The damper in the center of Taipei 101

“Do not be tense, just be ready, not thinking but not dreaming, not being set but being flexible” -Bruce Lee

The picture above is what you’ll see if you ever visit the top Taipei 101. It was once the largest building the world until it was surpassed by Dubai’s Burj Khalfa. The damper in the center of the building lets it sway like a wet noodle during an earthquake.

When I moved to Taiwan, I wasn’t at all scared of earthquakes. I’m still not. I’m a California girl and I grew up with shaking. I actually slept through an earthquake once while my family panicked. They really don’t phase me.

However, I was really glad to know that Taiwan is one of the most earthquake safe places around.

Taiwan has been through many earthquakes. Because of this fact, they have developed building techonology that creates flexible yet sturdy buildings.

The concept is simple. As Bruce Lee says; what is flexible will move. The damper in the center of Taipei 101 is basically a massive ball that allows the building to move from side to side. While Taiwan’s building don’t all employ this method, the principle is generally the same.

Recently, both Chile and Haiti suffered during massive earthquake damage and death because they were ill prepared. However, Taiwan went through an earthquake just a week or two later and there were no reported deaths. While there was damage to some older buildings, I think it’s safe to say that Taiwan is doing a pretty good on the earthquake safety front.

So, kudos to Taiwan and keep up the good work. I hope that we can encourage all countries to prioritize earthquake safety so that we avoid tragedies like those of the previous months.

Wikipedia defines my generation as Generation Y or the Millennial Generation. We’re the successors of Generation X, the tech savvy resilient bunch that is said to be born from 1977 – 1998 or so.

We’ve grown up in an age where the Internet has played a major role on our development. We are the “Napster” generation where we expect things, like the music industry, to work different than they did in the past. I mean, really, it’s the new millennium, isn’t it?

We witnessed 9/11 and the changing political climate that followed. We’re staging anti-war protests, we’re fighting for our right to love, we’re voting and we’re dying.

Some call us the “Trophy Generation” as we expect lots of positive feedback and ample high-fives. We grew up in the “no one loses” era of sports and competition. We’re finding our bosses hard-line stances harder and harder to swallow. We’re rejecting the idea that hard work alone will guarantee anyone success.

So far, our biggest social impact has been our ability to change. We’ve seen huge changes during our time on earth and we’ve adapted accordingly. We will be known as the generation who spawned such social networking giants as Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter. We see opportunities for change and jumped on them like no other generation has in the past.

However, our legacy, will be so much more than just tweets, and #hashtags, and wall posts, or even high fives and slaps on the back.

We’re here for our revolution. We’re here to change what so desperately needs to be changed. We’re here because we believe in our own imaginations more than any other generation has believed.

In this time of economic crisis, we’re seeing that the deferred life-plans of the past are no longer relevant. We can no longer depend on getting a job out of college, working for 50 years and then retiring. There are no promises of the American dream that we grew up believing in.

However, we are choosing to create our own American dream instead. We are changing the status-quo. We’re giving a big high-five to entrepreneurialism, to lifestyle design, to vagabonding and extended travel, to volunteerism, to working abroad, to learning new languages, to accepting new cultures, and most of all; to accepting ourselves for the great creators that we are.

We’re exercising our right to quit jobs that suck and make us depressed. We’re building our empires. We’re unwavering in our resolve to be different and to adapt quicker than the last generation. We’re opening our minds and our hearts.

Our biggest impact on the world will be political, social, technological, artistic, revolutionary, global, and really damn fun too.

Our biggest impact will be that of passion. We’re going to bring passion back into a world where it has taken a backseat to being realistic. We’re not thinking about the future, we’re thinking about NOW. We’re not unemployed, we’re funemployed. We’re not putting off our dreams, we’re living them now. We’re putting passion back into the American dream and because of that, we will bring that dream alive with a millennial kind of spirit that has never been witnessed before.

Hey, I’ll give a high-five to that. Just don’t leave me hanging.

I was born in 1983 so I fit the bill for Gen Y. While I agree that people in my generation do feel like they can do ANYTHING and that they deserve the best that the world has to offer, I don’t think that labeling it a “sense of entitlement” is the correct spin to put on it.

I prefer to think of it as an imagination revolution. Gen Y-ers are realizing that their dreams can really come true. We don’t think that the world owes something but we DO think that the world has more to offer than previous generations.

Look at how far we’ve come in the last 20 years. The Internet, overcoming the Cold War, Web 2.0, 9/11, a biracial president, and what’s next? Why shouldn’t we feel like life has more to offer us than ever before? Why shouldn’t we look to all the possibilities of the world with wonder and excitement and ask, “What’s next? What’s next for me? What’s next for us?”

I encourage people my age to reclaim their sense of worth. I don’t call it a sense of entitlement. Maybe that exists but I just don’t see it. It’s an imagination revolution. We’ve figured it out and we’re going places with it.

-Heidi Briones, Lifestyle Designer

I got the term from Tim Ferriss’, author of The Four Hour Workweek. You should definitely buy this book immediately. It WILL change your life.

A lifestyle designer is someone who decides to reject the notion of the deferred life-plan that so many subscribe to. Most people think they should go to school, get a job, work at that job until they retire, and then do whatever they want.

A lifestyle designer chooses to do what they want to do NOW. That’s right, right now. There is no reason to defer your life until you can no longer enjoy it. Why spend your healthiest years working (read: slaving) for someone else? It’s time to take control of your life and do what makes you happy now.

A lifestyle designer is time-wealthy. They may not be “rich” but they have automated some cash flow so that they can have lots of time at their disposal.

A lifestyle designer chooses to live NOW. To be more productive, have more fun, automate more income, and LIVE more.

That’s why I consider myself a lifestyle designer and I strive to be a part of this movement.

If you want to be a lifestyle designer then the first time is think about what you really want. What would you do, daily, if you have $100 million in the bank? Chances are that it’s a lot more doable than you realize. Write down exactly what you want and strive to make that happen in the next 3, 6, or 12 months. Always have a goal, set it HIGH, and stick to it.

I hope that helps you to understand more about lifestyle design. Pick up Tim’s book for more info.

-Heidi

You’re an expert. Yep, you. If you’re reading this right now then I guarantee you’re an expert at something.

Maybe you already knew that. If so, congrats. You’re ahead of most of the population.

Many people think that they are not EXCELLENT at any one thing. Maybe they know they’re good at a few things but they definitely don’t consider themselves experts.

Well, most people (again) are WRONG.

You are an expert at something.

I recently participated in a webinar/Q & A with author Tim Ferriss. He coined the term lifestyle design, wrote the book “The Four Hour Workweek” and helps people build their businesses with mobility in mind.

He often recommends that people define themselves as an expert in ONE arena and run with it. Come out with some information products, sell products, and set themselves up for the coveted four hour work week.

However, many people, can’t think of anything that they are experts at.

Tim offers this suggestion: “Ask yourself: What makes me weird?”

Seriously, what makes you weird? Do you like birdhouses? Synchronized swimming? Building birdhouses whiel synchonized swimming?

Maybe what makes you weird isn’t even that weird at all. Are you really good at snowboarding and like to do yoga? Well, maybe you’re an expert at yoga positions for snowboarders. Sound weird enough to you?

Here’s your homework: Make a list of all the stuff that you enjoy doing. Then rate each item on the list on a scale of 1 – 5. 5 being “I’m really really good at this” and 1 being “Just a hobby”. Then when you’re finished take a look at the list and circle everything that you listed as a 3 or better.

If you think hard enough, you should be able to figure out that you’re an expert in SOMETHING. If not, put the list away and look at it again in a few days. I guarantee that if nothing else, this exercise will get you thinking about yourself and the value that you could offer the world if you’d only tap into it.

Ahh, procrastination. You know what you need to do but you’d just rather not to do… At least not right now.

How many things do you have on your procrastination list? Still want to take that dream trip and haven’t made it? Still want to quit your job and start your own business?

Or maybe it’s just the little things that are adding up. Sure, the laundry will do itself one day. They’ll definitely invent that sometime in the next 100 years. Right, keep telling yourself that

Here is a surefire way to increase your productivity in three easy steps.

1. Make a clear goal.

“If you are not making the progress that you would like to make and are capable of making, it is simply because your goals are not clearly defined.” – Paul J. Meyer

Most people fail to get anything done simply for the fact that they have no idea what they want to do. They have never sat down and WRITTEN out their goals in a clear and concise manner. This inevitably leads to a nagging feeling in your gut that you could be doing more.

2. Write your goals down. Daily.

This is the single best tactic that I’ve learned for goal setting and productivity. No doubt.

Take an old fashion piece of paper. Do it. Now. I’ll wait.

Now: write down three specific goals that you have for yourself. Make one a daily goal, one a monthly goal, and finally a three month goal.

When you write your goals, write them in the PRESENT TENSE.

For example, don’t write “I want to take a trip to Cancun”.

DO write, “I am taking a trip to Cancun. I’m packing my bags and about to jump on the plane”.

Seems silly but it works! The difference is that you’re setting your brain to think that you’ve already accomplished these goals. Now, nothing can stop you. There are no more mental blocks that will allow you to procrastinate further.

Re-write these goals daily to keep them fresh.

3. Dream big. As big as possible.

“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” – Steve Garvey

Most people set their goals far too low. Don’t be afraid of setting goals that seem unrealistic or lofty. These are the BEST goals. It’s better for you to set an “unrealistic” goal and come close then to set an easy goal and reach it without effort or strife.

Don’t be afraid of your true potential. You are capable of far more than you realize.

Now did you write your goals down yet? I’m betting you didn’t. Go right now and grab and piece of paper and a pen and write down three goals. Then take that piece of paper and put it in your pocket for whenever you need motivation or encouragement.

Good luck, I know you can do it!

Here are my top three fat burning foods. Try to eat at least 2 out of the three on a typical day and while incorporating water consumption and exercise. You will start to see the fat shred off your body.

For the purposes of this post, I’m only including starchy carbs. Just to show that carbs CAN help you burn fat when eaten in the correct combinations.

1. Oatmeal

It was really difficult for me to get into oatmeal. The texture really bothered me. However, it is an excellent fat burning food. It’s also very versatile. You can mix it with protein powder for a complete meal. I have to mix in some kind of fruit (I personally prefer bananas) in order to get over my initial texture issues. I’m into it now. Yum.

2. Yams/Sweet potatoes

Yeah, yeah. Yams and sweet potatoes aren’t technically the same. However, they often marketed as the same product in the U.S. so I’m lumping them together. They are an excellent fat burning complex carbohydrate. To create a complete meal, mix them with a lean cut of meat.

3. Brown Rice

Brown rice is an excellent fat burning food. The hardest part about brown rice is making it correctly. It can turn out too grainy and almost inedible if you do it wrong.

A quick Google search led me to this link: http://pinchmysalt.com/2009/04/06/how-to-cook-perfect-brown-rice/

I haven’t tried it yet but it’s worth a shot. If you can get brown rice just right then it is a great companion to a any type of protein source that you choose.

Yum! Alright, happy eating (and fat burning).

Love more
Live more
Learn more

I don’t know too many people who don’t have a Facebook page.  In fact, I don’t know too many people who aren’t ADDICTED to Facebook.   However, when someone states that they don’t have a Facebook page, I can’t help but think, “But… how do you live? How do keep up with your friends?  How do you find out which stereotypical Californian you are? Really, how do you do it?”.

Our definition of living has changed.  We are no longer content to exist in a reality without the Internet.   Even those who are the most militantly against creating their online personalities still have to use e-mail on a near daily basis just to survive.

I’ve always been okay with delving directly into the digital world.  In fact, I’ve been using the Internet since I was about ten.   I had the old school AOL 1.0 on dial-up.  I can still hear the sound of the dial-tone as it connected.  Ahhh….  That sweet sweet high-pitched sound of connectivity.

However, lately, I’ve realized that I’ve fallen behind.  It happened so fast.  One day, I was the queen of AOL.  The next, I was asking myself questions like “What IS Twitter?” and “Is Myspace dead?”.    Man, how did I become such a n00b?

I’m going to respond like I usually do when I find myself out of “the know”.  By jumping in head first and making every possible mistake until I become an expert.

I invite you to jump in.  Join me in this experiment.  Hey, if you can’t beat them then you had better add them as a friend, follow them, and write an entire blog dedicated to them, right??  Right??

Add me as a friend on Facebook:  http://facebook.com/heidibriones

Follow me on  Twitter: http://twitter.com/heidibriones

But don’t bother with Myspace.   That’s so 2004.

nasal passages open and close

tongues dance around the house

jaws open and shut like a mental drawbridge.

To some, it is gibberish.

To others, it is music.

To even more, it is everything.

Pushing air out of lungs without

a thought of breathing or immediate

survival.

An instinct too innate to fully

understand its origins.

Everyone can participate in some

arena.

Not all are audible and

not all can fully comprehend.

However, all wish to play.

All have something to say,

whether or not they ever

say anything at all.