 February 2020 was a stellar running month for me. I began the year with a 100k per month goal. I messed around in January and had to run 60% of that in the last 9 days, so I wrote out a plan for February to get the 100k in a reason amount of running. It was simple:
I ran diligently enough to make the 100k in 19 days. Yes, I'm awesome. Thank you. 🤣 So, I added 50K to my monthly distance goal. Then, I hit 150k so I added another 25k. I finished February with 175.75 km run (109.21 miles). My goals for running are fluid. They're firm but not set in stone. Challenging but not overwhelming. They're targeted to guide me to accomplish new levels of success and also give me freedom to increase my output. Running 100k in February became a goal as soon as I gave it a deadline and made the plan. The goal is fluid because:
You may question what running has to do with success, and that's valid. Running has a lot to do with my success. But the point for you is: If you can set a goal and work it to completion for a hobby (I'm using this term very loosely because running is much more than that for me) you can do it for anything. Once you've done something, you can do it over and over again. The goal became Work in Progress after about a week (I'll discuss this next time, so be sure to come back and visit). While you're here, take a look at the mentoring options I have available. Take care.    Last time I mentioned Quantum Physics as a method of creation and manifestation. I'm no expert, of course, and more of a Spiritual Scientist than a natural one, but as someone who enjoys knowing how and why things work I have a basic understanding. Quantum Physics is the natural way of explaining Faith or that believing is seeing. We can speak and create or manifest occurrences into this natural realm by forming an Inner Vision. But the Inner Vision is only the beginning; we can't stop there. We have to go another step and speak The Inner Vision into the atmosphere with our words to make it reality. We all have desires of what we want to be, do or have. They're internal - only thoughts - until we speak them. When we speak them, vibrations are released that begin to shift particles in the unseen realm around us and these particles act as Building Blocks. Business owners, entrepreneurs and highly successful individuals understand this truth even if they can't verbalize it. Successful businesses and corporations have clear Visions, people who achieve anything have clear Visions. They see where they want to be and aren't deterred by present circumstances. Seeing themselves where they want to be empowers them to get there eventually. I've often referenced comedian and actor Jim Carrey's history of writing himself a check for $1 Million that he carried around in his pocket to support his Vision of being paid that amount. It eventually happened. I have a love/dislike relationship with running. I love it and the benefits that come with it, but I'd rather only run five minutes and be done. My runs are three to six miles and in order to keep going beyond five minutes I have several strategies I employ. One is seeing myself in a particular location at the conclusion of each kilometer. For example, when I start out, I have a picture of the street I should be on when my app indicates I've completed one km. From there I look ahead to where I should be when I hit the second km mark. So on and so forth until finished. This is Quantum Physics at work. It may be a simplified process, but it works to explain and to manifest Vision. I don't leave out the speaking part either. The whole time I'm running I'm telling my body: that it's loose, that it loves running, my lungs aren't troubled so my legs must do what I tell them, that it doesn't hurt and that I run 10k's daily so keep going and get it done. Also, on my Creation List, which I read at least once daily, I have a Declaration (some call them Affirmations) that I run 10k's daily. By speaking it I'm building the blocks to manifest that as reality in the future. If you're interested in personalized help for constructing your Life Vision, a Creation List or in need of some Wisdom for success, schedule a call or book a mentoring package today. You can do, be and have anything you desire with the proper plan to make it happen.    In late Spring 2019 I drafted what I call a Creation List. It's a list of statements of what I want to manifest in my life. It's a list of focus, intention and goals - all things that keep me on track for living the life I desire. Staying motivated and focused is serious business. It's life or death. Success or failure. That's why high-achievers or anyone who accomplishes goals regularly are in-demand speakers, teachers and authors. The Motivational & Inspirational market is booming. I'm a witness. I created my list because I know the power of my words, and as I evaluated the progress of a particular situation the following question came to me: What are you speaking about it? When working toward an achievement, the seed of success germinates as we completely align ourselves with the finished vision. We must see the end result of our desire and then conform our minds, words and actions to that end result. Then we harvest success after a season of consistency. For example, since 2016 I've participated in a challenge to run 1000+ km by year end. I set a goal to run 100 km in January 2020. I broke that down into manageable parts, but got behind due to my excuse that it was too cold to run some days. A couple of days I used an indoor machine - I can't do it. Being stuck in one place isn't for me. So, to motivate myself I added a statement about running daily to my Creation List. I also starting reading the posts in my online running group several times a day. Those strategies, in addition to not wanting to miss my goal, were the perfect motivation for me. I ended up running 9 days in a row to make the 100 km for January, which was tough, but I made it. A few things to note here:
If you're in need of some help creating the future you desire, schedule a mentoring call or book a package. You're pregnant with possibility and potential, and it's up to you to capture the vision and align your life with the end result.   As a teacher, I truly enjoy learning and sharing what I've discovered with others. I'm teaching a series of personal development courses this season. The first was held in December and the third will end in March. I'm a believer in Destiny and that everyone is created with Purpose and do something extraordinary. Just as people are unique, their Destinies and what's extraordinary is specific to each. I have a decent degree of self-awareness and make the effort to improve myself consistently so that I can live out my Destiny. Sadly many people are so consumed with paying bills they have no concept of Destiny and are simply passing the time until they're able to retire. Recent statistics state that 70% of people dislike their jobs. That's terrible. Time passes quickly in general, but when it's being spent doing something you dislike year after year, it seems those days get sucked into a vortex that speeds your life up even more. As a teacher and mentor, I help people discover they're Destinies and assist in constructing plans that allow for fulfilling and prosperous work to become realities. I stepped oft of my Destiny Path for about 2.5 years to do something that didn't allow me to produce, create or change lives. And I truly believe the increasing cases of anxiety, anger and internal frustration that develop when doing work that you don't enjoy are what's causing so much tension in this nation. People feel stuck and they don't know what to do. And because many corporations just want the work done and aren't concerned with their employees' personal development, most aren't providing opportunities for workers to find positions that bring them peace and joy along with the salary. Life is more than working only to pay bills. It's more than 50 weeks on and only two weeks of vacation added to already too much credit card debt. There are everyday people who enjoy their work and their lives so that means it's possible for everyone. If that's not your reality, you should be asking how they did it.  
My fave Christmas gift every year is always my next year's Planner and a pack of Pilot G2 Gel Pens. I've decreased in size from 8.5 X 11 to 6 X 8. It takes up less space in my backpack and fits better on the size of desk I've worked at since 2017. We get more accomplished when we write things down. It's proven and you can test it in your own life, if you don't believe me. Having a to-do list causes us to focus and increases productivity because we have a blueprint and can track each success as tasks are checked off. I'm often excited for what a new year brings, but this year is going to be my best yet. I entered 2020 with more joy than I've ever had in my life. I usually have to fight to shake off the after-Christmas letdown, but I didn't this year. I powered through and am still going strong. And still increasing every day. I stopped running in 2017 and stopped mentoring and writing books in 2018. Big mistake. I was trying fit my square self into the round hole of the average American rat race and in the process I began to forget who I am. That means I was getting fat and not making a difference in anyone's life which made me all the way miserable. It took a close friend committing suicide on September 1, 2019 to make me uncomfortable enough to reevaluate what I was doing with my days. I've never had someone so close to me die that way, but it snapped me to attention like nothing else was able before then. I found out about the death September 4 and by October 4, I had adopted the resolve that I'll be who I am because the cost not to is too great. I help people change their lives. I help people get out of debt. I help people improve relationships and overcome difficult circumstances. I returned to self employment October 6 and I'm alive again. And in this short amount of time I've already assisted at least 10 people with immediate improvement of quality of life. And as a bonus, I get to set my own wages and hours. It's good to be alive! 
Job hunting on social media has proven fruitful for many, so if you're in need of a new opportunity, I say go for it. Recently I had a brief exchange with this lady who'd asked for RTs on her post about seeking employment. I asked if she was willing to relocate for work and she replied, "Do you consider loaning me some money?" I was shocked. For all she knew I'm the CEO of a huge company with various job openings, but she didn't use wisdom when responding to me. Which technically in the scheme of things doesn't mean diddly squat except ... more higher ups than ever read tweets these days because of Donald Trump and because they know the power of social media. While a lot of companies have staff that tweet, there are some big wigs that tweet for themselves. T-Mobile's CEO and Marcus Lemonis of The Profit for example. How many people's tweets have come back to bite them? More than just the viral ones we know about. Especially when they've asked the world to RT a tweet and they've done it. I guess I shouldn't be surprised about anything people do or say these days because we're living in this, 'my space, my voice' culture. Regardless of what's culturally popular right now, the wisdom I offer is that you play the movie forward and think through all of the possible outcomes before you think or speak. If most of the possible responses or results of your words or actions are negative, I'd table them and remain silent if you can. You don't always have to respond. What do you think? Are we beyond basic professionalism in our society or does it still apply ... even on social media?   I recently spent 90 minutes of a work day in a week when I only had 1.5 days for office tasks available calling companies and removing myself from their snail-mailing lists. Most of that time was spent on hold. When I hung up from the last one, I sighed deeply and almost declared it a waste of time. It was not a waste of time. I only make it to the P.O. box about once every two weeks with my travel sked, so I always end up having to stand in line for the counter to collect a bundle. By the time I get done tossing the junk into the recycling bin, I only have enough mail for my size box. So when I picked up the mail that time, I tore off the back covers of the catalogs so I could call and cancel the subscripts. Among the culprits were:
I also ditched an email address I had since the 90s; I'll share more about that next time. This is turning into a year of clearing out ... I'll have to keep an eye out for more of those dynamics and report back. Now I submit to you fellow problem solvers out there around the world - the U.S. in particular - that the system of selling addresses via hidden terms in contracts is severely broken and needs repair. Who's up for the challenge? I'm not a fan of additional legislation because the government has too much control of our daily lives as it is, but something needs to change. Or perhaps there are already services who intercept your snail mail like Unroll.me does your spam email and I'm just not savvy. I'm curious what solutions you have to offer.  Before getting to work on January 2, 2018 I flew to Seattle for my first NFL game. It was quite a year-end treat and fun way to spend New Year's Eve. It was cold, too. The friend who hosted me is a charter seat season ticket holder with a second-row view from the 15-yard line. Wow. I was so overwhelmed with the size of the stadium, the number of people and the concessions that I didn't pay much attention to the game. I was literally calculating how much money was circulating in that small section of Seattle, Wash. for that one event. I reaffirmed the following about myself: I prefer to watch on tv because all the other goings on are way too distracting for my eternally curious brain. Not to mention being surrounded by drunk people, spitting and spilling, is a little beyond my patience. Anyhoo, 2017 was easily one of my hardest years in a while. More changes in 12 months than I really needed, and things were difficult until December 30th. Going to this game on the 31st was the signal of and start to a new season for me - Seattle lost and their season ended but mine was just beginning. I'll share more about that throughout 2018 as I enjoy what unfolds. Here's a brief recap of my travels for 2017: Seattle, WA Virginia Beach, VA Dallas, TX Seattle, WA Moved to Seattle part time Chicago, IL Atlanta, GA Dallas, TX Chicago, IL Portland, OR Los Angeles, CA Raleigh, NC Norfolk, VA Tucson, AZ I logged some serious miles flown in 2017. I'm expecting more in 2018. I bring up these travels because in April 2016 a colleague said it was time for me to start traveling and I said I didn't like to travel. I believed that until March of 2017. Then I started traveling and now I love it. My wisdom to you is: get out of your comfort zone. Do those things that you don't like to do - at least once and as long as they're healthy behaviors - and grow. I have some mentoring sessions available in February and March and even more in April. You can book me right from this page or send email inquiries to zsolvesproblems@gmail.com. Happy New Year!   It never ceases to amaze me how fast time goes by. As a child, life seemed to take forever. As an adult it goes by so quickly I always feel like I'm running to catch up. I bought my 2018 planner earlier than normal this year. I usually get it and pens for Christmas but I already had some things to write in so I couldn't wait for December to receive it. An advance-booked schedule is always a great thing for a business owner. Looking back over this year, I felt as if I didn't do much because I only wrote two books, but I did quite a bit. I spoke at five events, attended a couple conferences, published two books, hosted my first conference, completed two stealth missions, taught nine or 10 courses, mentored about 25 people up close and influenced hundreds from afar. More than hundreds if you count the people influenced by those I influenced. I also fulfilled a goal I wrote out two or three years ago: travel for work one week a month and be home the other three. Below are pics from some of my Zari Banks, Inc. travels of 2017. Enjoy. Los Angeles, CA |
Zari Banks, M.EdLife-Hack Strategist 
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