs, olive oil, and cajun jack cheese in an omlette with a slice of whole wheat toast and all natural peanut butter on the side. I don't eat on the slopes unless I'm with company that eats, so I like to fuel up.
I drove to the slope, not sure what to expect. After all, while we just had two days of snow, it had been 60 degrees for several days. The parking lot was filled with snow, and the slopes looked nice, powdery and white.
So, I walked up. And ... for a second I thought I had missed something, that the place was closed. I mean, the chairlift was running ... but there wasn't a soul in sight! I stepped onto the lift and asked the attendant, "Is there snow up there?" He smiled and said, "It's actually pretty good." So, I rode to the top and stepped off.
WOW. First, I may have written about this before, but the view from Terry Peak is breath-taking. You are literally on top of the Black Hills, and can see not only to the distant peaks and ranges, but out onto the plain. In the midwest, the horizon is always a swirl of color where the multi-colored clouds meet with blue sky. It was beautiful, so I enjoyed the view, then stepped off of the slope. The temperature was in the teens. Going downhill with the wind whipping in my face only added to it. Let's just say by the time I reached the bottom, my face was a bit puckered. However, I had the most amazing run. It felt like I was just gliding over the surface and I felt, for once, in TOTAL control. I mean, there was just no though of falling or losing balance ... I was in flow, in the zone, and having a blast.
I rode up and down a few times and then stopped by the bar for a cup of coffee and baileys to work the numbness out of my fingertips before tackling the slope again. There were two young girls (I'm getting old, I can't tell if they are high school or college age any more) and a gentleman I had seen skiing (one of the few other people out there - it was awesome to pretty much own the slopes ourselves). He sat next to me and we chatted a bit. Then I set out and skiied another run.
While I was going up the chairlifts, I had been eyeballing the Ben Hur run. I have never skiied a black run (the more advanced runs) but have faithfully stuck to greens and blues. Well, I was looking at that run, and, well, it didn't look too bad. In fact, I felt ... yeah, I can take it. I got off of the chairlift and said, "I'd better ask someone first" so I skiied down a blue run. Felt awesome. No one at the bottom. No line. Back up the lift. Looking at that run again.
Okay, no one to ask ... let's see. How do I feel? I feel I need to make that run! I realized there was no choice, no convincing - only the conviction that I would do it and have fun. So, I got off, and steered to a new direction - the top of Ben Hur. Up and over the hill, and there it was, steeply descending to the base of the mountain. No fear, only thrill and excitement and I was off. About three seconds later, I was off again - this time, off my skis. I had hit a nasty ice patch. Nothing hurt, so I picked myself back up and headed down. This time I was going so fast, my coat was actually flapping into my face and the wind just felt like it was hollowing my face inside out. It felt GREAT. I made it to the bottom and realized it was one of the most fun runs I had been on.
I can't explain why, but just the last time I went out, some of those runs looked steep and I actually had a little fear. Today, there was just no run that phased me - I literally would look down the steepest slope and just think, that looks like fun!
After Ben Hur, I bumped into the gentleman at the bottom, so I asked him if he wanted to ski. His name was Elroy and he runs a dairy farm out east, near Sioux Falls. Apparently, he has been skiing for years. Very friendly man, told me a lot about the area and the history of the slope. Then, he proceeded to show me some various ways down and new runs I hadn't been on. In fact, he had a great little spur that allowed us to connect with Ben Hur below where the ice patch was. We did runs for a few hours and then it began to snow. We had time for maybe two more runs. He was parked at a different lodge, so we were going to go down this run and then ride back up and split up at the top. Well, I had no goggles. I had learned the lesson of putting my hood on and closing the part that blocks off my mouth (which was great, because I felt I could ski about 50mph faster that way without the wind kicking into my face) but no goggles. As we went down the run, a squall hit the mountain and there was a solid wall of snow. A solid wall of snow IN MY EYES. I practically did the entire run blind.
So, at the bottom, I politely told Elroy that I would be sitting out on the last run. We shook hands and parted ways.
On the way home, I realized the reason my feet didn't hurt on the slope was because they were frozen numb. They began to thaw in the truck and started hurting. Fortunately, I had some time when I got home to get into the hot tub. My daughter was excited - she always loves the hottub, especially when it's snowing. We break off icicles and watch them melt (and of course she tries to eat anything frozen).
After that, we went to watch my son play the last home game of the season. They did not win, but they put up a good fight and played some good ball. We went to the local restaurant (it's called the Stamp Mill) and while I had an urge to have a glass of wine, I reminded myself I had enjoyed myself over the week. So, I had steak, potatoes, and water.
Of course, this was not just a day of play! I put together a press release because I'm excited that my weekly interview show now has a podcast available. If you aren't familiar with these, it's like an audio magazine. You are reading a blog - the podcast is like an audio blog. People can "subscribe" and receive not just updates when I do new interviews, but receive the actual audio as well. Makes it convenient for those who can't make the show. I also spoke to a few of my visitors and this evening trained the newest member on my network marketing team. It always takes a few months to see how serious someone is. Many want to "get rich quick" and are disappointed when they learn this is a business and requires learning, training, and consistent action to work. However, the few who stick with it with an open mind begin to see the power of the leverage built into the business model. This new team member is incredibly proactive and has done more before our first one-on-one training session than some team members did their first month. It's a great start and with his focus and willingness to learn, I feel he is going to be a great success.
Now, I am sore and stiff (haven't been on the slopes in awhile ... although I did notice that it felt MUCH better after all of the Combat Conditioning I've been doing - thanks Matt - hey, maybe that's why I didn't feel wobbly or like I would fall?) Time to enjoy a nice cup of tea with Doreen next to our pellet stove fire and then get to bed early.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Branding to the Extreme
Wow. So I've been hearing a lot about podcasting lately. Didn't really pay it much mind, until I realized that ... wow ... I have the perfect source for a podcast: my weekly Become Your Best™ teleseminars! So now I have a new technology to figure out. While I was researching podcasting, I found out that the term is really a combination of iPod (a registered trademark) and casting, i.e. broadcasting. Now, that's pretty cool, considering you don't need a "pod" to record or broadcast. Talk about branding.
It let me to think about other brands that really "arrived." For example, do you grab a tissue, or a Kleenex? Do you get plastic wrap, or cellophane? Do you pull that metal thing on the front of your pants, or is it a zipper?
These are all brand names that became so powerful we use them to describe things even when they don't belong to the company that created the brand.
Brands are pervasive. I probably have a lot to learn about branding. For example, Natural Physiques is a web-based "brand" that I have ... probably won't be as catchy as "Kleenex" ... but then, many people know me for Lose Fat, Not Faith ... so which is the brand, which is the company, and what is the gray area in between?
Of course, I do not expect to become an expert. I've learned that I should focus 80% of my effort on what I'm good at. For those details I am not strong in - accounting, graphics design, etc - find a professional and hire them. So I will be looking for a brand consultant. Or should I find a PR person first? Ah, decisions, decisions.
What's new? I will hear a sample of the audio soon, they tell me, for the remastered CD set. I look forward to it. It will be about a week after that before it's completed. We went from 4 days to several weeks - reminds me of my project management days, when people were eager to promise rapid delivery but always ended up falling short. Me? I'd heckle and go back and forth between management and the customer because I'd rather have a realistic timeframe and overdeliver than for it to be the norm to come up late. So I'd give them a realistic estimate, and of course it wouldn't be near what the salesperson had promised ... and then the politics would begin. Well, I'm excited about the changes, they are taking longer than promised, but it certainly isn't the end of the world. The team I'm working with actually overdelivers where it counts - with my customers. A client signed up for 12 weeks of coaching in the middle of last week, and when I spoke with them today, they were already holding the 5-CD set that comes with that coaching package. So just a few business days ... not bad!
A few customers received some late items, not because of my fulfillment people, but because of technical issues with the payment processors connecting to the website. Ah, now this is something I'm familiar with - when I was working for the big corporations, it was usually my pager going off at 4am when issues like these occured. So I am familiar with them, and how to coordinate to fix them.
It's been a fulfilling day. Aside from the hot tub after training today, I've been pretty much writing, on the phone, or interviewing my awesome guest. I have another call in a few minutes that I am co-hosting. Will be a productive call, but let's be honest - after that, I'm punching out. Time to catch up on some sleep!
If you listen to the interviews, definitely don't miss this one, it is very informative. I've been blessed with great guests who share a lot, and I hope everyone receives their fill.
Oh, and it's that certain day, isn't it? My daughter gave me a beautiful card, as did my wife. We celebrated with a few chocolates and lots of kisses. Our dinner was last night at the Italian restaurant, because we knew I had my calls tonight. The response for the 208 gifts (the answers to 208 questions in my rough draft of an upcoming book) was phenomenal ... thank you all for paying attention plugging in. The response to the survey was dismal. I really do value your opinion - really! So if you have the time, please let me know a bit so that I can make my products fair and reasonable for anyone interested in receiving value from them.
That's about it for now ... I should probably get a bite to eat, as I haven't had much other than a piece of chocolate and then a peanut crunch bar from the company that I partner with.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
It let me to think about other brands that really "arrived." For example, do you grab a tissue, or a Kleenex? Do you get plastic wrap, or cellophane? Do you pull that metal thing on the front of your pants, or is it a zipper?
These are all brand names that became so powerful we use them to describe things even when they don't belong to the company that created the brand.
Brands are pervasive. I probably have a lot to learn about branding. For example, Natural Physiques is a web-based "brand" that I have ... probably won't be as catchy as "Kleenex" ... but then, many people know me for Lose Fat, Not Faith ... so which is the brand, which is the company, and what is the gray area in between?
Of course, I do not expect to become an expert. I've learned that I should focus 80% of my effort on what I'm good at. For those details I am not strong in - accounting, graphics design, etc - find a professional and hire them. So I will be looking for a brand consultant. Or should I find a PR person first? Ah, decisions, decisions.
What's new? I will hear a sample of the audio soon, they tell me, for the remastered CD set. I look forward to it. It will be about a week after that before it's completed. We went from 4 days to several weeks - reminds me of my project management days, when people were eager to promise rapid delivery but always ended up falling short. Me? I'd heckle and go back and forth between management and the customer because I'd rather have a realistic timeframe and overdeliver than for it to be the norm to come up late. So I'd give them a realistic estimate, and of course it wouldn't be near what the salesperson had promised ... and then the politics would begin. Well, I'm excited about the changes, they are taking longer than promised, but it certainly isn't the end of the world. The team I'm working with actually overdelivers where it counts - with my customers. A client signed up for 12 weeks of coaching in the middle of last week, and when I spoke with them today, they were already holding the 5-CD set that comes with that coaching package. So just a few business days ... not bad!
A few customers received some late items, not because of my fulfillment people, but because of technical issues with the payment processors connecting to the website. Ah, now this is something I'm familiar with - when I was working for the big corporations, it was usually my pager going off at 4am when issues like these occured. So I am familiar with them, and how to coordinate to fix them.
It's been a fulfilling day. Aside from the hot tub after training today, I've been pretty much writing, on the phone, or interviewing my awesome guest. I have another call in a few minutes that I am co-hosting. Will be a productive call, but let's be honest - after that, I'm punching out. Time to catch up on some sleep!
If you listen to the interviews, definitely don't miss this one, it is very informative. I've been blessed with great guests who share a lot, and I hope everyone receives their fill.
Oh, and it's that certain day, isn't it? My daughter gave me a beautiful card, as did my wife. We celebrated with a few chocolates and lots of kisses. Our dinner was last night at the Italian restaurant, because we knew I had my calls tonight. The response for the 208 gifts (the answers to 208 questions in my rough draft of an upcoming book) was phenomenal ... thank you all for paying attention plugging in. The response to the survey was dismal. I really do value your opinion - really! So if you have the time, please let me know a bit so that I can make my products fair and reasonable for anyone interested in receiving value from them.
That's about it for now ... I should probably get a bite to eat, as I haven't had much other than a piece of chocolate and then a peanut crunch bar from the company that I partner with.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Happy Valentine's Day!
This isn't my full post for today - more on that later. Right now, I wanted to share that I appreciate all of you who read this blog. Therefore, I have a special gift for you that I've only offered to my customers (that e-mail will go out in a bit) ... click here for a raw, unedited version of my upcoming book. It's not finished nor edited - there are 123 pages and 208 questions, but I want you to have this preview. Please feel free to e-mail me your comments and suggestions.
Also, I am interested in knowing your thoughts re: my Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Book. Thanks - more to post later!
Jeremy
Also, I am interested in knowing your thoughts re: my Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Book. Thanks - more to post later!
Jeremy
Viva la Europe!
This was Euro-style weekend.
Our puppy recovered quite quickly from her surgery. On Saturday, we did some things around the house - everyone pitched in to do some cleaning, and my daughter and I had a nice time soaking in the hot tub for a bit. The weather climbed to the 60s.
One of the advantages to living in the Black Hills is that we are never more than about 60 - 90 minutes away from a "retreat" or mini-vaction. Case in point: our nice weekend at the local Savoy Lodge, which was paradise.
Yesterday, we chose to drive down to Hill City. We took a road called Rocheford road that goes through the former ghost town of Rocheford ... I say former because it's making a comeback and now boasts a thriving population of 25. There are some neat, old buildings to look at. Past that town, the road turns to gravel and is just wide enough for two vehicles to pass. We passed two rather large wild turkeys on the side of the road, and thought we spotted another farther down. Then, it spread its wings ... and we realized it was no turkey.
So, we pulled over to the side and waited and watched. The majestic gold eagle flew over head, circled, then landed in the trees not far from us. It sat and watched us, then drifted away - the wing span was wider than our truck. It was a beautiful bird to watch!
We drove on an entered Hill City, which is a beautiful little town. They just may have the record for number of cafés per capita ... there are a ton. We visited the science museum and gawked at the huge fossiles inside, as well as the beautiful minerals, including an amethyst vein (geode) as tall as my daughter. We then meandered to the Alpine Inn and enjoyed a filet mignon with dessert (I indulged in a glass of dark wine). The lights were dim, and it was a like a tudor-stylel European dinner (although you won't find a cut of steak that hearty in most European restaurants).
It was a pleasant evening. My wife and I watched one of our favorite movies, Ronin, afterwards.
This morning, we drove down to church. While our daughter was in Sunday school class, we met a very nice couple named Ken and Julie. We had a great hour visiting and getting to know each other. It was a fabulous service and then we went on to have our traditional breakfast with the grandparents - this time I was craving protein, so instead of the salad bar, I had steak and eggs and replaced the toast and hashed browns with a bagel and cream cheese.
We stayed on to visit some more and then went down town to a nice Italian restaurant. I enjoyed my meal - it was a gorgonzola salad with mandarin oranges and walnuts, and I ordered a grilled chicken breast on the side. This is a nice restaurant which once again felt like Europe - the walls, the decor, the dim lighting (lots of candles), the opera music swelling in the background, and the fine red wine.
Not much left to do today except relax and enjoy the Sabbath for what it is - a day of community, of communion, of rest, of faith, of rejuvenation. I look forward to the week to come. I am excited about a few clients I have been blessed to connect with, and look forward to being their online personal trainer in the weeks and months to come. It is such an honor to be a part of these major transformations that take place and change lives!
Happy Valentine's Day. Give your heart to someone special, and most importantly, love yourself ... you deserve it!
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Our puppy recovered quite quickly from her surgery. On Saturday, we did some things around the house - everyone pitched in to do some cleaning, and my daughter and I had a nice time soaking in the hot tub for a bit. The weather climbed to the 60s.
One of the advantages to living in the Black Hills is that we are never more than about 60 - 90 minutes away from a "retreat" or mini-vaction. Case in point: our nice weekend at the local Savoy Lodge, which was paradise.
Yesterday, we chose to drive down to Hill City. We took a road called Rocheford road that goes through the former ghost town of Rocheford ... I say former because it's making a comeback and now boasts a thriving population of 25. There are some neat, old buildings to look at. Past that town, the road turns to gravel and is just wide enough for two vehicles to pass. We passed two rather large wild turkeys on the side of the road, and thought we spotted another farther down. Then, it spread its wings ... and we realized it was no turkey.
So, we pulled over to the side and waited and watched. The majestic gold eagle flew over head, circled, then landed in the trees not far from us. It sat and watched us, then drifted away - the wing span was wider than our truck. It was a beautiful bird to watch!
We drove on an entered Hill City, which is a beautiful little town. They just may have the record for number of cafés per capita ... there are a ton. We visited the science museum and gawked at the huge fossiles inside, as well as the beautiful minerals, including an amethyst vein (geode) as tall as my daughter. We then meandered to the Alpine Inn and enjoyed a filet mignon with dessert (I indulged in a glass of dark wine). The lights were dim, and it was a like a tudor-stylel European dinner (although you won't find a cut of steak that hearty in most European restaurants).
It was a pleasant evening. My wife and I watched one of our favorite movies, Ronin, afterwards.
This morning, we drove down to church. While our daughter was in Sunday school class, we met a very nice couple named Ken and Julie. We had a great hour visiting and getting to know each other. It was a fabulous service and then we went on to have our traditional breakfast with the grandparents - this time I was craving protein, so instead of the salad bar, I had steak and eggs and replaced the toast and hashed browns with a bagel and cream cheese.
We stayed on to visit some more and then went down town to a nice Italian restaurant. I enjoyed my meal - it was a gorgonzola salad with mandarin oranges and walnuts, and I ordered a grilled chicken breast on the side. This is a nice restaurant which once again felt like Europe - the walls, the decor, the dim lighting (lots of candles), the opera music swelling in the background, and the fine red wine.
Not much left to do today except relax and enjoy the Sabbath for what it is - a day of community, of communion, of rest, of faith, of rejuvenation. I look forward to the week to come. I am excited about a few clients I have been blessed to connect with, and look forward to being their online personal trainer in the weeks and months to come. It is such an honor to be a part of these major transformations that take place and change lives!
Happy Valentine's Day. Give your heart to someone special, and most importantly, love yourself ... you deserve it!
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Expanded my staff!
LOL. Okay, so it is just virtual helpers.
I spent the better part of last night and this morning revamping a few keys to my site. First, I have an extremely cluttered Site Map that I cleaned up quite a bit, and second, my Tour was a bit outdated. I used a free flash template for the intro, and then created some virtual assistants to step through. Take a look - it was fun to create and I hope adds a more "personal" element to the tour than simple, boring text (but, hey, it could just be annoying and take too long to download, too - I'm always trying new things and learning from them).
I am by no means a web design or graphics design expert. I know when it's time to bring in professionals. I was very happy with the banner designs that were created for me. I hired someone to create a theme for my coaching page - a better header, logo, etc - to add to the experience. I will eventually have someone do the design of my book cover - it's been through a few designs, but that's life. I did my own design, then hired a professional, but then I changed the title and created my own again. While that is my best-selling product, I am waiting because I still don't know my strategy for going to print - it doesn't make sense to invest in an eCover if I am going to be hiring someone to do a print cover that I can just translate to the eCover. So, we'll see!
Today is the day my daughter is not tutored. We all went to breakfast together - we normally eat at the house. A typical breakfast for me is fruit or a high-fiber shake that I get from the company that I partner with, and sometimes I might splurge and have some organic flax waffles (yum). On the rare occassion we go out, I enjoy myself without going overboard. I had buffalo sausago, eggs, hashed browns, and a biscuit. The hashed browns and biscuits were the splurge - I'm cutting out most fried foods and the biscuits are about as processed as grains can get. That's okay, however, I know my calories and will compensate later today by having lower calorie meals and focusing more on lean proteins and healthy fats.
It looks like my shopping cart provider choked on the message I broadcast to announce the new newsletter that is now live - here is the link. It went out to some, but not all. So now I have a group of people who will receive the link LATE, and another group who will probably receive it TWICE. I resent the link but it is caught in the queue so I'm tracking down what's going on now. This is the first time I've had an issue with a broadcast (also the first time I've sent a broadcast approaching 2,000 subscribers) - the last month, the broadcast went out fine but the website was down. I guess you can say it's always something!
I am well rested after taking it easy yesterday, so I will focus on my 340 Hindu squats, 34 Hindu push-ups, and 120 second bridge hold today. We'll see how it goes, I feel very confident. Then, my daughter and I will take a dip in the hot tub. Since she does not go to her tutor program today, we are going to have some fun together. My main business goal is to call the new subscribers who left their phone numbers to welcome them ... I've been a bit behind in my phone calls.
We don't have major plans this weekend. I'll be praying for cold weather and snow because I want to spend that ski day with my daughter. It's already approaching 50 today - not good. We are also looking at some home improvement. A portion of our retaining wall that faces the street (remember, we are stuck into the side of the top of a hill) was not fitted with proper drainage (odd, one section has drains, the other doesn't). So, with the heavy snow and subsequent thaw, the water has pushed out a large corner. Looks like we'll be replacing the entire section and then focus on the rest of the wall as well.
Our puppy came home last night from being neutered. I don't like the word "fixed" because nothing was broken. She was a little slow and mopey last night, but is in great spirits chasing the cats and going up and down stairs today. Our daughter cried a bit when we made the decision because she wanted puppies, but then told us she understood. She also said she wants to be a veteranarian when she grows up, to help animals. She volunteered to feed our puppy the pills and is going a great job.
She also had a lot of fun last night at the pot luck we had at the local masonic lodge. We brought a big spinach greens salad with walnuts, shaved apples, and salad dressing on the side. I met a lot of people in the local community - all terrific individuals, very warm and friendly. My wife and daughter both had a blast - my son was watching sports with one of his friends.
So, the teenager is going to a "snow ball" this weekend - big dance, not much snow. This is supposed to be the warmest, driest winter since I believe I heard 1981. Go figure. I guess I brought some of the southern weather with me when I moved, because it's colder on some days in St. Petersburg, where my parents live, than up here!
We are excited about church this weekend. We enjoy the service and congregation so much, and my daughter is having a Valentine's Day party for her Sunday school class. Visiting with my grandmother and grandfather is always nice.
My aunt and uncle just returned from Venezuela. There is a lot of crime there, but it is a beautiful country. They have friends there (Americans who have been living there for 10 years due to job transfer) and had a nice time visiting. My aunt brought back some Chilean wine that I look forward to sampling with her.
We are eagerly preparing for our two trips. In April, we'll fly to Chicago. A company is shooting some b-roll film of me training the Christian band for a show (I still haven't heard from the publicist to know what details I can make public). My wife was born in the Chicago area. I have a team member there, Ed Orlowski, who I hope to get in touch and visit with. He tells me his mother only has a few days left to live, so please hold Ed and his family in your prayers. I am planning to take my wife and daughter (son is rather independent these days) and one highlight we are looking at is the largest aquarium they have there. I could spend a week because I LOVE museums and know they have a great one there as well. I'm looking of forward to trying this "Aurelio's pizza" everyone from Chicago always raves about.
The second trip is for business. We are flying out to California for our Breakthroughs II seminar - it is a several day event. The part I totally transformed our lives - my wife and I did it separately because we each had different focuses and goals to take on. It will be exciting to this one together. We each had a small group (the Breakthroughs I has only 30 people) that we connected with, so this event will bring all of the groups together. It will be another life-changing experience.
The editor for my book has shipped out the edited copies. It will take me several days, if not weeks, to apply the changes, and then I will announce the updated version to anyone who has purchased it already (I give free updates for the e-Book version). Then, it will be back to the drawing board to decide what approach I want to take to bringing it into print, and to format a cover, stylize it for print, etc. Always fun - I never imagined I'd be learning so much.
I've managed to ramble on quite a bit. It's time to drink some water, exercise, and relax with my daughter. Then, my business coach Mike Litman tells me it's time to pick up the phone and connect with people, which I agree with. It's always a joy and a pleasure to put voices to names and learn exactly what people are looking for so that I can point them in the right direction and know how to improve my site, services, and products.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
I spent the better part of last night and this morning revamping a few keys to my site. First, I have an extremely cluttered Site Map that I cleaned up quite a bit, and second, my Tour was a bit outdated. I used a free flash template for the intro, and then created some virtual assistants to step through. Take a look - it was fun to create and I hope adds a more "personal" element to the tour than simple, boring text (but, hey, it could just be annoying and take too long to download, too - I'm always trying new things and learning from them).
I am by no means a web design or graphics design expert. I know when it's time to bring in professionals. I was very happy with the banner designs that were created for me. I hired someone to create a theme for my coaching page - a better header, logo, etc - to add to the experience. I will eventually have someone do the design of my book cover - it's been through a few designs, but that's life. I did my own design, then hired a professional, but then I changed the title and created my own again. While that is my best-selling product, I am waiting because I still don't know my strategy for going to print - it doesn't make sense to invest in an eCover if I am going to be hiring someone to do a print cover that I can just translate to the eCover. So, we'll see!
Today is the day my daughter is not tutored. We all went to breakfast together - we normally eat at the house. A typical breakfast for me is fruit or a high-fiber shake that I get from the company that I partner with, and sometimes I might splurge and have some organic flax waffles (yum). On the rare occassion we go out, I enjoy myself without going overboard. I had buffalo sausago, eggs, hashed browns, and a biscuit. The hashed browns and biscuits were the splurge - I'm cutting out most fried foods and the biscuits are about as processed as grains can get. That's okay, however, I know my calories and will compensate later today by having lower calorie meals and focusing more on lean proteins and healthy fats.
It looks like my shopping cart provider choked on the message I broadcast to announce the new newsletter that is now live - here is the link. It went out to some, but not all. So now I have a group of people who will receive the link LATE, and another group who will probably receive it TWICE. I resent the link but it is caught in the queue so I'm tracking down what's going on now. This is the first time I've had an issue with a broadcast (also the first time I've sent a broadcast approaching 2,000 subscribers) - the last month, the broadcast went out fine but the website was down. I guess you can say it's always something!
I am well rested after taking it easy yesterday, so I will focus on my 340 Hindu squats, 34 Hindu push-ups, and 120 second bridge hold today. We'll see how it goes, I feel very confident. Then, my daughter and I will take a dip in the hot tub. Since she does not go to her tutor program today, we are going to have some fun together. My main business goal is to call the new subscribers who left their phone numbers to welcome them ... I've been a bit behind in my phone calls.
We don't have major plans this weekend. I'll be praying for cold weather and snow because I want to spend that ski day with my daughter. It's already approaching 50 today - not good. We are also looking at some home improvement. A portion of our retaining wall that faces the street (remember, we are stuck into the side of the top of a hill) was not fitted with proper drainage (odd, one section has drains, the other doesn't). So, with the heavy snow and subsequent thaw, the water has pushed out a large corner. Looks like we'll be replacing the entire section and then focus on the rest of the wall as well.
Our puppy came home last night from being neutered. I don't like the word "fixed" because nothing was broken. She was a little slow and mopey last night, but is in great spirits chasing the cats and going up and down stairs today. Our daughter cried a bit when we made the decision because she wanted puppies, but then told us she understood. She also said she wants to be a veteranarian when she grows up, to help animals. She volunteered to feed our puppy the pills and is going a great job.
She also had a lot of fun last night at the pot luck we had at the local masonic lodge. We brought a big spinach greens salad with walnuts, shaved apples, and salad dressing on the side. I met a lot of people in the local community - all terrific individuals, very warm and friendly. My wife and daughter both had a blast - my son was watching sports with one of his friends.
So, the teenager is going to a "snow ball" this weekend - big dance, not much snow. This is supposed to be the warmest, driest winter since I believe I heard 1981. Go figure. I guess I brought some of the southern weather with me when I moved, because it's colder on some days in St. Petersburg, where my parents live, than up here!
We are excited about church this weekend. We enjoy the service and congregation so much, and my daughter is having a Valentine's Day party for her Sunday school class. Visiting with my grandmother and grandfather is always nice.
My aunt and uncle just returned from Venezuela. There is a lot of crime there, but it is a beautiful country. They have friends there (Americans who have been living there for 10 years due to job transfer) and had a nice time visiting. My aunt brought back some Chilean wine that I look forward to sampling with her.
We are eagerly preparing for our two trips. In April, we'll fly to Chicago. A company is shooting some b-roll film of me training the Christian band for a show (I still haven't heard from the publicist to know what details I can make public). My wife was born in the Chicago area. I have a team member there, Ed Orlowski, who I hope to get in touch and visit with. He tells me his mother only has a few days left to live, so please hold Ed and his family in your prayers. I am planning to take my wife and daughter (son is rather independent these days) and one highlight we are looking at is the largest aquarium they have there. I could spend a week because I LOVE museums and know they have a great one there as well. I'm looking of forward to trying this "Aurelio's pizza" everyone from Chicago always raves about.
The second trip is for business. We are flying out to California for our Breakthroughs II seminar - it is a several day event. The part I totally transformed our lives - my wife and I did it separately because we each had different focuses and goals to take on. It will be exciting to this one together. We each had a small group (the Breakthroughs I has only 30 people) that we connected with, so this event will bring all of the groups together. It will be another life-changing experience.
The editor for my book has shipped out the edited copies. It will take me several days, if not weeks, to apply the changes, and then I will announce the updated version to anyone who has purchased it already (I give free updates for the e-Book version). Then, it will be back to the drawing board to decide what approach I want to take to bringing it into print, and to format a cover, stylize it for print, etc. Always fun - I never imagined I'd be learning so much.
I've managed to ramble on quite a bit. It's time to drink some water, exercise, and relax with my daughter. Then, my business coach Mike Litman tells me it's time to pick up the phone and connect with people, which I agree with. It's always a joy and a pleasure to put voices to names and learn exactly what people are looking for so that I can point them in the right direction and know how to improve my site, services, and products.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
It's Time for this Boy to Take a Break!
Whew!
It has been a busy week.
I've been staying up way too late (and no, not working, either, I head downstairs and watch a DVD - never was much of a TV person, but I like movies). I get up early because my daughter and wife are up at 6:30 and I like to spend that time with them.
Today, I realized I am sore all over from my combat conditioning workout, so I decided not to push it and only did 100 Hindu squats and my joint mobility (jangle) routine ... then spent a long time in the hot tub.
I love it when I go outside early in the morning and take the time to shovel snow and sprinkle salt ... and then the temperature jumps to the mid 40s and melts it all anyway! Oh well, I'm thankful for the exercise.
So what have I been doing today? The final editing of my newsletter! This is a BIG issue - lots of awesome articles, so I'm very excited to send it out, one of my favorite so far. I just wrapped it up and queued the announcement, so it will be ready by tomorrow on the release date.
I'm also working on delivering a promise I made late 2004 - to take the first year of issues and bring them together in a free PDF for my newsletter subscribers. I'm working on that so it has a nice, professional appearance and is not overly cluttered with links and graphics and what not ... once that's done, I'll have it available for people to download and share.
I continue to receive very positive feedback about the projects I am working on. It is interesting because while I have more people talk about how my Lose Fat, Not Faith 5-CD Set really impacted their lives, I continue to make far more sales with my Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Book - a survey I ran indicated that more people DO enjoy e-Books than I would have thought, because I always hear the feedback for people who want to see it in print. Looks like the talent for the voice over on the CD remodeling project was hired and will be performing that segment over the next few days, so I am hoping next week to have the remastered set available.
My presentation on autoresponders went well last night - the team was very receptive. I look forward to helping others grow their business and reach more people.
After staring at this computer screen for hours writing and editing, it's definitely time for a break. My daughter comes home at 3:30 and then we have a pot luck at the local freemason lodge this evening at 6:30 - we have been designated to "bring the green salad."
I might listen to a personal development CD or read a book - or maybe just relax and listen to the silence hear in the hills (save for the sound of the wind through the Ponderosa pines). I had two new experiences today - one was to hear ice cracking after salting the sidewalks, that was pretty cool, and the other was watching icicles melt from the edge of the roof over the gazebo that covers our hot tub. What a beautiful day today.
Speaking of personal development, there were obviously a few people listening to my Mike Mahler interview this past Monday, because he mentioned one of the most influential books he read was "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. I happen to have that available for free as an e-Book for anyone interested - I mentioned my site, JeremyLikness.com, and how you can click on the "Spread and Serve" jar to read some very influential books and listen to some great audios at no cost — within hours I had people coming on board to take advantage of it. That is awesome because I know at least three people who were sitting on the fence wondering, "What do I do with my life?" who read some of the books there and suddenly changed their entire outlook and became responsible for their own future. It's hard for me to decide which one I enjoy the most - Think and Grow Rich, for learning how to live in abundance (rich doesn't always mean money), Mach II with your Hair on Fire to realize what is possible for ANYONE if they have faith and believe, Spritiual Marketing by my coaching client and marketing mentor Joe Vitale that really focuses on how we don't have to MAKE things happen in life, when in fact we can improve who we are - strive for excellence and greatness - and attrack success into our lives without chasing it ... or the classic, The Greatest Networker in the World, which describes the lifestyle I only dreamed of when I joined my network marketing company back in November of 2003 and now thoroughly enjoy (no, I don't have the riches and vast estates that the main character in the book has, but I do enjoy the time freedom, making my own choices and the blessed time with my family that I had to give up when I was working into the corporate world).
So, time to wind down and relax ... going to be a beautiful day and a wonderful evening.
I begin each day with this prayer that I am happy to share with you ...
"In the hours of the day, Lord God, be Thou my guide. Direct my every thought, my every action, my every word, that they may better glorify Three through Thy Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. In the name of Jesus I pray ... amen."
Yes, blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
It has been a busy week.
I've been staying up way too late (and no, not working, either, I head downstairs and watch a DVD - never was much of a TV person, but I like movies). I get up early because my daughter and wife are up at 6:30 and I like to spend that time with them.
Today, I realized I am sore all over from my combat conditioning workout, so I decided not to push it and only did 100 Hindu squats and my joint mobility (jangle) routine ... then spent a long time in the hot tub.
I love it when I go outside early in the morning and take the time to shovel snow and sprinkle salt ... and then the temperature jumps to the mid 40s and melts it all anyway! Oh well, I'm thankful for the exercise.
So what have I been doing today? The final editing of my newsletter! This is a BIG issue - lots of awesome articles, so I'm very excited to send it out, one of my favorite so far. I just wrapped it up and queued the announcement, so it will be ready by tomorrow on the release date.
I'm also working on delivering a promise I made late 2004 - to take the first year of issues and bring them together in a free PDF for my newsletter subscribers. I'm working on that so it has a nice, professional appearance and is not overly cluttered with links and graphics and what not ... once that's done, I'll have it available for people to download and share.
I continue to receive very positive feedback about the projects I am working on. It is interesting because while I have more people talk about how my Lose Fat, Not Faith 5-CD Set really impacted their lives, I continue to make far more sales with my Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Book - a survey I ran indicated that more people DO enjoy e-Books than I would have thought, because I always hear the feedback for people who want to see it in print. Looks like the talent for the voice over on the CD remodeling project was hired and will be performing that segment over the next few days, so I am hoping next week to have the remastered set available.
My presentation on autoresponders went well last night - the team was very receptive. I look forward to helping others grow their business and reach more people.
After staring at this computer screen for hours writing and editing, it's definitely time for a break. My daughter comes home at 3:30 and then we have a pot luck at the local freemason lodge this evening at 6:30 - we have been designated to "bring the green salad."
I might listen to a personal development CD or read a book - or maybe just relax and listen to the silence hear in the hills (save for the sound of the wind through the Ponderosa pines). I had two new experiences today - one was to hear ice cracking after salting the sidewalks, that was pretty cool, and the other was watching icicles melt from the edge of the roof over the gazebo that covers our hot tub. What a beautiful day today.
Speaking of personal development, there were obviously a few people listening to my Mike Mahler interview this past Monday, because he mentioned one of the most influential books he read was "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. I happen to have that available for free as an e-Book for anyone interested - I mentioned my site, JeremyLikness.com, and how you can click on the "Spread and Serve" jar to read some very influential books and listen to some great audios at no cost — within hours I had people coming on board to take advantage of it. That is awesome because I know at least three people who were sitting on the fence wondering, "What do I do with my life?" who read some of the books there and suddenly changed their entire outlook and became responsible for their own future. It's hard for me to decide which one I enjoy the most - Think and Grow Rich, for learning how to live in abundance (rich doesn't always mean money), Mach II with your Hair on Fire to realize what is possible for ANYONE if they have faith and believe, Spritiual Marketing by my coaching client and marketing mentor Joe Vitale that really focuses on how we don't have to MAKE things happen in life, when in fact we can improve who we are - strive for excellence and greatness - and attrack success into our lives without chasing it ... or the classic, The Greatest Networker in the World, which describes the lifestyle I only dreamed of when I joined my network marketing company back in November of 2003 and now thoroughly enjoy (no, I don't have the riches and vast estates that the main character in the book has, but I do enjoy the time freedom, making my own choices and the blessed time with my family that I had to give up when I was working into the corporate world).
So, time to wind down and relax ... going to be a beautiful day and a wonderful evening.
I begin each day with this prayer that I am happy to share with you ...
"In the hours of the day, Lord God, be Thou my guide. Direct my every thought, my every action, my every word, that they may better glorify Three through Thy Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. In the name of Jesus I pray ... amen."
Yes, blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Fun, Excitement, and Abundance
Those are words that come to mind for today.
My wife stayed home to work from the house, and I really enjoyed her company. I've missed my daughter off at her tutor four days out of the week - I look forward to Friday, her day off. I also look forward to Monday, when she is having a "ski day" - we'll spend the day on the slopes together! It will be quite a bit of fun.
My wife and I worked together on a full page ad that is going out in our local newspaper. We decided to split it, with her real estate on top and Natural Physiques at the bottom. Marketing is always fun - this is new method for us, so we are both eager to see what the response will be.
I was contacted by another group doing some research for a popular TV show. I hate to be so vague but there aren't specifics yet, so I can't say for certain if anything will come from this. It's an exploration of the darker side of bodybuilding, so I will only be able to provide the contrast of what it's like to focus on the healthy side!
I am excited about this evening. After our international team call (the weekly call where our network marketing team of entrepeneurs connects to share the awesome things that happened to us during the previous week) I'll be hosting a class for the team on autoresponders. This is really powerful technology to connect with large groups of people, and something I've research and worked with extensively. It should prove to be interesting. What's more, I am thankful for the opportunity to emphasize that it's still about people. I still hear shocked voices on the other end of the phone when I call those who subscribed to my e-Zine and were kind enough to leave their number. If you leave a number, I will schedule time to call, even if it takes a few days (and no, I don't call for a sales pitch, I call to welcome people to the list and answer any questions, as sometimes they are seeking something specific and have trouble finding it).
There are a few people looking closely at the NWM business, one who committed to starting after sorting something out, so I am excited to grow the team and also to share the possibility of what I consider true freedom with some more individuals.
I have to say, it's been a very blessed week. I am thankful to God for the wonderful people I have connected with. It is so empowering to see the change people can take on in their lives when they allow themselves to deserve it. I am in the right business, because it is a true reward when I hear from someone who had their lives change because of some trigger or thought that helped them let go of the unnecessary baggage that was holding them back.
I am gazing out over the valley - the sky is deep blue with a brilliant purple/red hue on the horizon, contrasting with the powdered white snow. This is a beautiful land!
Today was 320 Hindu Squats, 32 Hindu push-ups, 100 seconds bridge hold (that last exercise is about 90% mental).
Yesterday I took in about 2800 calories, 33 grams of fiber, with a 22/39/35 split of protein, carbs, and fat. If you're looking to see where the remaining 3% came from, it was the glass of merlot I enjoyed while we were out.
Not sure what is for dinner this evening, but I'm eager to head downstairs to find out.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
My wife stayed home to work from the house, and I really enjoyed her company. I've missed my daughter off at her tutor four days out of the week - I look forward to Friday, her day off. I also look forward to Monday, when she is having a "ski day" - we'll spend the day on the slopes together! It will be quite a bit of fun.
My wife and I worked together on a full page ad that is going out in our local newspaper. We decided to split it, with her real estate on top and Natural Physiques at the bottom. Marketing is always fun - this is new method for us, so we are both eager to see what the response will be.
I was contacted by another group doing some research for a popular TV show. I hate to be so vague but there aren't specifics yet, so I can't say for certain if anything will come from this. It's an exploration of the darker side of bodybuilding, so I will only be able to provide the contrast of what it's like to focus on the healthy side!
I am excited about this evening. After our international team call (the weekly call where our network marketing team of entrepeneurs connects to share the awesome things that happened to us during the previous week) I'll be hosting a class for the team on autoresponders. This is really powerful technology to connect with large groups of people, and something I've research and worked with extensively. It should prove to be interesting. What's more, I am thankful for the opportunity to emphasize that it's still about people. I still hear shocked voices on the other end of the phone when I call those who subscribed to my e-Zine and were kind enough to leave their number. If you leave a number, I will schedule time to call, even if it takes a few days (and no, I don't call for a sales pitch, I call to welcome people to the list and answer any questions, as sometimes they are seeking something specific and have trouble finding it).
There are a few people looking closely at the NWM business, one who committed to starting after sorting something out, so I am excited to grow the team and also to share the possibility of what I consider true freedom with some more individuals.
I have to say, it's been a very blessed week. I am thankful to God for the wonderful people I have connected with. It is so empowering to see the change people can take on in their lives when they allow themselves to deserve it. I am in the right business, because it is a true reward when I hear from someone who had their lives change because of some trigger or thought that helped them let go of the unnecessary baggage that was holding them back.
I am gazing out over the valley - the sky is deep blue with a brilliant purple/red hue on the horizon, contrasting with the powdered white snow. This is a beautiful land!
Today was 320 Hindu Squats, 32 Hindu push-ups, 100 seconds bridge hold (that last exercise is about 90% mental).
Yesterday I took in about 2800 calories, 33 grams of fiber, with a 22/39/35 split of protein, carbs, and fat. If you're looking to see where the remaining 3% came from, it was the glass of merlot I enjoyed while we were out.
Not sure what is for dinner this evening, but I'm eager to head downstairs to find out.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
And a kettlebell across the head ...
LOL, just kidding.
Have you ever heard of kettlebells? They have intrigued me for some time, but I haven't really delved into them in great detail. I know enough to design some basic programs (and have advisors on my team to assist me with that) but my interview this evening with Mike Mahler really got the gears turning.
Isn't it ironic how entrepreneurs really have a similar pattern? Or perhaps it is the type of entrepreneur I attract into my reality ... but how many stories have we heard of ...
Person abuses self with drugs, alcohol, and poor eating
Person gets cleaned up and fit
Person gains confidence and clarity
Person decides they deserve better
Person leaves corporate world to pursue their passion full time
Interesting formula, but I've heard it time and time again as I've interviewed various fitness personalities. It is also a pleasure to hear so many focus not just on the physical aspect, but recognize the mind and spirit as a powerful, moving force as well.
This weekend was beautiful. We drove through the Black Hills to Rapid City to attend the rodeo event. We got to see rockets fired inside with exploding fireworks as we sang the Star Spangled Banner, then watched the cowboys try to hang onto bucking mustangs and bulls. We brought one of my daughter's friends, and they both had a blast. I think they had more fun shopping than anything else.
After a nice day at 60 degrees, we woke up to find snow on the ground. That's fine by me - as long as they keep those ski slopes open!
We had a great church service. My daughter made a chariot in the kitchen for her Sunday school class and got to eat it. We spent some comfortable time with my grandparents (yes, I indulged in a few of Grandma's delicious oatmeal nut chocolate chip cookies) and then headed back. I'm not much of a Super Bowl fan, so I didn't really participate much - I thought of watching a little for the commercials, but ended up just kicking back instead. Made a few tweaks to my site ... normally I keep Sunday free, but the response to my Dime-a-Day Learning System™ was so great that it required some attention - making sure the course was being delivered correctly, etc. I am excited to see so many "students" going through the system and even more excited to receive feedback as they progress through the lessons.
The audio/visual makeover of my 5-CD set should be completed next week ... the deadline crept from 4 days to 2 weeks, but that's fine because I'd rather it done right. My contacts with the major TV outlet want a finished version, so I'll be delivering that along with the final edited version of the Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Book in a few weeks and get the process started.
Looks like another opportunity with the Christian Music Makeover is coming up in March, so I look forward to that. Not sure how many details I can release, so I'll leave it at that.
It's about time to get on my "In the Moment Mastermind Call" with several dozen entrepreneurs around the country - we meet on Mondays and cover various topics to help us build who are we and what we do. It's not about money or even marketing, but more about becoming the best we can be ... sort of a reinforcement of the slogan - Become Your Best.
I did 300 Hindu squats today, 30 Hindu push-ups, with a short bridge hold that could be longer ... also shoveled snow. It's a great start to an abundant week.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Have you ever heard of kettlebells? They have intrigued me for some time, but I haven't really delved into them in great detail. I know enough to design some basic programs (and have advisors on my team to assist me with that) but my interview this evening with Mike Mahler really got the gears turning.
Isn't it ironic how entrepreneurs really have a similar pattern? Or perhaps it is the type of entrepreneur I attract into my reality ... but how many stories have we heard of ...
Person abuses self with drugs, alcohol, and poor eating
Person gets cleaned up and fit
Person gains confidence and clarity
Person decides they deserve better
Person leaves corporate world to pursue their passion full time
Interesting formula, but I've heard it time and time again as I've interviewed various fitness personalities. It is also a pleasure to hear so many focus not just on the physical aspect, but recognize the mind and spirit as a powerful, moving force as well.
This weekend was beautiful. We drove through the Black Hills to Rapid City to attend the rodeo event. We got to see rockets fired inside with exploding fireworks as we sang the Star Spangled Banner, then watched the cowboys try to hang onto bucking mustangs and bulls. We brought one of my daughter's friends, and they both had a blast. I think they had more fun shopping than anything else.
After a nice day at 60 degrees, we woke up to find snow on the ground. That's fine by me - as long as they keep those ski slopes open!
We had a great church service. My daughter made a chariot in the kitchen for her Sunday school class and got to eat it. We spent some comfortable time with my grandparents (yes, I indulged in a few of Grandma's delicious oatmeal nut chocolate chip cookies) and then headed back. I'm not much of a Super Bowl fan, so I didn't really participate much - I thought of watching a little for the commercials, but ended up just kicking back instead. Made a few tweaks to my site ... normally I keep Sunday free, but the response to my Dime-a-Day Learning System™ was so great that it required some attention - making sure the course was being delivered correctly, etc. I am excited to see so many "students" going through the system and even more excited to receive feedback as they progress through the lessons.
The audio/visual makeover of my 5-CD set should be completed next week ... the deadline crept from 4 days to 2 weeks, but that's fine because I'd rather it done right. My contacts with the major TV outlet want a finished version, so I'll be delivering that along with the final edited version of the Lose Fat, Not Faith e-Book in a few weeks and get the process started.
Looks like another opportunity with the Christian Music Makeover is coming up in March, so I look forward to that. Not sure how many details I can release, so I'll leave it at that.
It's about time to get on my "In the Moment Mastermind Call" with several dozen entrepreneurs around the country - we meet on Mondays and cover various topics to help us build who are we and what we do. It's not about money or even marketing, but more about becoming the best we can be ... sort of a reinforcement of the slogan - Become Your Best.
I did 300 Hindu squats today, 30 Hindu push-ups, with a short bridge hold that could be longer ... also shoveled snow. It's a great start to an abundant week.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Before I lay me down to sleep ...
Quick post today.
What did I do today? Managed to reach 280 Hindu squats, 28 Hindu push-ups, but my bridge hold fell short. We'll pick it up tomorrow. I'm noticing still some tenderness on my right shoulder, so I'll be putting together a routine for myself to stretch/warm the joint/etc.
I finished the Dime-a-Day courses and launched it, then released another feature that I hadn't written about before - a Natural Physiques Toolbar. This makes it very easy to jump to sections of the site - in fact, I should probably use it as a model for the navigation I have now!
Tomorrow will be a fun day. I start the day talking to my mentor, Mike Litman. I have some calls to make and some writing to do, then it's going to be off to Rapid City. There is a big rodeo this weekend. We're going to head down because we always have a blast. Saturday night, we'll do some church activities and spend the night there, then attend our church on Sunday and relax.
I'm over halfway to my goal of 500 Hindu squats, 50 Hindu push-ups, and a 3 minute bridge hold. I decided after today that I was depending on my arms too much for the bridge, so I'm going to start using the arms crossed over chest. I might have to cut off a lot of time but I feel this is best to build on my neck strength. The only thing missing from my routine is more thorough stretching.
Nutrition today was solid. For breakfast, I had an orange and a grapefruit. I exercised, then enjoyed a Beverly Mass Maker shake (two scoops) followed by some coffee. Lunch was buffalo barbeque in a lentil stew. After my daughter and I walked home from where she is being tutored (a nice walk that is uphill 100% of the way) we both "splurged" with some cereal (she had Uncle Sam's flax while I had Gorilla Crunch - an organic variety on corn cereal) with soy milk.
Dinner was a half pita with hummus and a nice large spinach salad with crushed nuts, onions, a bit of cheese and a dressing that I made from Balsamic vinagraitte (sp?) and our healthy fat product.
Now it's time to sleeeeeep. No school for Alyssa tomorrow, so we plan on having some fun reading, playing chess, and soaking in the hot tub.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
What did I do today? Managed to reach 280 Hindu squats, 28 Hindu push-ups, but my bridge hold fell short. We'll pick it up tomorrow. I'm noticing still some tenderness on my right shoulder, so I'll be putting together a routine for myself to stretch/warm the joint/etc.
I finished the Dime-a-Day courses and launched it, then released another feature that I hadn't written about before - a Natural Physiques Toolbar. This makes it very easy to jump to sections of the site - in fact, I should probably use it as a model for the navigation I have now!
Tomorrow will be a fun day. I start the day talking to my mentor, Mike Litman. I have some calls to make and some writing to do, then it's going to be off to Rapid City. There is a big rodeo this weekend. We're going to head down because we always have a blast. Saturday night, we'll do some church activities and spend the night there, then attend our church on Sunday and relax.
I'm over halfway to my goal of 500 Hindu squats, 50 Hindu push-ups, and a 3 minute bridge hold. I decided after today that I was depending on my arms too much for the bridge, so I'm going to start using the arms crossed over chest. I might have to cut off a lot of time but I feel this is best to build on my neck strength. The only thing missing from my routine is more thorough stretching.
Nutrition today was solid. For breakfast, I had an orange and a grapefruit. I exercised, then enjoyed a Beverly Mass Maker shake (two scoops) followed by some coffee. Lunch was buffalo barbeque in a lentil stew. After my daughter and I walked home from where she is being tutored (a nice walk that is uphill 100% of the way) we both "splurged" with some cereal (she had Uncle Sam's flax while I had Gorilla Crunch - an organic variety on corn cereal) with soy milk.
Dinner was a half pita with hummus and a nice large spinach salad with crushed nuts, onions, a bit of cheese and a dressing that I made from Balsamic vinagraitte (sp?) and our healthy fat product.
Now it's time to sleeeeeep. No school for Alyssa tomorrow, so we plan on having some fun reading, playing chess, and soaking in the hot tub.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
A Day in the Life ...
I have settled into a new routine and I love it. I say routine only because there are particular elements that I repeat from day to day ... not because it is a boring or rote type of task that I must repeat.
Today, for example, I woke up and helped see my daughter off to her "private homeschooling" session. Breakfast for me is a shot of cranberry juice (this is the pure stuff, not watered down - it'll wake ya up) then some fruit - most days an orange and apple or something along those lines, and today it was grapefruit.
My wife and I had some business to attend to in Spearfish, so we drove up there and I had a nice soy latte (I get a double shot) - that's my one coffee drink for the day and few more calories down.
After getting back to the house, I did my exercise - 270 Hindu squats, 27 Hindu push-ups (do we have a pattern there?) and then a bridge hold for 110 seconds. After the workout, it's a 15 minute soak in the hottub, followed by a shower. Now, my showers have changed a bit ... I used to be one for the really hot, almost fall asleep type showers. Now, because I do the hottub consistently, I'm switching these to COLD. I get it lukewarm to wash and rinse, then drop it to ice cold for a REAL wake-up. I usually don't have coffee until after my workout, but today was the exception.
Lunch was buffalo barbeque in a lentil stew that I made ... can you say, DELICIOUS?
My snacks are typically nuts, figs, cheese sticks, etc (low carb, high fat, moderate protein) because I can eat a little and be satisfied for a long time. I might have a piece of fruit for a snack, too.
Dinner varies - tonight it will be buffalo t-Bone with some veggies.
During the day, of course, is when I attend to my business. None of my businesses are really full time - I do 10 - 15 with the network marketing business and then another 20 - 30 with my Natural Physiques business.
I love the freedom of working from the house. Yesterday, for example, I could ride with my wife to take our daughter to gymnastics and enjoy a "splurge" meal (steak and chicken fajitas at the Mexcian restaurant). Today, I walked to my daughter's place where she is being tutored and walked her home - beautiful day.
I developed a new system that I am VERY excited about - it will officially launch over the next few days. It is a Dime-a-Day Learning System™ that covers topics like nutrition, training, etc. The course I have completed now is the vitamins, minerals, and supplements course - a new lesson each day for 40 days, so the course is just $4.00. I'll have quite a few topics to cover in depth and I feel there are many benefits to this approach - it is produced over time so the customer can take small bits (lessons) without having it all dumped on them at once, and of course the cost is going to make these available to a very large market who might not be ready to invest in an e-Book or other product. I can't wait to add a few new courses, polish it up and then announce it officially.
That's about a wrap for today ... going to call a few people and then get on our international team call. I brought a new team member into my network marketing organization that I am excited to introduce to our team - we typically have people from all over the United States, Canada, and Australia on the line.
Oh, and, while the rest of the world will only see this when it is formally launched, I have a preview of the box and the CDs for my Lose Fat, Not Faith CD Set ... when you click on the link, you'll see the old disks. If you are on my list, I'll announce when the new set is ready - it's being edited (with music laid on the tracks, etc) as we speak and I should have something ready by next week.
Here is the preview - the box and cds:
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
Today, for example, I woke up and helped see my daughter off to her "private homeschooling" session. Breakfast for me is a shot of cranberry juice (this is the pure stuff, not watered down - it'll wake ya up) then some fruit - most days an orange and apple or something along those lines, and today it was grapefruit.
My wife and I had some business to attend to in Spearfish, so we drove up there and I had a nice soy latte (I get a double shot) - that's my one coffee drink for the day and few more calories down.
After getting back to the house, I did my exercise - 270 Hindu squats, 27 Hindu push-ups (do we have a pattern there?) and then a bridge hold for 110 seconds. After the workout, it's a 15 minute soak in the hottub, followed by a shower. Now, my showers have changed a bit ... I used to be one for the really hot, almost fall asleep type showers. Now, because I do the hottub consistently, I'm switching these to COLD. I get it lukewarm to wash and rinse, then drop it to ice cold for a REAL wake-up. I usually don't have coffee until after my workout, but today was the exception.
Lunch was buffalo barbeque in a lentil stew that I made ... can you say, DELICIOUS?
My snacks are typically nuts, figs, cheese sticks, etc (low carb, high fat, moderate protein) because I can eat a little and be satisfied for a long time. I might have a piece of fruit for a snack, too.
Dinner varies - tonight it will be buffalo t-Bone with some veggies.
During the day, of course, is when I attend to my business. None of my businesses are really full time - I do 10 - 15 with the network marketing business and then another 20 - 30 with my Natural Physiques business.
I love the freedom of working from the house. Yesterday, for example, I could ride with my wife to take our daughter to gymnastics and enjoy a "splurge" meal (steak and chicken fajitas at the Mexcian restaurant). Today, I walked to my daughter's place where she is being tutored and walked her home - beautiful day.
I developed a new system that I am VERY excited about - it will officially launch over the next few days. It is a Dime-a-Day Learning System™ that covers topics like nutrition, training, etc. The course I have completed now is the vitamins, minerals, and supplements course - a new lesson each day for 40 days, so the course is just $4.00. I'll have quite a few topics to cover in depth and I feel there are many benefits to this approach - it is produced over time so the customer can take small bits (lessons) without having it all dumped on them at once, and of course the cost is going to make these available to a very large market who might not be ready to invest in an e-Book or other product. I can't wait to add a few new courses, polish it up and then announce it officially.
That's about a wrap for today ... going to call a few people and then get on our international team call. I brought a new team member into my network marketing organization that I am excited to introduce to our team - we typically have people from all over the United States, Canada, and Australia on the line.
Oh, and, while the rest of the world will only see this when it is formally launched, I have a preview of the box and the CDs for my Lose Fat, Not Faith CD Set ... when you click on the link, you'll see the old disks. If you are on my list, I'll announce when the new set is ready - it's being edited (with music laid on the tracks, etc) as we speak and I should have something ready by next week.
Here is the preview - the box and cds:
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
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