Corey Stokes

Don’t just read for the sake of reading

It really doesn’t matter how much information you have. What does matter is what you do with the information that you do have. While I am asked several times per day who am I reading. My answer is always circular. I’m rather reading someone motivating and inspirational, or re-reading someone who has inspired me to achieve. I don’t just read a book and put it down, I read it, re-read it, and read it again to take notes. The fact of the matter is I study the books that I read. If you want to achieve, act on the information you read, don’t just read it.

Recently I heard Darren Hardy say, “It would be better to read 1 great book 32 times, ” instead of reading 32 books 1 time.

If you need a suggested place to start, here are the books that I’ve studied over the years. Choose one, study it, and welcome the greatness that the information will help you unlock.

Interview with Alissa Gittens

From basic financial knowledge to creating a system that is self-sustaining, how you manage this area of your life is arguably the most important step in your lifestyle management process. I recently spoke with Alissa Gittens, a trained classical musician who is creating the life that she wants through music and her other entrepreneurial endeavors.

In summary, you can create the life you want to live. Here are some of the key actions that Alissa and I spoke about.

Don’t just focus on your skill, if you want to be in business for yourself you also need to understand how to manage your money as well. Basic financial literacy helps in life and in business.
Monetize and live now, how to automated the talents that you have and find opportunities to create the life you want to live.
Secure your financial futures by knowing yourself. Be aware of your spending habits and set goals to get you where you want to be.
Invest in yourself!
You are going to fail, Learn from your failures and try again.
Don’t read just for the sake of reading. Try to apply the principles to you life.

Okay, I fell off!

As you can see from my fitness calendar, the month of February was not a great month for working out. Although I think injury is a good reason to fall off the wagon so to speak, the remainder of my year will hinge on the actions I take next.
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During my first race of the year, I sustained an injury that has kept me from working out like I wanted to . After lots of rest however, my body is itching to hit the ground running.

In order to not become overwhelmed however, it is not recommended that you simply jump back into your workouts. Here are three steps to either start or get back into any workout routine.

Start slow. If you try to pick up where you left off, you may cause injury. By starting slow, you allow your body a chance to get use to the activity again. This includes running slower, lifting less weight, or even going a shorter distance. You don’t want to experience burn out before you get started. So take it easy.
Get an accountability partner. Even if you are like me and enjoy running on your own, having a partner that you engage with regarding your workouts will help to motivate you to continue. When someone else is holding you accountable for taking an action, it is more of a priority to get it done.
Change up the venue. For me, running outside provides a continuously different experience. There is always something new to see, depending on the time of day I go. But occasionally running on the treadmill, although I’m participating in the same workout, gives me a different experience. So I don’t get bored! Something else to try is to change your route, change your playlist, change your shoes, or alternate workouts.

BOTTOM LINE, take it easy for the first week or two! Take each workout one workout at a time, start slow and, build up to speed and distance or weight (when lifting). Every successful work out you complete, makes the next workout more likely to happen.