Life Stoked | create a life you're excited to live!

The Real Crisis In America

March 20, 2012 29 Comments

Listen up, this is important. I want to share something with you that illustrates the most fundamental difference between winners and losers – and I want you to be a WINNER!

Last week a petition began circulating to support the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012. Here’s an excerpt:

Total outstanding student loan debt in America is expected to exceed $1 TRILLION this year. Millions of hardworking, taxpaying, educated Americans are being crushed under the weight of the educational debts, while the economy continues to sputter. Support a REAL economic stimulus and jobs plan. Support the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 (H.R. 4170).

Do you hear it? That high pitched, squealing noise emanating from the words of that paragraph?

Autopilot Engaged – How To Boost Your Productivity

March 13, 2012 2 Comments

your-brain-on-autopilot

Did you know that you are hard-wired to efficiently perform complex tasks with very little effort? If you could tap into this could help take your productivity to the next level!

Let me explain.

Every morning I make breakfast for my wife and I. I start by blending a smoothie, then I get out everything for eggs, heat the pan while I’m preparing the eggs, cook it, pour the smoothie, and serve!

I do it the same way, same order, every single day.

On the weekends Cameron likes to shake things up. Sometimes she likes her eggs fried, sometimes she adds salsa, just something different to switch it up.

It seems like such a small change, but inevitably it throws off my whole routine. I’ll forget to heat the pan or to microwave the sausage (fancy!). It’s always something.

31 Things You Didn’t Know About Deacon

March 6, 2012 20 Comments

deacon-bradley

I’m all about celebrating milestones, and last weekend I celebrated my 31st birthday! To commemorate 31 years of awesomeness (yep, I’ve always been awesome) I thought I’d share some things you probably didn’t know about me.

1. I once blocked a guy so hard playing basketball that the Reggie Miller made fun of him (he happened to be shooting hoops on the other end of the court).

2. During my last job search I eliminated potential employers if they had a dress code (other than jeans and a t-shirt).

3. I could eat hamburgers for every single meal ever and be totally happy.

4. I played water polo for Pepperdine (NCAA). The experience of collegiate athletics is a massive part of who I am today!

5. I can ride a unicycle (not sure why, but I really wanted to learn how to do that in middle school).

6. A Croatian intentionally broke my nose with his head during a water polo game. It slanted noticeably to one side. A week later the problem was “gently” corrected when I was hit in the face with a water polo ball.

The Secret To More Time… NOW!

February 28, 2012 7 Comments

robin sharma on time management

If you’ve read this blog before you probably know that I can’t stand average. In everything I do I try to break free of the typical and become extraordinary.

This week I was listening to a time management seminar from Robin Sharma and he said something directly to me. He said, “Deacon, in everything you do strive to be unique. Strive to be extraordinary.” (Okay, I added the “Deacon” part, but the rest is true)

Maybe it’s not the most revolutionary advice you’ve ever heard. After all, I’ve worked to craft Life Stoked into something unique. I’ve worked to build it into something that no one else is doing.

But Robin went on to challenge me to be unique in other areas of my life because “that’s what successful people do.”

How You CAN Afford It

February 14, 2012 11 Comments

sell-your-crap

If there was one activity in the world I could spend every single day doing and not get tired of it, it’s skiing. I love bombing down long, fast runs. I love the technical descents of more challenging terrain. I love the obstacles of the terrain parks.

It’s the vacation I look forward to the most all year every year.

But this year was different.

This year I couldn’t afford to go skiing. Lift tickets, skis, boots, it all adds up to a lot more than we can cash flow right now.

Facing that reality was a tough one for me. And while I knew in my heart this was ultimately where we wanted to be as a family, the pain of missing a year skiing was crushing.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking. “Boo-hoo. My wallet’s too small for my fifties, and my diamond shoes are too tight!”

3 Questions To Get You Moving

February 7, 2012 1 Comment

I always strive to be better tomorrow than I was yesterday. Sure it’s a great philosophy, but it’s not always that simple is it?

Sometimes things just don’t move forward.

Sometimes you get stuck.

Even with the best intentions and a lot of motivation you will hit a wall every now and then.

Lately I’ve been struggling with productivity. I’ve got some awesome things planned for Life Stoked, but I’m spending too much energy spinning my wheels.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m putting in a lot of time on this stuff, and I’m having a blast. But I can tell I’m not completely in stride. I could be getting better results without struggling so much.