My 10,000 Hour Challenge

Some of you are likely to have heard of or about the 10,000 hour rule which was popularized in Malcolm Gladwell's book 'Outliers'.
The 10,000 hour rule in summary, is a theory that suggests that in order to become an expert, or to gain mastery, in a field of one's choice, one must put in enough deliberate practice to get to that level...10,000 hours worth in fact.  
The term deliberate practice refers to practice where you are engaged and fully concentrating on what you are doing, not just messing around or doing what you like, but challenging yourself and pushing yourself to improve. 

There are mixed opinions when it comes to the '10,000 hour rule'. Some people are fully behind the concept 100%, whilst others are more on the skeptical side. I won't go into the arguments for and against as you can just Google them, but I will state my opinion on the theory.

I believe that it differs from person to person, different learning-rates and intelligence being a factor, also depending upon how you learn/the way you are taught.. I've heard that practicing 2 hours a day the wrong way is equivalent to 30 minutes practicing the right way, which is why 'deliberate' practice is mentioned, or 'quality' practice. I wouldn't say that 10,000 hours is a magical benchmark in which you automatically gain mastery status upon achievement of, but 10,000 hours is a lot of time put into a field of choice and so is feasible that you could become an expert. 10,000 hours whatever the outcome,is going to leave you in a much better position than when you first started. 

Intrigued with idea however, I decided that I would test out this theory for myself. I know that there is going to be a long road ahead and that it won't be an easy feat by any means, and is going to reveal how committed I can remain, and if I have enough self discipline for the task in front of me. If I do manage to get to the end of this long road (which I plan to), I'll be able to see if hard work really can get you to an all new standard.

To put into perspective about how much practice is required to meet the 10,000 hour benchmark, it will take you 10 years of practicing 3 hours every day of the year (365 days) to reach 10,000 hours...well 10,990 hours to be more precise. You can see the level of commitment that is required to achieve this ambitious landmark. Some inspiring and motivating present 10,000 hour challenges can be found here: TheDanPlan and DevinWilliams712.

So what is my 10,000 hour challenge? Well, some of you may be aware that I play the piano. I've managed to get past grade 8 but am definitely not an expert. I've never enjoyed practicing and have always found it a chore, so I would do the minimum I could get away with or none at all.

Around a year ago, maybe a little less, I quit lessons for various reasons. As a result of quitting lessons, I no longer 'had' to practice, and stopped playing almost altogether, familiarizing myself once or twice every couple of months before stopping again. 
However, I am now wanting to get into a consistent and self-disciplined routine where I see myself get to a much higher level.

I started the piano coming up to 10 years ago now, but because I hardy practiced - I would be surprised if I had even reached 1,500 hours of practice, and I'm guessing that around 500 of those hours is all you could say were 'quality' hours. So you can probably tell that even though I'm not new to this field, I still have so much to improve upon to even come close to an experts level.

The amount of determined practice per day that I'm going to aim for is 2-3 hours minimum. From only touching the piano a few times in the last year to setting myself a target of 2-3 hours of practice a day is going to be a big shock, but is something I'll need to get used to. 
I didn't want to do an hour a day as I felt that that was too little time to spend on improving, taking 28 years to finish!!! No, 2 - 3 hours seems like a good daily target, and I can always play much more than that if I feel like it. 

At the time of you reading this post I will be already 7 days into this monumental challenge. I will be giving updates to how I'm doing every 30 days or so.

30 Day Pushup Challenge

After posting the 30 Day Squat Challenge for the ladies, I thought it fair to post one for the men...so here it is: the 30 day pushup challenge.
Depending upon how good you are at pushups will determine which challenge I think you should go for. If you can do 0 - 25 I would suggest trying the beginners 30 day pushup challenge. If you are someone who can do 50 pushups or upwards then I would recommend trying the advanced 30 day pushup challenge. For anyone who falls within the 26 - 49 range I would leave up to you to decide which challenge you should go for, in fact however many pushups you can do it's up to you which challenge you take on - just try to stay realistic about your abilities and don't go so far as to injure yourself.

The challenge is based on a number of reps & sets for you to complete per day. Many people who know about reps and sets won't need this explaining to them but for those of you who don't it's not something that is hard to grasp. Basically a 'rep' stands for a repetition, so if I were to do 10 reps of pushups that would mean that I have done 10 pushups - 10 repetitions.
A set is a group of reps. For example if I were to do 2 sets of 10 pushup reps that would mean I did two lots of 10 pushups. 

Beginners Pushup Challenge (30 - 90 seconds rest in between each set)

The number of sets is displayed first before the number of reps followed by the total of pushups.

Day 1: 2 x 10 (20)

Day 2: 2 x 12 (24)

Day 3: 2 x 14 (28)

Day 4: 2 x16 (32)

Day 5: Rest

Day 6: 2 x 20 (40)

Day 7: 2 x 22 (44)

Day 8: 2 x 24 (48)

Day 9: 2 x 26 (52)

Day 10: Rest

Day 11: 3 x 14 (42)

Day 12: 3 x 16 (48)

Day 13: 3 x 18 (54)

Day 14: 3 x 20 (60)

Day 15: Rest

Day 16: 3 x 22 (66)

Day 17: 3 x 24 (72)

Day 18: 3 x 26 (78)

Day 19: 3 x 28 (84)

Day 20: Rest

Day 21: 4 x 12 (48)

Day 22: 4 x 14 (56)

Day 23: 4 x 16 (62)

Day 24: 4 x 18 (68)

Day 25: Rest

Day 26: 4 x 22 (88)

Day 27: 4 x 24 (96)

Day 28: 4 x 26 (104)

Day 29: 4 x 28 (112)

Day 30: 4x 30 (120)

Total = 1,546

Advanced Pushup Challenge (30 - 90 seconds rest in between each set)

The number of sets is displayed first before the number of reps followed by the total of pushups.

Day 1: 2 x 20 (40)

Day 2: 2 x 24 (48)

Day 3: 2 x 28 (56)

Day 4: 2 x 32 (64)

Day 5: Rest

Day 6: 2 x 40 (80)

Day 7: 2 x 44 (88)

Day 8: 2 x 48 (96)

Day 9: 2 x 52 (104)

Day 10: Rest

Day 11: 3 x 28 (84)

Day 12: 3 x 32 (96)

Day 13: 3 x 36 (108)

Day 14: 3 x 40 (120)

Day 15: Rest

Day 16: 3 x 44 (132)

Day 17: 3 x 48 (144)

Day 18: 3 x 52 (156)

Day 19: 3 x 56 (168)

Day 20: Rest

Day 21: 4 x 24 (96)

Day 22: 4 x 28 (112)

Day 23: 4 x 32 (128)

Day 24: 4 x 36 (144)

Day 25: Rest

Day 26: 4 x 44 (176)

Day 27: 4 x 48 (192)

Day 28: 4 x 52 (208)

Day 29: 4 x 56 (224)

Day 30: 4 x 60 (240)

Total = 3,104

30 Day Squat Challenge

Quite recently there has been a challenge for women floating around the web that has gained much interest. It seems to becoming more and more popular, having Facebook, Tumbler, and other website pages devoted to it. I first heard about this challenge through my sister who decided to take it up, in fact it was yesterday she started. After hearing it from my sister I also found out that 3 female colleagues from work, well actually 2 colleagues as 1 of them has now got another job, so 2 colleagues and 1 ex-colleague has taken up this 30 day squat challenge. 
I hear that it is quite the challenge so prepare for some hard work!
So here is the plan:

Day 1: 50 Squats

Day 2: 55 Squats

Day 3: 60 Squats

Day 4: Rest

Day 5: 70 Squats

Day 6: 75 Squats

Day 7: 80 Squats

Day 8: Rest

Day 9: 100 Squats

Day 10: 105 Squats

Day 11: 110 Squats

Day 12: Rest

Day 13: 130 Squats

Day 14: 135 Squats

Day 15: 140 Squats

Day 16: Rest

Day 17: 150 Squats

Day 18: 155 Squats

Day 19: 160 Squats

Day 20: Rest

Day 21: 180 Squats

Day 22: 185 Squats

Day 23: 190 Squats

Day 24: Rest

Day 25: 220 Squats

Day 26: 225 Squats

Day 27: 230 Squats

Day 28: Rest

Day 29: 240 Squats

Day 30: 250 Squats

A useful motivational and tracking technique you can use to go alongside this would be the 'Don't Break the Chain' technique.
 

No Complaining Challenge Day 1

Recently I posted an article about the 'No Complaining Challenge' and said how I was going to have a go at it myself. I started on Thursday (11/04/13) and it is now a Monday (15/04/13), and yet I am writing about day 1? You may be wondering why I am doing so or maybe for some of you it's not a mystery? Well to put it bluntly: I complained! Argh! I was very disappointed in myself. 

At first it was fine, I was up early and ready to go. I was the only one in the house who was up and so talking was either to myself (thoughts out-loud I suppose) or minor comments to my dog, so complaining was easier to avoid. I spent the time getting ready for work. Once at work I noticed that not complaining became harder, mostly I think because of being around complacent colleagues, but still not complaining was manageable. After work I went to the gym and was fine throughout my workout, it was after whilst in the changing rooms that I made the complaint. I had bought some milk before heading to the gym as I had gotten a text from a family member requesting that I buy some while I was out. In the changing room the milk dropped out of my locker when I removed my bag and split...which lead to it leaking...which covered the changing room floor...which lead to my complaint. 

The next two days of the challenge went much better than the first and were absolutely complaint-free, it was the Sunday (yesterday 14/04/13) when the next complaint was made which would force me to start over. I was walking my dog at the time and was writing in my notebook (which you can read about the benefits of having here: Benefits of Writing a Notebook) when it started to rain causing my pages to get wet and causing my writing to cease, it was then a small complaint was made, and then another complaint a few seconds later about having made the first complaint.

Now today (15/04/13) is the restart of this no complaining challenge and has (so far) been complaint free. :) I think that I will be able to get further this time than previous as my recent failures have caused me to keep the no complaining rule in mind. I now have a much better understanding to how challenging this challenge is...roll on the next 20 days. :)

No Complaining Challenge

Complaining is such an easy and negative thing to do and so I am introducing this challenge, with the hope that you all try out for a learning experience as well as helping you to put off complacency. This challenge is called the 'No Complaining Challenge' and is exactly what you would expect from the title: not to complain. 

I think that whilst it's great getting people (myself included) to stop complaining, it is also a good idea for people to realise how easy it is to complain and how often they do it. I have noticed that as of recent I have been complaining more and is a habit that I am not fond of, therefore this challenge is one that I myself will try to carry out. 

I'm not just talking about those major complaints that you make but also those minor ones too. E.g. "the weathers horrible I hate it"! Also labelling someone with a negative comment such as: "(name not mentioned) is a rubbish singer, I don't want to listen to them" is not allowed. Now these may seem trivial to you but the aim of this challenge isn't to get you to become a mindless robot but to have a better grasp upon the amount of times a complaint is made by you and others - at the end of this challenge I'm hoping that people will think much more about what they're going to say instead of announcing a complaint.

A post that you may find helpful to read before taking on this challenge is: How to Stop Complaining. 

Rules

1. No Complaining

This golden rule to this challenge and is the most important one. Do not complain once, of course it wouldn't be a challenge if this was going to be easy so I expect people to break this one including myself (not on purpose)! If you aren't strict with yourself the only person you will be cheating is yourself and won't gain anything from the experience - so try your very best not to complain eve if it means stopping yourself mid-sentence to avoid doing so.  

Every time you make a single complaint, no matter how far you are into this challenge, you start right from the beginning. This may mean that you have to keep starting over but does an even better job at getting you to be thoughtful with your words. Even if you take a whole year to complete this challenge because of having to keep starting over and over, in the end the results will be good. 

The average amount of time it takes people who take on this challenge is 4 - 8 months!

2. 21 Days

You must keep this challenge up for 21 days, only doing it for 1-2 days won't pose the same challenge or have as big an impact upon the way you think and speak as 21 days will. Take note of the day you start (e.g. marking it on a calendar) and make note of when you finish.

Optional Rules

These are rules that you can either allow yourself to be bound to or not, they are fully optional and depends solely on the individual, you can include as many or as little as you want.

1. Duration

Instead of coping with this challenge for 21 day you can increase the amount of days to make it harder for you or to allow yourself more time to get into this good habit. A good step up I recommend would be to go to 35 days. This is a little over a month and it takes on average a habit 20 - 30 days to become cemented into ones life if practiced every day, so 35 (5 weeks) is perfect for making sure.

Then again hardly anyone completes this in the first 21 days as they normally will have to restart many times making it a lot longer so incorporating this rule is entirely your choice. 

2. Bracelet 

Will Brown is normally quoted as the originator of this technique and is a very simple and surprisingly effective one at that. The idea is to wear a bracelet and when you complain, take it off and place it around your other wrist and start again from day 0. 

3. Elastic Band

I've often heard of this technique when people are trying to break a habit, and that is to place an elastic band (or bands) around your wrist and each time you indulge yourself in this bad habit you in turn pull back and release the elastic band so that it snaps against your wrist. The idea of this isn't to cause yourself pain for the sake of it but that you come to associate this bad habit to the uncomfortable pinging of the elastic band(s).

4. Replace a negative with a positive

If you notice that you are about to complain or are on the verge of complaining then turn it into a positive and say it aloud. For example: "the weather is horrible" could become "we need the rain" etc.

Don't Give Up

Is there something that you would really like to be good at or succeed in? I'm sure there is when you think about it? Maybe you've always wanted to play a musical instrument, or maybe a renowned artist, or are you wanting to become an author? We all have aspirations of what we would like to do or be good at, however, there always seems to be something that holds us back...ourselves. 

It can be very easy to say that you want to be an astronaut or want to become an artist, but like all things, you will need to put in the work and effort. Don't give up! It can be all to easy to stop when the going gets tough but remember without hard work how are you supposed to improve? It's like someone who goes to the gym and works-out. If that person doesn't put in the effort to making sure his/her muscles are working hard then there isn't going to be much improvement. 
Hard work can be tiring but is something that produces results when you keep it up, and that's what you need to keep in mind - to keep going and pushing yourself forward to your goal, your ambition!

Other people can also play a big part too. If you get people around you who are encouraging you then this will help your morale and aid you in driving onwards. On the reverse if you get people telling you that you are wasting your time and that you are never going to get anywhere with it, this can have a discouraging affect. Interestingly though when people are discouraging to you, this can also act as motivation to assist you, by wanting to prove your critics wrong and showing them that you can succeed. 

If you do find it tough and the road arduous then there will be no doubt that you will feel like quitting along the way, maybe only the once or maybe several times. When I was learning to play the piano there were many occasion that I wanted to give up but am glad now that I didn't, because now It's something that i couldn't imagine not being in my life - it's definitely a hobby that I'm grateful to have.

A thing that I do when working hard at something that has helped keep me going in many a situation is to think of who else I know is doing what I am doing. That person/or people then become my rival(s) in my head and aid in persisting with what I am doing. For example: I have recently started going to the gym, coming up to two months now, and I know a few other people who also go. I can tell you that it is hard work and sometimes I really don't feel like going, but thanks to thinking about the people I know going to the gym and working out, it unleashes my competitive side and drives me to work-out so that I can better them. I do this for a lot of things and it's something that helps me to carry on. 

In conclusion, yes if you are wanting to improve at something or be good a something or get the job of your dreams etc, you are going to have to apply yourself and work hard, just remember: don't give up. 
If you do find it hard with motivation then a trick that might interest you is this: Don't Break the Chain.

Don't get Involved in Other People's Argumenrts

There are many ways we can find ourselves getting into awkward and/or bad situations, the sort of situation you wish would just blow-over and go away. Some of these situations can't be avoided but yet we still have to face them. One of the circumstances where we can land ourselves in a bad situation is through arguing. 
Some people think that arguing causes results to be produced and for tensions to resolve, I on the other hand just think it makes things much worse and hasty and regrettable things are almost always said. 

Something that I think is even more of a bad decision than arguing...is getting involved in other people's arguments. Involving yourself in other people's arguments even if it seems the right thing to do at the time is not the wise thing to do, it would be a much better use of your energy trying to calm things so that all parties involved can act and think more reasonably. 
Here are some reasons why you shouldn't get involved in other people's disputes. 


1. You'll Get Dragged Into It

This is the most obvious reason to stay out of another person's feud - you'll get dragged in. You may think you're only trying to help by maybe chipping in but you'll find yourself involved. It's all too easy to get involved, especially if it is a friend or family member as naturally you want to stick up for them, but really will it make things better? More often than not if you're sticking-up for someone you are going to get dragged in to a point where you can't get out, and once things are said...there's no easy fix. 

Like I said before you would be wise in spending your efforts trying to diffuse the situation (not by arguing) but even this can come with risks. It can be just as easy to become a target by trying to diffuse the situation simply because you are there in their line of sight, I know the logic doesn't make sense but when people are angry normally logic and reason goes out the window.

2. You Could Make Things Worse

You may go into the argument thinking that you are going to make things better but you could just as easily make things worse than they already are. Point #1 was about being dragged into the argument, so if you are dragged in and you yourself argue then this will not make things better. Plus it seems the more people get involved in an argument the worse it will get as people are bouncing off of each others attitudes and actions, and there are more people to have to try and calm down.

3. You Could Fall Out With These People

An argument is not normally a situation where new friendships are going to form and last a lifetime, it's a situation where more often than not friends are lost and you fall out with people...and sometimes it's never the same again. You need to realise that when you enter an argument you have the ability to say and do some hurtful things, all of which can't be retracted, some of which people unfortunately don't forgive.  

4. Other People Could Lose Respect For You

Think of someone who you know who you wouldn't want to see you if you were arguing and losing your control, or charging headfirst into another person's argument. It's not the most appealing sight to see people argue and if other people you know who you wouldn't want to see you they could quite easily lose respect for you.

Conclusion

Hopefully these points have highlighted in your mind the hazards of getting involved in anothers argument. If you are going to get involved in someone-else's argument which I hope you don't, but if you do, please think carefully about your actions. 

How to Lose Weight

Obesity rates are on the rise. People want to know how to lose weight, and some are trying to, however, society is not letting them. This is as society is putting more and more obstacles in the way of losing weight. It now seems that it is wrong for our bodies to ever feel hunger, but really this is totally normal and our bodies are equipped to handle this.

There are so many advertisements around telling you about these unhealthy foods and how you need to try them and mentioning how cheap they are. And in comparison, unhealthy foods are relatively cheap, whilst the healthier options (for instance: fruits and veg) are a bit more on the pricey side. That's not to say that it's only because of society that a person is overweight, that's not true, there can be many factors that contribute towards a persons weight. These tips are known to work it's just making sure that you stick to them.

1. Exercise

Exercise is essential for wanting to lose weight. Exercise is great for helping shed those calories and helps to speed up metabolism, which is what burns the majority of calories. Adults are recommended to do at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise 5-7 days a week, whilst overweight and obese people should aim for 60 minutes and upwards.  

There are so many different forms exercise can take, so there should be one for you somewhere. That could be in the form of swimming, cycling, running, etc.

You may be thinking "I don't have 20 minutes to spare, let alone 30 minutes or more". Well this is common for many people, but the good thing is you can break it up into smaller chunks as long as you manage to hit your guideline for the day. For example, you may decide to do a 10 minute walk to work and a 10 minute walk back from work. That then only leaves the remainder of your time to spend doing something else. 

Try adapting to a more physically engaging lifestyle; try walking instead of taking the car or bus, or take up cycling, take stairs instead of lifts, take regular short-session intervals for something as small as 5 minutes of activity. Maybe even join a club. Over time it really does do your body good. 

2. Drink water

What you drink also plays a vital part in weight reduction as well, so sugary drinks are best to be avoided. If you like to enjoy an alcoholic beverage then try to limit the amount you have or stop completely. Water is the best liquid to go with and helps with metabolism. In fact one way to see a reduction in calorie consumption is simply to switch to water as being your 'main drink'.  

You can read more about drinking water here: 10 Reasons for Drinking Water.

3. Eat healthier

Eating healthier is something that, if you're serious about weight loss, will need to be implemented into your life. The truth is that your body needs vitamins and minerals to help sustain it and keep it functioning properly, not to mention helping with metabolism. 

Sugary foods and fatty foods are the big contributors to weight gain so cutting these out of your diet, or at least limiting their intake will definitely be beneficial.

If possible, try and get your recommended 5-fruits-and-veg a day. They are very low in calories and are great for snacks. 

4. Watch your calorie intake

You're body naturally burns calories, the majority is done through sleeping, but it is affected about what you do during the day. If you're consuming more calories per day than your body is burning then you are inevitably going to gain weight and not lose it. A lot of people who are doing this will not even realise the amount of calories they're taking in. When I started to have a look on the nutritional labels on the sides of food packaging, I was shocked about how easy it is to consume more than your daily calorie intake-guideline. Healthier foods seem to be lower in calories and so are the ones to go for, and they provide a steady energy use throughout the day.

Men's guideline intake of calories is 2,500. Women's calorie intake is 2,000 per day. 

5. Don't suddenly change your lifestyle

Your body will not adapt well to all of these sudden changes if you drastically change what you're doing. When wanting to train-up for a marathon without having any running experience, you don't just start by trying to do 26 miles. You slowly build up to that, maybe only starting with half a mile until your body has adapted to the change you are making.

So with trying to lose weight, for a lot of people anyway, a gradual change should be made so as to adapt better to the changes. This will keep you more inclined to keep these new good habits.

It's definitely possible to make a lot of big sudden changes and stick with them, however, only more disciplined people can do it this way. It is the quickest way though, but the way that isn't normally stuck to with most people.

If you do decide to start by making a gradual change to your lifestyle, don't let your self make excuses and allow lots of bad habits to continue because your making a gradual change. The emphasis shouldn't be on the gradual (because that could cause you to be very gradual about the process) but on the change, which is after all what you're after. Also a gradual change doesn't mean that you can't set challenging goals, just not as big as a full-blown lifestyle turn-around.  

6. Eat breakfast

Despite the rumour floating around that avoiding breakfast is good for you - it's not. Breakfast is essential for kick-starting your day and providing you with the energy your body needs. Whilst you sleep your metabolism will slow down and by having breakfast in the morning will help to get it going for another day. If you do miss breakfast you can lose fat, however, your body can also start to break down muscle as a a source of energy and that's not good. Having more muscle will mean there is less space for fat (if you don't eat excessively and do exercise) and actually helps with the promotion of a healthy metabolism, making burning fat easier.

7. Stop snacking

This is where a lot of people trip up and I can see why. Snacking is an incredibly easy thing to do, especially when you're bored or have had a stressful time - acting as comfort food. When people change their diet, often they seem to forget about snacking and it seems that one or two biscuits here and there won't hurt - but they do. Unhealthy snacks (such as biscuits, chocolate, sweets, and the like) are all high in calories and sugar, and will prevent you from losing as much weight as you could, if at all. 

I've written a post about snacking named: How to Stop Snacking. 

8. Keep a food diary

This is just to let you know what your calorie consumption is for each day. What you will need to do is to record the day's date and then record everything that you eat as your day goes along - and I mean EVERYTHING. Do not let anything get missed. If you want a truly accurate total of the calories that you consume then it is vital that you do not miss anything. Make sure to record saturated fat contents and sugar contents for each thing that you eat as-well, as these all contribute towards putting on weight. Your recommended daily sugar intake should be no more than 120g (for men) and 90g (for women). Saturated fat intake should be no more than 30g (for men) and 20g (for women).

Conclusion

Weight loss is not something that will happen overnight but is something that you will have to adapt to for the long term. If you are wanting to see serious results then you will need to adopt all of these tips and then have the self-discipline and motivation to stick to them. If you can afford to, getting a personal trainer who knows what they're doing will help you to keep to your goal. Good luck.

How to Stop Gambling

Gambling is a very addictive thing to get involved in. The thing that makes gambling so addictive is that you do win, it's just that you lose more. If you win a lot, you feel like your king of the world and your winning streak is never going to end, so you take one last shot, and lose everything. It's a common predicament gamblers get themselves into, that could/can be so easily avoided.

You don't have to gamble every day to have a problem, it could be an infrequent thing you're dealing with, yet it can still cause you hassle.

1. Avoid casinos

Whilst avoiding casinos and other 'gambling quarters' will not solve the problem for more serious gamblers, it will help. Preventing yourself from accessing these places will over time start to get you to form a habit of not using them. Which can only be a good thing right.....unless you're a casino owner that is.

2. Counselling

Like a lot of other addictions, there's always people willing to help you with your problem. Talking people will help hugely, you'll be able to sort out problems you've been facing, and get professional advice.

Having group counselling sessions with other gamblers can help, acting as a source of motivation and friendly competition to help stop.

3. Think of the money you'll save

Gambling needs money to help fuel it, so think about how much money you use when gambling. Is it £5-£10?, or £100-£300?, or is it more? How ever much money you spend gambling, that could be saved and spent on something else.

4. Only carry change

Like I mentioned in point#3, a person can only keep gambling as long as they have the money to keep it going. So by carrying only change around with you, you're preventing yourself from gambling. Make sure you don't carry bank cards, as this will allow you to draw money out to spend, change only.

5. Have someone tag along

When you need to go shopping and you feel that you don't yet have the will power not to gamble the shopping-money, then take someone who isn't a gambler with you. They will be able to act as your voice of reason and help to make sure that you don't go back to old habits. 

6. Make plans

Gambling needs your time. Try to then schedule in things to do when you might normally gamble. Using this time up will allow you to avoid gambling your money, and can be spent doing something nicer. For example; family activities, recreational activities, maybe a hobby, etc.

7. Think of the consequences

Think of what you will feel like afterwards, what consequences may appear. You may be sacrificing relationships, making life hard for others, using money that is supposed to be for other things. Whatever the consequence may be, think of it and picture yourself there. Once you've done that, then make your decision. If you make the decision to not gamble - great, well done. If you go ahead and gamble and get yourself into a problem - you only have yourself to blame.

8. Have someone else take charge of finance

Have a member of family deal with your finances, and limit what you use them for. Having someone else do this will stop you from accessing more money and stop you from wasting it.

After some time, once you are no longer under the control of gambling, can you regain control over your finances.

9. Avoid the Internet

If you are used to gambling online, and you don't think you can go on it without gambling, then avoid using the Internet altogether. It may seem a bit extreme, but if you're going to do it, then the best thing to do is stop using it.

If you can't stop using the Internet, then maybe you should get rid of it.

10. Read recovery literature

Read some gambling recovery literature every day. You read about how others stopped their gambling problem and how they maintain it. You can also read some helpful tips that I'm sure I've missed in this post.

It will also keep you in the mindset of not-gambling.

How to Stop Smoking

Smoking is not an easy thing to quit, if it were, there wouldn't be the amount of 'quit smoking' courses and advertisements there is. 

It is hard, but is not impossible, fully possible with the right level of commitment, determination, and self-discipline.

When preparing yourself to stop smoking, there are some key factors that you will need to make a decision about and deal with. These are;

• Why are you quitting (for health, for religious reasons, for financial reasons, for friends and family, etc)
• Making the choice to quit, and the day you are going to officially decide to stop smoking
• Dealing with withdrawal symptoms and emotional reactions
• Maintaining your new no-smoking lifestyle.

Having a reason to quit is an important one, it's no good trying to quit without a reason. Having a reason will provide you with motivation that you will need to keep in mind whilst fighting the urge to smoke.

You will also need to pick a day to stop. Picking a date sooner rather than later is better, as picking a date too far away will allow you to change your mind. Deciding to stop today is the best thing to do.

Also keep a record of the date you did decide to stop, this will let you know how far you've come. It will allow you to put your new goal into perspective. I know when I'm trying to stop something, it always feels longer than it has actually been.

The list that I've put together below will be easy in some aspects and hard in a lot of others. Instead of seeing them as tips, see them more as rules that you are going to live your life by in order to quit and maintain being quit.

1. Admit you have an addiction

Like with any addiction, the only person who can really stop you from feeding the addiction is yourself. You can go to all the no-smoking meetings and sessions you want, but if you don't recognise that you have an addiction, your mindset won't have changed, and the determination to stop won't be any use because it wont be there.

2.Get rid of anything to do with smoking

You are going to be dealing with temptation on a daily basis, so you will want to make this as easy as possible for yourself. Get rid of anything to do with smoking. These include; ash trays, old cigarette packets, existing cigarettes, etc. Don't just do it inside your home but also anywhere else where these items could be; car and work.

3. Attend a no-smoking class

While it is certainly in the realm of the possible to stop smoking on your own, stopping with others is an easier thing to do. You will get the encouragement you need, not to mention motivation and help to stop.

4. Ask people who smoke to be helpful

If you know a lot of people who smoke, tell them that you're quitting. Ask them if they could not smoke near you, it's quite easy to get a cigarette off of a friend who's not quitting themselves, so don't let yourself get into that position.

5. No rationalism

Whatever you do, do not let yourself listen to the part of you that is trying to rationalise that it's okay to have a smoke - it's not. 

It's easy to listen to this part of you, and even easier to ruin the work you've done so far, because as soon as that one cigarette, that one puff has been taken, you'll be back at square one.

Some of these rationalism's may sound like this:

• "One wont hurt"
• "I've had a tough day, I'll quit tomorrow."
• "You've got to die of something"
• "My aunt smoked every day of her life, and lived to be 85"

Feel free to use any of these excuses, or maybe one that is suited more for your situation. The bottom line is however, you will not be able to stop whilst you are making these excuses, you're only hurting yourself.

6. Keep active

Staying active is a great way to keep your mind off of smoking and is great for your mind. Being active can help fight boredom, which might have been a reason to smoke before. 

It also gives your hands something else to do besides hold a cigarette.

Staying active could be in the form of completing jobs that need finishing, or just simply exercising.

7. Substitute the cigarette

When quitting, you'll find that you will have an urge to put something in your mouth. Try having some sugarless chewing-gum or fruits and vegetables. The gum will allow your mouth to have something, and the fruit and veg are good for helping as-well, and they provide a healthy snack.

8. Reward yourself

Depending on how many cigarettes you smoke, will determine how much money you save. Every day, put the money you save into a jar and then at the end of the week reward yourself with something. Not a cigarette. Maybe buy a book, buy some music, start a hobby, go out for a meal, etc.

Or you could just save it. :)

Remember, other people have been in your situation and have quit, and there are hundreds of people quitting every day. You can be one of them.

No Snacking Challenge Day 30

Thirty days ago I decided to set myself a 'no snacking challenge'. The challenge was to last 30 days, so today is my final day, and I wanted to share a few things with you all.

I haven't posted about my efforts of not snacking since day 14, and to be honest, there's not that much to say. The first week was when I was adjusting to not being able to snack. I was surprised how difficult it was to not be able to go and grab a biscuit or something when I was feeling hungry. Even when I wasn't hungry, I discovered that snacking was just something of convenience - there is food nearby, I'll have some.

The second week was a tougher week, and my craving for snacking got worse. It seemed that the resistance I was putting up against snacking just made the craving worse, but I persevered and got through it.

Now onto the last two weeks, weeks 3 and 4. I was expecting week 3 to be harder than week 2 and then for week 4 to get gradually easier. Instead, week 3 wasn't that hard at all, and I never really had snacking on my mind. Week 4 has been the same, only at a couple of points did it get difficult, but for the week as a whole it was relatively easy.

Something that I did notice in the last two weeks was my tendency to snack has become a lot easier to keep control of. I was pleasantly surprised to find this out. 

I can remember at the end of third week, I wasn't even paying attention to the challenge, as the habit to not snack seemed to have already taken form, and in truth I think I had actually forgot about the challenge, as it didn't seem as much of a challenge - it had become more of the norm.

In fact, I was actually writing a different post for today, when I remembered that it was the end of my no snacking challenge. So I had to put the post I was writing for today aside, that will now be tomorrows, and had to write the final chapter of this no snacking series.

It has definitely changed the way I eat. I don't really have the urge to snack as much, of course there are times when I do get the urge, but this challenge has actually made me take sort of a disliking to snacking. I know it sounds weird, as snacking on tasty things is great, and thirty days ago I wouldn't have thought I would end up with a view like this towards snacking. I think it's because I know what snacking can do and what the downsides to it are, coupled with my new habit of not snacking anyway, what has caused this mindset.

I'm sure there will be points when I do snack, but I can't really see myself going back to snacking as often, it's not really my nature. Once I get something programmed into me, I find it hard not to keep it up.

If anyone reading this is wanting to limit their snack intake, then I would strongly urge you to give this challenge a try. I can't guarantee it will work for you, but if you're strict with yourself and keep it up for the thirty days, I'm pretty confident you'll get into the habit of avoiding snacks. Once the habit's obtained, things become a lot easier. 

No Snacking Challenge Day 14

Two weeks have now passed since I took up the 'no snacking challenge', during this second week it's been a mixture of easiness and difficulty.

At the end of week one, I was starting to feel the difficulty of not snacking, but was able to get through it. At the beginning of this second week, that difficulty overflowed into the first couple of days, causing me to almost trip-up and give in.

It seems, now that I'm trying not to snack, that more and more opportunities keep cropping up for me to fall-down. For example; I've noticed there's been quite a lot of unhealthy, yet very tasty things in the house I could, and probably would normally, snack on. I have resisted, but it's just a factor on my mind.

Another example is when people offer me things to eat. 

My mum and sister were eating some minstrels in the living room. As I walked through, I was offered some. I turned them down, feeling annoyed that I couldn't allow myself just one. My mum then started to insist that I ate one, I again declined. Then she started to try and force some into my hand, at which point I had to leave the room. 

It seems quite comical to think about, and I'm sure it would have been to look at, but if I hadn't of escaped, then I think I would have given in.

I've been offered things at work as-well. A guy there offered me some pieces of Galaxy chocolate. Now normally I would have taken the pieces, thanked him for them and thought nothing else of it. With snacking being out of the question at the moment though, I had to politely refuse. He then tried to ram them into my face, as a joke, and it came so close to me having a piece, but somehow once again I managed to stay away.

This week has been different than last week in the terms of intensity. The first week had a more consistent level of intensity, getting slightly more heated by the end of the week, but all-in-all quite consistent. 

This week however, snacking hasn't been on my mind. It's only when an opportunity does present itself, that the intensity of wanting to snack becomes pretty intolerable, much more than the first week. After it's past though, It's no longer on my mind. To be completely honest, apart from these snacking opportunities, snacking hasn't been on my mind.

How to Deal with Anger

Have you ever been in a position where you can feel yourself losing control and becoming increasingly angry? Even though you knew this, you just didn't know how to deal with the anger, and you ended up doing something you regretted. 

I'm sure all of us at some point have been in a situation where we've become irrationally angry and made a mountain out of a molehill, and done something stupid, later wishing we'd not.

Having said this, for some people this is more of an issue than for others. This can be because of a factor of many things, but becoming angry is not a nice feeling and once it's gone, leaves you feeling pretty bad, not to mention the person/people on the receiving end. So here's how you can deal with anger:

1. Walk away

Although it may go against every bone in your body, when confronted with a situation that you know is going to make you angry, the best thing you can do is just walk away and find a place where you can calm down.

Maybe you think that you're being a coward or doing the easy thing, but really, it's not the easy thing. The easier thing to do would be to let yourself, in the heat of the moment, become angry. As for being a coward, it takes more guts to leave than to stay and retaliate - that's just pride.

2. Don't say anything

When you're in a situation where walking away isn't possible, then don't say anything at all. It's better to keep silent and have control over yourself, rather than speaking in anger, which will most definitely lead to something else. Angry words will cause other people to become angry and will just start an argument.

3. The aftermath

When you're about to become angry, try to think logically and consider the effects of what could happen in the aftermath. When we're angry it's very easy to do and say things that are hurtful, nasty and spiteful.

Think to yourself; "If I let myself become angry it will only make things worse".

4. Ignore those who try to provoke a reaction

Unfortunately, there are people in the world who like to make people angry and who like to provoke a reaction. So, just act indignant towards their attempts. Ignoring them will sometimes only make the situation worse, not always, but sometimes. You can answer them, but kindly and don't show any sign of a reaction, and they're get bored.

5. Look at others examples

Identify someone you know who never seems to get angry, who always seems to keep their cool and not turn into the hulk. You can learn a lot by watching how they go about controlling themselves, and mimicking their actions.

6. Try to understand others who may be cross

When we come into contact with someone who is behaving angrily, it automatically makes us defensive. Instead of this, allow yourself to drop your guard and listen to what they have to say. They may in fact have a very good point, but are conveying it in a very poor way.

If you can remain involved by listening, yet detached by not becoming angry and remaining calm, then chances are is that they will start to calm down and feel bad about what they've done.

If they don't seem remorseful then, then they'll probably will later on. If you're trying to cope with anger, then you can imagine how they will feel afterwards.

7. Think about your response

When we're angry it can be very difficult to give a reasonable response, and can cloud our decisiveness. When we're are faced with asking something or responding to something, think about the different options and about which one would be the wise one to go for.

For example: Someone tells you something. You could react in any of the following ways.

a) I could respond back spitefully and insult them, causing an argument  to break-out.

b) I could remain calm, listen, and help them to calm down, possibly gaining the respect or friendship of them.

c) I could ignore what they have to say because it's a waste of my time, and talk over them loudly.

The answer I'm hoping you would choose, would be answer 'b'. :)

I hope this post has been of some help.

No Snacking Challenge Day 7

It's the end of my first week (day 7) into my no snacking challenge, and since my last update about this, on day 2, things have gotten harder.

The first two days of this challenge, although were testing in their own rights, didn't have the level of difficulty that was expected. Since then however, things have become harder.

No snacking, although sounding like an easy thing to do, does take determination if you're in the habit of snacking. A lot of us snack, so we know what it's like to stop. Sure, we may go a day or two without snacking not thinking twice about it. That's the thing though, when we're not thinking about snacking, of course it's a lot easier. With a set goal however of stopping snacking, things become different.

Having this particular goal of no snacking forces you to think about food. It forces you to make a conscious effort to avoid excessive eating, and eating between meals, and when you're constantly thinking about not snacking, it draws you closer to it.

This is why from day 3 up to present, it has become harder, because I can't eat when I want or what I want.

After saying all of this however, it may have come across that I'm resentful towards this goal. This isn't at all true, in fact I'm feeling a lot better for doing it. I think it's brilliant that I'm able to have the willpower to stop myself from snacking, true there has been occasions where it has become so close to just throwing the towel in and helping myself to whatever, but I'm glad I haven't.

Before starting this effort to stop snacking, it's surprising how many situations you're faced with to make the decision not to snack. For example: just walking past your kitchen, or in-and-out of it. Although this sounds simple, if you're a glutton for snacking, it can prove difficult to stop yourself taking another biscuit or packet of crisps or whatever is available.

A second example would be when you see someone else eating something and they offer you a bit to eat. It's easy to turn them down if they're eating something that you don't like, but if they've got something tasty and you're hungry, things can get tempting.

So far I'm still going okay. I'm not too sure when things are going to get easier, but I'm not expecting this second week to suddenly become manageable. Maybe give it until the second half of the third week, beginning of fourth week. :)