Updates to my Christmas Wish List

Posted on December 1, 2016 by

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vent-holderIsn’t it funny how we all feel so much pressure to have an amazing Christmas wish-list, so we hurry to write everything down and then we totally forget some totally obvious things.

Hilarious, right?

Added five things to my list (and took off the TV …I bought one on Black Friday)

Much more to follow.

Best Advent Ever 2016

Posted on November 28, 2016 by

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best_lent_ever_white_logoAnd here we are again. Another reason to make crazy promises to myself about self-improvement and becoming a better friend, father, husband, employee, and, overall, a better person. It happens every Lent, every January 1st, and now I’ve added in Advent thanks to Matthew Kelly’s Best Lent Ever invention.

Why not? If we chose yesterday, the first Sunday of Advent, to work on a few things to make ourselves better, what’s the harm? If one of those new habits stick, or you and I can break some old, bad habits, who gets hurt? The answer . . . nobody.

I carry around this bag of guilt because you’d think, after forty-three years and all these New Year Resolutions, and Lents, and Advents, and birthdays, and all these momentous occasions when you and I were going to “turn over a new leaf” and make “today the first day of the rest of my life”, well . . . you think we’d have it all figured out.

Not many people ever do, I guess. Maybe that’s the journey. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and seasonal opportunities to fix something or change something. This past weekend, I posted my Christmas wish list, but today I’m going to post my Advent Wish-List. If I can cross-off the majority of the things on both lists, it’s going to be a great Advent and Christmas.

  • Pray daily with all three of my children (I’ve gotten away from it with my oldest)
  • Be there for my Aunt Denise more than I have been and make her more a part of my family
  • Actually wake-up and take care of me at 5:00 a.m.
  • DO NOT EAT in the evenings
  • Exercise (at a minimum, walk the dog) in the mornings
  • Avoid dumb sugar
  • Maximize the hours of 8:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily for work (and nothing but work)
  • Build a routine to help make December better and get 2017 off to a good start

And just like my Christmas Wish-List, my Advent Wish-List is a work in progress . . . as am I.

Is it Too Early to Publish My Christmas Wish List?

Posted on November 24, 2016 by

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sonosFirst. Happy Thanksgiving. Now we have that out of the way and we can get to my Christmas Wish List. What’s that you say . . . I’m being selfish? Oh, I suppose I should wait until mid-December and not give my friends, family, and co-workers enough time to shop? Now that would be selfish.

One problem. I’m having a helluva time coming up with a worthwhile list, but let’s get started with this. Feel free to leave good ideas in the Comments of this blog entry if you have inspired ideas for me.

See what I mean? That’s a sad list. But I knew the pressure was on to get this out before Black Friday. Phew. Happy shopping! Oh, and please, feel free to go off-list if it’s something really expensive.

Up and At ’em!!!

Posted on November 15, 2016 by

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drew-mikeMy Outlook and remote logon didn’t connect (or was spotty), but I walked the dog. Gave her a good brushing. Enjoyed a nice cuppa coffee. Listened to the Drew & Mike (or Marc) Podcast, cleaned up my Yahoo! Mail Inbox, and moved about a dozen things to my daily To-Do List on Evernote.

Do you use Evernote? Talk about staying in control. Evernote (for you Microsoft folks) is like OneNote, but just know OneNote was created as a response to Evernote. Evernote invented the cloud-based Franklin Planner. I don’t think Evernote thinks of themselves as a Franklin Planner in the cloud, but as a former Franklin Planner addict, this is how I use it.

One of my “power moves” was to create a Notebook called “DAILY” and each day I start a new note and a checklist of all my tasks and phone calls. It allows me to stay “Inbox Zero” over in my Outlook Inbox.

Do you care about my “power moves”? Want to know more about it?

Even just accomplishing the simple to-do of getting out of bed early has started the day with me feeling in control

Selfish with the Weekends? Am I Selfish?

Posted on November 13, 2016 by

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I have more work to do at work than I have hours in the week. And not your typical, lazy 8 1/2 hours days. I’m talking 10-hour days. And I still can’t get everything done. On Monday, and all week, I’m going to journal every minute at work and see where I’m going wrong and where my distractions are, and I’ll try and figure out where my time is going and what I can automate, delegate, or skip entirely.

But back to the point of this Blog entry. When I get to my weekends, if you ask me on Friday at 5:40 when I’m leaving work, I’ll tell you, I’m going to get up early on Saturday and Sunday …early. Like, 6:00 a.m., and I’m going to dominate the 3-hours of peace and quiet until my family wakes up and starts their day. That’s like a 6-hour day.

Guess what? I don’t. I sleep until 7:00. I get up and take the dog on a half-hour walk. I come home and make a fabulous cuppa joe. I make a healthy breakfast. I hop on my iPad and read things and look at things. Before I know it, it’s 9:00 a.m. and I start contemplating going to the library for a few uninterrupted hours and really crank out some work (write some scripts, update some pending, put together some proposals).

Guess what? I don’t.

Instead, selfishly, I spend some time with my kids, make them breakfast, sometimes watch English Premier League, and tackle some chores. Sometimes, like yesterday, I head to the hardware store, my son and I both get haircuts, and we walk around the pet store researching dog harnesses because I don’t like the two we have. Then I make lunches. Then I clean up my firepit a bit because we plan to have s’mores later on.

gary_vaynerchuk_300dpiWhoa. It’s mid-afternoon. I’m relaxed. I’m enjoying living. And I start to feel guilty and lazy and like I’ll never “get ahead” because I just don’t have what it takes. I’m a big fan and devotee of Gary Vaynerchuck and his thing is “hustle” and he’s one step shy of being the “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” type mentality and it makes me think – maybe I’m not that type of guy.

Is that OK? Is that selfish of me to want to enjoy my time and my family and my house? Is it selfish to rake my own leaves and mow my own lawn and wash my own car to (a) save some money and (b) because it all needs to get done and what’s the point of paying someone else to do it?

Gary Vaynerchuk definitely doesn’t clean his own house, wash his car, or mow his lawn.

What’s the point of all of this (for anyone who read this far)? The election. That happened and everyone was angry and yelling and people are still protesting. You’d think the way we voted for a billionaire who said he’s rebuild our economy, cut taxes, and make us safe …well, you’d think every single person in American could be a millionaire if only it weren’t for the oppressive Clinton and Obama polices. Everyone!

But guess what? We’re alllllll lazy and selfish. The vast majority of us aren’t the types who will work 12 hours on the weekend and 60 hours Monday through Friday, and delegate and farm out all our chores and tasks because most of us …and when I say “most”, I’ll bet I’m talking about 90% of everyone in the U.S. . . . most of us just wanna work a little and enjoy alotta of our life. We want to coach our kid’s soccer teams. We want to have people over for BBQs and cocktails. We want to take a walk. We want to see some sports and go to the movies, do a little shopping, take a nap, and read a book. We want to have a hobby. We want to throw a ball around with our son.

I want to clean out my gutters.

So, back to my question. Am I selfish? Or am I normal?

The Don Daily: I’m Growing a Beard for No-Shave November

Posted on November 10, 2016 by

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no-shaveIt’s the tenth day of November and the tenth day of beard growth. A group of us at iHeartMEDIA Detroit are growing beards for No-Shave November.

More to follow. But if you want to support us (me), you can donate at the link below. We’ll give the money we raise to one of the many great causes that iHeartDETROIT takes part in during the holidays.

This is our page: https://no-shave.org/member/MightMenofIHeartDETROIT

Sometimes current events make us think we need to draw a line in the sand, pick a side, and then fight like hell against the other side. Ya know. Current events. Like an election. Ahem. Well, there is good in the world.

What is No-Shave November? As they say at their site, it’s “a Unique Way to Grow Cancer Awareness.”

Everyone asks for money from this time of year, and I wouldn’t complain if you donated cash to the cause, nsn_full_widebut mostly I just want to be part of raising awareness and ask that you comment on this blog, share this blog, share our No-Shave-November page, and in a few weeks when I sell squares for the Lions Thanksgiving game and the Michigan-Ohio State game, that you buy some squares.

Thanks for your support.

 

 

The Don Daily – What Successful People Do

Posted on November 7, 2016 by

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7-habits-coverI’ve spent the last three years, and actually the decade before that, reading about successful people, reading books by people who research what successful people do, and listening to audio books and Podcasts daily and . . . like many people like me who read, attend seminars, and listen to audio books and Podcasts . . . I’m not successful.

That’s difficult for anyone to say about themselves, but when I look at my life and my career, I’m not too proud to say it. I’m. Not. Successful.

“But, Don,” you say, “you’re being to hard on yourself.”

Am I?

Successful people exercise. Successful people eat healthy. Successful people wake early. Successful people have seven habits. Successful people have clear goals, written down, and achieve those goals. Successful people work hard. Successful people work long hours chasing their dreams. Successful people meditate daily. Successful people have clear priorities.

Now, let me ask you . . . am I being too hard on myself?

I work every day at my job from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. That’s 9 1/2 hours. If I ask myself, Don, do you maximize those 9 1/2 hours? Guess what my answer would be? Ahem. Hardly.

I set my alarm every day for 5:15 a.m. In a seven day week, how many days do I pop outta bed, take the dog for a walk, and then come home and write (for myself) until 6:30 and the daily routine starts? Ahem. Hardly. Most often I lay in bed listening to a silly Podcast, dozing in and out of sleep until I absolutely have to get up at 6:30.

I know something about myself, if I do not eat anything after dinner, that I can pretty much lose weight super easy. Do I avoid snacks after 6:00 p.m.? Ahem. Hardly.

I know something else about myself. I am better, mentally, when I get 7+ hours of sleep. I almost always have a good day when I spend the time on my morning walk meditating while praying the Rosary (for a specific person, idea, or area of worry). See above. If I set my alarm for 5:15 a.m. and have admitted I hit the snooze until 6:15 a.m., and if I’m about to admit I sabotage my sleep by staying up too late …what do you think is the answer whether I mediate and pray daily.

I know I am highly effective when I get 7+ hours of sleep. So, with a wake-up time of 5:15, it would stand to reason I go to bed at 10:00 pm. Check my math, please. Do I go to bed at 10:00 p.m.? Ahem. Hardly.

So, again, I’m not defining “success” by my income (though, truth be told, it’s not where I wish it was), but by my ongoing battle to do simple things for myself that I tell myself I’m going to do.

If I ever really start doing the things that I know successful people do, I’ll have a better answer.

The Don Daily

Posted on November 3, 2016 by

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Yesterday was All Souls Day and I was invited by my Aunt to attend an evening Mass with her where my Uncle Jerry would be called by name and we all would pray for his soul, again. I miss him. But having him in my life made me a better person, and while I prayed for his soul, I also thanked God for blessing my life and soul with his presence. It was difficult watching my Aunt cry and I felt a little guilty for feeling his presence and feeling lifted by his spirit. We lost my Uncle exactly nine months ago. There’s been plenty of times where I wish like crazy I could talk with him. And yet, sometimes I do feel he is talking to me. Like last night at Mass. I’ve been struggling with things . . . work . . . life . . . sleep . . . money . . . time-management. These are things I might’ve talked about with my Uncle Jerry. So when I prayed and reflected last night, I talked to God, Jesus, and my Uncle about those things, and I believe he spoke words into my brain. My brain, which too often races at a hundred miles per hour and can’t ever focus on anything …my brain became clear. Thoughts of my bank account, my sleep deprivation, my expanding waistline, my budgets at work, my budgets at home, the leaves in my gutters, my lack of exercise, my too-long to-do list, my sparse time spent with my kids, my marriage (the good and bad) . . . it all disappeared for a few moments.

I felt at peace. I felt like I felt when I was a young man without so many burdens and stresses and I could see my Uncle Jerry living a balanced life. Living a life that seemed joyful. Seeing him joyful reminded me, that’s where it all starts. It starts with joy.

Last night, my Uncle said to me, “if you miss me, remember the video you have of me? Watch it. Show it to your kids.”

And then a few hours later, my Aunt texted me that she watched the video, again. She and I didn’t compare notes. But we both did the exact same thing following the All Souls Mass.

I feel sorry for people who don’t believe that God, Jesus, Angels, spirits, and our loved ones speak to us. It’s easy to poo-poo such silliness, I guess, but it’s much nicer to open one’s heart, mind, eyes, and ears to the possibility.

I’ve said it before and will say it many times …we read in the Bible how God appears as a burning bush or parts the sky and speaks to us, but I believe it’s more simple than that. Burning bushes are rare. Mostly God, Jesus, Angels and our loved one whisper to us. Don’t disregard a random thought. It’s someone hoping you’ll hear them.

If you don’t know my Uncle Jerry, let me introduce you to him and his life, here:  https://kaleidoscopicraygun.com/saint-jerry/

Or watch this…

And, yesterday,  I reminded the world – yes, the entire world – that I’m completely over-connected on social media.  If you need me anyplace other than this blog, here’s my things…

Twitter: http://twitter.com/donkowalewski
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/don_kowalewski/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaleidoscopicRaygun/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donkowalewski
Snapchat: donkowalewski
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/donkowalewski

The Don Daily

Posted on November 2, 2016 by

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and-now-for-something-completely-differentI’m gonna try something new. My Blog will have at least one post per day and I’ll call it The Don Daily. Who cares, right?

I like to read alotta Blogs. Sometimes I see a clever blog and check it every day and the author seems to be hilarious, or interesting, or really on top of their subject and then . . . poof. No more entries. Then, maybe weeks later or months later, there’s a new Blog entry that starts with, “hey, readers, sorry I’ve been missing in action . . . ” blah, blah, blah and I think, “oh, good. I’ve missed this guy (or gal).” A couple of days go by and, bam!!!!  There’s a new blog entry on that blog. And then a week and nothing.

A month goes by.

Three months go by.

Finally, a new banner headline and a long explanation of “so many things going on” and “stay tuned” and then . . . more nothing. 

Look over to the right side of this page and you’ll see long lists of Blogs and if you click on half of them, you’ll see the last entry made was in 2014 or 2015.

Go back and re-read my first sentence. “I’m going to try something new.” It would seem I’m in the club with the Bloggers who don’t blog consistently.

It’s OK. I know. I’m very hit and miss.

But … I’m going to try something new.

We all should try something new, especially if what we’re currently doing isn’t making us happy, successful, wealthy, inspired, respected, admired, or appreciated. I’m not even saying we all need to be millionaires and hold seminars. I’m saying, we need to enjoy each day and if we’re healthy and our families are healthy, and we have some friends, and are lucky enough to have shelter and three warm meals a day . . . the rest should be gravy.

I’m going to try something new. Daily. I’ve gotz two months left in 2016. Time to sprint to the finish line.

The Don Daily bullet points:

  • I undid some burdens – paid my $18 library fine, transferred by backpack carry-all to my super nice leather brief-case, and charged my lossless FiiO high-resolution audio player because, while I am unashamed of my Podcast addiction, listening to good, quality music is something I really enjoy.
  • Today I’m going to call them, “my Cubbies,” just to annoy people.
  • As soon as this I finish writing this Blog entry, I’m going to spend every moment at work doing ONLY WORK things (and nothing personally) because I believe I’ll enjoy my mornings and evenings more while not thinking about work.
  • I started today with the Darren Daily and it was really good (and it might’ve inspired this Blog entry, actually).

Have a great day! Don’t be afraid to “try something new.”

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/donkowalewski

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/don_kowalewski/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaleidoscopicRaygun/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donkowalewski

Snapchat: donkowalewski

Website: https://kaleidoscopicraygun.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/donkowalewski

Sleep is Important

Posted on October 28, 2016 by

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Wanna know who my nemesis is? My ultimate rival? It’s Night-Time-Don. That guy is completely out to sabotage Morning-Don and Daytime-Don.

Let me tell you about Night-Time-Don. He eats like shit. He loves cookies, chips, beer, ice cream, and Halloween candy. And not just a little bit. Sometimes all of the above. Calories on top of calories, and sometimes more than one alcoholic drink and Night-Time-Don makes it impossible for Morning-Don to wake early and get the day started on the right foot.

Night-Time-Don is also like a spoiled child and refuses to go to bed. Not because he’s doing anything productive or is engrossed in a work project or an amazing book. Nope. Night-Time-Don stays up to watch mindless TV. To check Facebook. To watch sports. Games, in fact, that don’t even involve a team he roots for.

Night-Time-Don knows that Morning-Don and Daytime-Don need sleep to function at their peak performance levels. Morning-Don likes to wake up, drink some water. Put the dog on a leash. And then take a 1/2 hour power-walk. It’s good exercise for the dog and for Morning-Don and gets his juices flowing. He listens to a Podcast or, more often than that, he’ll meditate over the Rosary while walking. But when Night-Time-Don doesn’t head to bed until midnight(ish), well, Morning-Don can’t drag himself out of bed at 5 a.m. . . . nor 5:30 a.m. . . . and not even 6 a.m. Morning-Don, instead, hits the snooze and starts stressing about the day and cursing Nighttime-Don.

And don’t even get me started talking about Daytime-Don and how that guy curses the choices that Night-Time-Don makes and how disappointed he is in Morning-Don.

Daytime-Don, too often, finds himself tired, unfocused, and unable to cope with the tasks and demands of the day. Daytime-Don simply doesn’t function well on less than 7 hours of sleep. Well, you ask, why doesn’t Daytime-Don and Morning-Don agree to sleep-in until 6:30 or 7:00 a.m.  Ahem. Don (all versions) has kids and a morning routine. Morning-Don needs to shower and be ready for the day by 6:55 a.m. when he wakes his kids and starts their 6:55 a.m. to 7:40 a.m. morning sprint out the door. That’s non-negotiable. OK. Yes. Morning-Don could set his alarm for 6:45, spring out of bed, handle the morning routine of his kids, and then at 7:40 when they leave (along with his wife), take a walk, shower, and then head to work, but that’s not realistic either. His work-day starts at 8:30 a.m. Morning-Don’s commute is 25-minutes. So that means if Don waits until 7:40 to get ready, he only has 25-minutes to shower and leave his house by 8:05 a.m.

Working backwards. Let’s say Night-Time-Don could live with an 11 o’clock bedtime. In order to get 7 hours of sleep, he would need to sleep straight through to 6:00 a.m. So, yes, that’s an option and will be taken under consideration. But understand this. Morning-Don, not by choice, has a bad habit of waking up at 5 a.m. anyway. He’s not sure why this is. It just is.

The point is this: when Nighttime-Don isn’t so dang selfish and heads to bed at 9:45 and spends some time reading or listening to a Podcast, and gets to sleep by 10:15 or 10:30, and then wakes up at 5:00 a.m., it has a profound impact on Morning-Don and Daytime-Don.

Wow. What a long blog entry. Nobody read it, I’m sure of that. But if they did, they know all I’m doing is beating myself up about the fact I stay up too late and then fail myself by neglecting my morning routine and lacking energy and focus throughout the day. Everything suffers when Don (all versions) neglect sleep, which is really neglecting his brain.

“Early to bed. Early to rise. Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”  -Ben Franklin

How come nobody lives by that, anymore? You can’t Google search “morning routines” or “power of sleep” without reading about the benefits. Damn you, Night-Time-Don.

benajmin-franklin-early-to-bed-early-to-rise

Don Kowalewski

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