Sunday 19 July 2009

Brad: 

I've been keeping active a lot more. I've been rowing more and training on the exercise bike to increase my heart rate. One of the bonuses of doing this training now is that I'll be getting fitter for the Great North Swim that I'll be doing in Lake Windermere in a couple of months. I'm raising money for the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity. I'd love it if you could help me raise funds for this charity. http://www.justgiving.com/Bradley-Potterton/. I'm really happy that Someone has already paid £10 towards it (Thanks Steph). Imagine out of the 700 friends I have on Facebook, if each of them donated £2 or more then I would reach my target of £1000 in no time. 

The Beard: 

I've been keeping it trimmed and neat. Not much to report on the beard front. 

Financial Freedom:

Oooh it feels exciting being on this journey to Financial Freedom. I just know that by the end of next year my passive income will be greater than my expenses. I love keeping the vision of me being financially free and that is helping my keep motivated. I'll be working on a vision board soon and that will make it a lot more exciting.

A quote:

“Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow” - Robert Kiyosaki

Tuesday 7 July 2009

Exercise and networking

Brad:

Since the success at the last regatta I have been training more. Mainly on the exercise bike and keeping within my heart rate zones to build up my fitness. I totally agree that success builds success and it only takes a small victory to get the ball rolling. 

The Beard:

Just read this news article about beards and weather women like them or not. In this survey 92% of women prefer a clean shaven man. The funny thing is that 63% of men think facial hair makes them more attractive. Then the other fact that  surprised me is one in five men admitted they were not capable of growing a full beard and felt ashamed as a result. 

So the way I see it is men want to be manly and grow beards but women don't find it attractive And the men that feel ashamed and want to be more manly are more attractive to women... Something doesn't add up?

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_120779.html

Financial Freedom:

Went to this really cool networking event on a barge. It was hosted by inventure and was a great way to network. I have been adopted as the photographer so I take photos for the group. I'll post some up tomorrow when I've had a chance to go through them. I had a great time and met some funny, interesting people and can't wait till the next one.

A quote:

Found this quote by a very successful, bearded man... Abraham Lincoln.

“The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself in every way he can, never suspecting that anybody wishes to hinder him.”

Saturday 27 June 2009

Winning days

Brad:

Wow what a great day today. Was at Bradford rowing at the Bradford summer regatta and won my 1st race since being in the UK. Considering I've only just taken up rowing again after a 10 year break I think its a job well done. I think part of the growth of success is small achievements! And this is a great achievement. Its given me some more enthusiasm to get fitter. Here's me and my doubles partner Michael.





The Beard:

Hahahaha. Found this website today about beard cricket... 

http://renaissancemonkey.blogspot.com/2006/03/beard-cricket.html

If you give it a go let me know what your score is.

Financial Freedom:

Some people mentioned today that I should do photography at rowing events and sell them on to the rowing competitors. Maybe some of you could help me out here. Do you think its a good idea? Please leave a comment or get in touch via facebook. 

A quote:

Wow, got two strong quotes today. I hope you all enjoy them.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller

"Most people give up just when they are about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from winning a touch down!" - Ross Perot



Wednesday 24 June 2009

The Cut!!!!!

Brad:

Today has been an odd day. Kind of like a day off... Although I still did some work. So I guess not a day off, maybe a half day off. I was up at 5:30 to go rowing this morning. Got home at about 10 and then had a short lie down (which ended up being 3 hours of much needed sleep). I went to YES group north in the evening (http://www.yes-group-north.blogspot.com/) to see Margaret Nolan speak. After I had taken all the photos I needed I listened to Margaret's talk about the triad of change, the seasons of well being and energetic intelligence. The one thing that really stood out for me was that if there is a problem in your life, as an example let say a sore arm, then going for treatment to fix the arm won't be as effective. It is better to see what behavior we did to cause the sore arm and what we focused on that caused our arm to be sore. By changing the behavior and the focus you are treating the cause of the sore arm and not just the symptom of the sore arm. Thus delivering a more sustainable solution. 

The Beard:

Major News on the beard front. I trimmed my beard. As much as I was thinking I would just let it grow till I reached financial freedom it just makes sense to trim it and keep it manageable and presentable. Especially seen as I meet with lots of people. Anyway I took some photos to show you all the transformation.

The 1st one is my beard at its longest. The 2nd I trimmed the beard with hair clippers on a no.4 blade. The 3rd I trimmed the beard on a no.2 blade and the last one I thought to myself seen as I've got the clippers out and I need a haircut I might as well just do it... So I did. I cut my hair as well as my beard. Let me know what you think.

 



Financial Freedom:

I did have a day off today... Well half a day at least. Today I didn't take a massive step towards financial freedom although I did talk to a couple of friends at the YES group who helped me define what it is I am after and look at some possible options of how I can get there. I like talking to people about possibilities. Its so refreshing compared to all the recession news we hear all the time. 

The quote:

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies within us while we live." - Norman Cousins

Monday 22 June 2009

New car, Movies and scraggle


Brad: 

I've got a new car... Well not a new one but its new for me. Its a 2002 Nissan Almera. It looks like its a good car that will last for a few years. 


I watched a Beautiful Mind last night. What a great film. It is a 2001. Jennifer Connelly and Russell Crow were both brilliant. And such a good story line with a great twist. 

The Beard:

OK so the beard is now getting really long. I've held off trimming it for a long time... I'm sure it would grow down to my toes if I let it!!! Also just found this really cool video on youtube. The evolution of the beard. Someone took a photo of themselves every waking hour for a 7 weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY8gja0_CCA

That led me on to this movie of this guy Noah who took a photo of himself every day for 6 years!!!! Wow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B26asyGKDo&feature=related

Financial Freedom:

Well now that I've bought a car I need to get rid of my old one. I'm thinking I should put it on eBay and sell it there... Unless any of you know someone who would like to buy a Suzuki vitara for £100. The engine needs to be restored. I've seen engines on eBay for under £100 but my knowledge of fixing cars is really limited.

The quote:

"The relationships we have with the world are largely determined by the relationships we have with ourselves." - Greg Anderson

Tuesday 16 June 2009

A long weekend

Brad:

Had a fantastic time in Scheveningen, Den Haag. I visited my brother and his girlfriend. Was there for Monique's birthday party on Saturday. Happy Birthday Monique!!! I had such a re-energising time on the beach on Sunday. Playing volley ball and throwing a Frisbee. It felt so good to just relax and not think about the ins and outs of normal daily life. 

The Beard:

Its getting to a stage where I'd almost say that it is scraggly. Even though I want to keep the beard till I'm financially free I'm considering trimming it. Hmmmmm, If any of you have any suggestions please let me know. Either on Facebook or Twitter.

Financial Freedom:

I looked at my trading account today. Found a couple of good possibilities but only went with one in the end as the share direction followed the sector direction. Its a pretty sporadic market at the moment. I'm also hoping to go look at a car tomorrow. Seen as my Suzuki Vitara is pretty much ready to be scrapped. *sigh*. I'm looking forward to the day when I get my mini from Utility Warehouse!!!



A quote:

I really like this one. "The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it!" - General Norman Schwarzkopf

Thursday 11 June 2009

Car Troubles

Brad:

Tell me if you think this is irony at its best. On the way to the garage to get the car MOTed and serviced it starts making this rattling noise. By the time I get to the garage the mechanic says its not worth booking in for a service cause the engine is knackered... Hmmmm, it'll cost more than what I paid for the car 2 years ago to get it fixed. How can I work this to my advantage???

The beard:

Just is.

Financial Freedom:

If I have to buy a car it will probably cost a lot of money... OK maybe not a lot of money but more than I have right now. Having my car break on me is like getting kicked in the financial shins. Its not going to break my leg but it definitely slows me down on the road to financial freedom!!! Again I ask the question. How can I work this to my advantage???

A quote:

How fitting that this is the quote I find today! "The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have." - Vince Lombardi