Don’t do it. You’re staring at your phone’s caller ID as yet another unknown number, or worse yet, a restricted phone number is staring back at you. You may not know exactly who it is, but really, you know exactly who it is. It’s no one you know. It’s a robo-call or some scam. It’s […]
People seek out ways to improve themselves. They create changes in their habits and routines with hopes of becoming better versions of themselves When doing so, it’s equally important to evaluate those changes to ensure that they are producing the best possible results. That process is called calibration. Precision machines require calibration. Scales, lasers, and […]
Last week I released a piece about the Two Birds One Stone method of hacking a busy schedule or to do list. Finding hacks like that is necessary for the productivity output of the modern entrepreneur or family man or woman. Inversely, when we slow down, and even stop, sometimes we gain valuable perspective and […]
You’re doing it! Alright, that’s only half of the truth. You have worked incredibly hard on getting your commitments and daily schedule whittled down to productive and constructive tasks. There’s a solid foundation set. Be sure to take a moment to celebrate the win. With the exception of the increasingly rare time to relax and […]
It’s impossible to downplay what my network has done for me, and it goes far beyond professional networking. Assuredly, professional networking is important to one’s business and financial success. It may possibly be the most important skill any professional attains. Personally, I haven’t commenced working for an employer through the cold application process since I […]
What scares people? The fear of failure is high on the list. It’s such a common fear that it has more than one term to describe it. Atychiphobia and Kakorraphiophobia are two of the names to choose from. What about speaking in front of crowds? Twenty-five percent of people claim to be afraid of public […]
Recently, a friend and I were discussing the advice we’d give to our younger selves. I’d thought about this countless times before. Although this has been a recurring concept in my thoughts previously, in this particular moment I’ve decided how negative such thinking was. Considering what advice you’d give yourself in the past seems too full […]
It’s an incredibly liberating to do away with want. Want sucks money directly out of our wallets, bank accounts, and the mattresses and coffee cans we hide it in. In modern times it’s too simple to say, “I want this!” Whether we’re looking at a large 4K television strategically placed at eye-level at Costco, especially […]
Birthdays come every year. They are inevitable like trips around the sun and years passing by. At a very young age many people in the United States of America are conditioned to view birthdays as special days. We celebrate birthdays similarly to Christmas, except it is far more individualistic. Showering gifts and additional attention on […]
Simplicity Parenting may not have stacked up in the category of best books I’ve ever read, but it was one of the the most important books I’ve consumed. It will be a long while before I read a book with a message that is as powerful and resonate. Simplicity Parenting is a guidebook for parents. […]
How many thoughts go through our heads throughout the course of a day? It’s a ridiculous amount. Could anyone possibly know what we’re thinking about at any given time? Even with all the fancy technology available in today’s world, the answer is a resounding no. It’s not even remotely possible. When it comes to […]
I hate to break the news. You don’t know anything! The good news is that’s a good thing. The faster we acknowledge this fact, the more proficient we’ll become at learning and improving ourselves. Unless, of course, we are satisfied with our current level of knowledge and expertise. It that’s the case, then go ahead […]
How often do you tell a friend that you love them? It’s probably not often enough. There are those friends that we love tremendously, and yet the sentiment goes unspoken. The love I speak of is not the type one feels toward a a child, a parent, or a sexual partner. Nevertheless it is […]
Moving On Upwards was created with the vision of making personal development and self-improvement accessible and fun. Who doesn’t like becoming a better version of themselves? However, much of the content available in the aspirational and inspirational landscape comes in excessively long-form. All too often, these drawn-out works include only a small percentage of substance. […]
It’s the thought that counts. Is there another blatantly more misleading phrase in the English language? The phrase embodies the difference between saying and doing. If I want to help someone out, is it actually as important, or more important, to them that I am thinking about helping them than actually helping them? Should I […]
Why is it that people want so much? People want bigger houses. They want stuff to fill their houses with. They desire an unnecessary abundance of food and clothing; much of which will spoil and inevitably get discarded as refuse. People want luxuries. They’ll say they work hard and should be allowed nice things. They […]
It’s common knowledge that to create change in life, one needs to want to change first. Nobody is going to be able to make anyone else change. It just doesn’t work. When someone resists change and continually put up barriers that prevent them from changing, then there is no point in even trying to help. […]
It’s common for people to start out their lives believing what will happen to them, and more importantly what they are capable of, is outside of their individual control. This fatalistic view of life leads to self-victimization. This paralyzing paradigm relies on luck and so much to go in a person’s favor that it becomes […]
A friend recently asked me what people get from reading my writing. I had to ponder this. I started listening to the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie shortly after hearing that question. In the early chapters of the book, Carnegie spends quite a bit of time talking about message. He […]
In these waning days of 2018 I feel it’s important to reflect on the year that is passing. It’s of equal import to consider the new year that is about to commence. In my life, 2018 has been a year of transition. It was the year I decided to step off the hamster wheel and […]
My alarm buzzed this morning at 5:52 am. I hit the snooze button knowing the back-up on my phone was set for seven minutes later. I drifted back to that light NREM sleep that doesn’t really have any positive benefit for the body. It kind of just makes you more tired. You know the saying […]
You get a job to get paid, but you gotta work lots of hours each day. Divide up those hours by how much you get paid. It’s not a lot by the hour. The fact is it’s a fraction after taxes. Still you’re there early and after hours; sometimes on your day off. They should […]
I’m an ambitious Ares. Essentially that means I have tendencies built into my personality that I have to be cognizant of, or else those tendencies get me into trouble. Being an ambitious Ares means I exhibit a considerable amount of intensity as well as a desire to attain greatness and achievement. Inversely, that tremendous energy […]
It is impossible not to recognize that moment. Isn’t it? It’s the moment where you realize you are doing the wrong thing with your life or you’re on the wrong path. That moment stares you right in the face and screams your name. It calls you to it with an intense magnetism. These moments of […]
Children are strange little beings indeed. At their best they are smiling rays of light and life that uplift us in our darkest moments. At their worst they are snotty, obnoxious little people. Regardless of your general outlook on children, as a community we are all responsible for being good examples and mentors to the […]
Just yesterday I completed reading the novel Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. It was an unusual but compelling story that makes for a fast fulfilling read. A fellow wanderer, who has been a confidant in my recent personal journeys, as well as a partner in my learnings, shared a story with […]
It’s a tight window, This duration of time. Three thousand or so years since the expanse of civilization. The Earth remembers… The time before; The quiet time near forgotten. She longs for a period of silence And of rest and peace. The Earth wishes… For growth without sentience, For terrain lacking so-called intelligent fauna, So […]
I would like to share the story of my weight loss journey in hopes that it may inspire others to do the same. You too, can gain control of your physical being and become the person you’ve always wanted to be. It will not be easy, but it is definitely not as hard as you […]
I don’t know where I’m headed, but I walk ahead sure I’m going somewhere. I walk toward the light. Onward toward the sound of laughter and good spirits. I leave all the negativity in my wake. I cannot predict how my story ends, but when it does I hope my eulogy is delivered to the […]
A smile is the look of attraction. It is an action that needs practicing. A muscle that needs to be worked out. At a minimum, a smile will earn a smile back. It is disarming and charming. When not expected it can be weird or even alarming. I practice my smile and try to make […]
Jim Rohn, famed American author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker, said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Think about that. If your five closest friends are bad at managing their finances, or their idea of what they should do every night is getting drunk, smoking weed, watching TV, […]
We travel down this path, tired, sore, but still moving on. I try to recall why we initially embarked on this journey, but my memory is unclear after so long. It may have just been our wanderlust. It may have been our curiosity to find we are truly capable of. The immensity of what lays […]
The “Why” is the common denominator that author, speaker, and thinker, Simon Sinek, has concluded separate most uber-successful businesses and leaders from their counterparts and contemporaries. Hence the concept Start With Why. However, “Why” is not enough. It was not enough for Martin Luther King Jr. It was not enough for Steve Jobs and Apple, […]
Upon completing my reading of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle I felt victorious. It was an incredibly deep and personal read. The Power of Now is the best non-fiction book I have read. I sincerely hope its teachings stay with me for the rest of my life. I believe its contents will assist […]
The past several days of my life have been filled with travel and wrapping up work and life responsibilities to prepare for a much-needed vacation. I reflect on how my tenor and mood have been. It is obvious that my mood has had a direct correlation on the quality of my interactions. My emotional state […]
In recent days I have received a lot of commentary from close friends in regards to the advice and concepts introduced in the Pluck Those Weeds From Your Life article. A few have pointedly asked or wondered if I consider them weeds. To them I responded they are not. I believe they would certainly know […]
We all attempt to stay focused on what’s important to us in our lives. Time with family, exploring our passions, and exercising are all examples of some of the best uses of our time and emotional energies. The people in our lives can be our best allies and advocates in achieving our goals and aspirations. […]
When was the last adventure you embarked on? Has it been so long ago that you can barely remember the feelings it created within you? Monotony; it is what so many people are doomed to be in a perpetual state of. Whether it’s based on fear, social or familial programming, or the worst of all, […]
In my thirty six years of existence I have taken so much. I have taken resources from our mother planet in such excess that forever will be well acquainted with my refuse. I have bought and traded and earned and stole and acquired countless things. I have trashed and recycled that much and more packaging, […]
“There’s no I in team.” That old cliche. Bosses may say it after an employee refuses to stay late on day they had made plans. Coaches say it when a player asks for more touches or minutes. They say it as well when the players request more time to dedicate to homework or more rest […]
I did it again. Failure seems to wait for it’s chance to remind us that we are weak, slow, and dumb. It found me once again at my Kung Fu school last night. After our normal class ended and we bowed out I invited an old training partner to spar with me. This partner had […]
If you are the type of person who says, “Eww gross, networking…” then you probably won’t read this article. If you already value your network, or if you are just building up your network from a small or malnourished one, then the title of this article most likely has caught your eye. I am hoping […]
“A man has dreams of walking with giants, to carve his niche in the edifice of time…” -George Banks from Mary Poppins Shortly after my most recent article, Failure Habits Turned Into Successful Ones, a friend, Dave asked me what determines the quality of my success. This question cut deeply into my psyche. I knew […]
Failing Upwards has been born and grown very organically. I originally set out to reinforce my writing habit and create a new habit of creative production and publication through these posts. My original intention was to produce fiction works. I was hoping to use this blog as a sounding board for anyone interested in reading […]
We’ve established that we want to be 9’s striving to be 10’s. It is impossible to never slip and fail or we’d already be the 10’s we’re striving to be. Perfection is an irresponsible and unattainable goal. You could spend the whole day doing your face and hair. Your face is still not going to […]
Selling is a part of nearly every occupation and business. My personal experience specifically is in retail and services. I have had tremendous success over the years learning skills and techniques in closing sales and building value. I would like to demonstrate the benefits of creating a customer experience over just having selling skills. “Welcome […]
It’s time to give ourselves a pat on the back and a pep talk to get us ready for our future. So far here on Failing Upwards we have eliminated some of our worse habits and introduced new more positive ones (see: The Dichotomy of Habits). We have learned to use defeat to find strength. […]
Hacking, it’s not just for computers anymore. Technology today hacks things like note taking and to do lists making them much easier, more accessible, and most importantly quicker. Athletes hack their workouts to maximize gains and wins. Companies try to hack the business processes to maximize income and productivity while employees try to hack the […]
It’s hard, I know. You are making an attempt to be relentlessly optimistic and positive. You are doing your best to improve yourself every day and with every interaction. You have a general desire to add value to other’s lives. Inevitably someone or something will attempt to rain on your good vibes parade. Don’t let […]
Currently my career is in sales. I’m looking to transition back into management after an almost four year break. One of the tools I’ve placed into my tool-bag and forgot about from my decade of management was my network. Until recently I hadn’t really thought about it, but it’s been there waiting for me to […]