4 Hour Sleep Training – Less & More Effective
February 3, 2007 by Ryan Merlin · 13 Comments
After I read this amazing interview with Dean Karnazes “On Changing Your Life” by Outside Magazine, I was absolutely captivated. Several things grabbed me with a Kung Fu Death Grip and was compelled to pay attention to. I was reading how he trained himself to sleep on only 4 hours of sleep a night and almost without hesitation, I knew I was going to go for it myself.
My average night sleep is about four hours. I absolutely
believe that diet is huge in that, and learning to sleep that little was also about a month’s process. It was really, really tough. I used to set my alarm and force myself to wake up, and I’d be groggy. But what I’ve found is that now, those four hours of sleep are a really good, solid four hours, where I used to have seven or eight before, and a lot of that was restless stirring around. Now when I sleep for four hours, it’s very restorative sleep.
Dean’s famous for running 50 Marathons in 50 states in 50 days! Ok, Just think about it. Here’s an ultra-endurance runner that is only sleeping 4 hours a night!
It doesn’t make sense with everything that I’ve ever been told! And that’s why I love it so much. It’s revolutionary, it’s an adventure, an exploration into the potential of the human body and mind. And who better to be a guinea pig than myself under my own motivation into training myself first, then into my mission of training others to succeed.
So here it is. I’m committed to training myself to get all the rest that I need in 4 hours over the month of February.
I’m giving myself a time of 1 month since that’s what he says in the interview. I’ll have to see what info I can find on the subject as well. And of course if you have, or see something, hook me up and leave a comment.
Doubts? yep. The usual suspects are there and I can see the same thoughts come up for me that you probably have. But that is where I’m going to have to build focus and courage to see the doubts and still choose to redirect my attention toward knowing that I can do it. Whe
Fortunately, I got a head start since I read this article yesterday as I was writing a post I haven’t quite finished yet. And last night, this happened almost automatically, surprise surprise. So this morning I woke up at 3:30am and felt good (which is not my expectation as the month goes on). So day 1 is a success. Stay tuned.
Know How To Negotiate & Be Easy To Do Business With
January 30, 2007 by Ryan Merlin · 2 Comments
You know, if there’s one thing that everybody could improve on, no matter how good you are, it’s, negotiating! Everything in life is a negotiation, dealing with family, coworkers, bosses, customers, stores, etc. I think I heard that we end up negotiating a couple hundred times a day. But this isn’t taught in school, where do people learn to negotiate? Most likely modeling parents or others.
What have you done to develop your negotiating skills? Personally I’m a huge fan of Herb Cohen. I’ve listened to his recordings and read his book Negotiate This! By Caring, But Not That Much. It’s easy and really works, I highly recommend it. Some of the tactics are even hilarious, like playing an incompetent buyer and putting the salesperson on a pedestal to manipulate them. I still laugh every time I do it and it works.
Negotiating became really fun and interesting project for me again over the last few weeks as I was in the market for a used Subaru. Hey…At least now I can definitely say I’m a true Boulderite.
It’s pretty easy to get a good read on the car itself from the person selling it, their communication style and ways of negotiating. I saw everything from, “as far as I know, everything’s great”, to disclosing something upfront, then another and another. Like owner, like car, I suppose.
My favorite this time was a lady who was selling a car that was way overpriced and was completely inflexible, even standoffish on the price and terms. I don’t know what was causing it, but she doesn’t get that negotiation is a necessary piece of the puzzle. Who knows why she didn’t just price it a couple hundred higher in order to make some wiggle room. It communicates a willingness to do business with, welcoming and open to win-win. So I didn’t even bother with her.
Negotiation is a process, as much as many people hate it at the car dealership. It’s a dance. Feeling the other side out, communicating, gaining trust, etc. In fact the biggest mistake that most people make in negotiating is not listening. Understanding this process and knowing how to play the game is absolutely key to getting what you want. Hence, the runaround at the dealerships. Everyone is guilty of negotiating without a plan, develop your plan and learn some specific techniques to use.
The most important thing to always know is that there are no rules. Even though car dealerships have their typical process to get you to commit, you definitely do not have to play their game. Try defining the rules the way you want to play.
Another book that I highly recommend reading is Getting To Yes – Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Fisher and Ury of the Harvard Negotiation Project (great site!). This is the stuff that everyone should know, yet nobody does, and a good idea to learn because you’ll use it everyday for your entire life.
Other Good Links:
Forbes ABCs of Negotiating
How To Cut A Deal
Negotiating Tip Of The Week
How To Take Risks & Overcome Fears – Allowing
January 29, 2007 by Ryan Merlin · Leave a Comment
This is a fantastic article by Psychology Today that talks about how anyone can make huge & lasting positive changes in their life by taking physical risks. This is very near and dear to me given my history of skydiving, and bike racing. Break your own chains of doubt to spread your wings and fly!
“It’s the heightened awareness in physical risk taking that’s so valuable,” says Michael Gass, chair of the kinesiology department at the University of New Hampshire.In the face of danger, instinct takes over. Your attention becomes keenly focused on your body and your surroundings. Details like the fight you had with your spouse or tomorrow’s big meeting fall by the wayside, and you’re forced to exist in the present. “The sense of action and awareness merge,” he says. And unlike book learning, adventure learning—also called experiential learning—provides immediate, tangible feedback about how you’re doing in the world around you.
You have to force yourself by sheer willpower to overcome that fear, even though you may be screaming mentally,” Cline says. “Once you accomplish this, you realize that you are not a victim of your emotions, that you can override them if you want.” And if you can manage your emotions in a canoe, you can manage them at home and at work, too.
The more opportunities you have to demonstrate your ability to succeed at something challenging, the harder you’ll try, the more persistent you’ll be, and the more your achievement will grow.
Your Courage Quotient
There are three kinds of people, says kinesiologist Michael Gass: risk avoiders, risk reducers, and risk optimizers.
- If you’re an avoider, step out of your comfortable routine. You might try indoor rock climbing, canoeing in a river with a spot or two of white water, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing.
- If you’re a reducer, push yourself a little further. A strenuous high-altitude hike, scuba diving, or a night camping solo in the desert could take it up a notch.
- And if you’re an optimizer, keep at it. Make physical risk taking a lifelong pursuit, and keep challenging yourself in new ways. Try BASE jumping, hang gliding, or helicopter skiing.
Almost everyone has hangups and limiters when it comes to allowing themselves to take risks around the “important” areas of life such as work, family, financial. Even taking the risks that would allow a significant growth and a higher quality of life. Taking physical risks on the other hand can be exhilarating and empowering. Easily crossing over into the other areas because of the sense of self-determination & self-efficacy that is woken up in the heat of uncertainty.
It interrupts the pattern and opens the eyes to the surprising potential that everyone has, and might have forgotten.
Homework:
Think about a time in the past when you have overcome a great physical challenge. Then think about the lasting effects from it. What did that sense of confidence lead to?
What are some risks that you could take to push your own limits, and allow it to grow in every important area of your life?
Interrupting Patterns Moods and Negativity
January 24, 2007 by Ryan Merlin · Leave a Comment
This morning was a fantastic example of having a choice in every moment of how you want to feel and act given any situation. My roommate was in the kitchen, feeling really down and when I asked her what’s up she said she couldn’t sleep because her mind was so “busy.” And now felt like crap from not sleeping. The mood was thick and heavy, you could almost touch it. So I broke it.
I asked her if she’s ready to make a different choice. Skeptical, she said yes, so I grabbed her and we were dancing around the kitchen while I was sining Sinatra (with my omelette burning no less). We were laughing so hard the energy was electric.
Question: Did I change her mind and interrupt her pattern?
No! I only provided a more attractive and enticing alternative. I gave her an opportunity for her to interrupt the pattern herself. It was her choice to let go of the garbage mood and limiting pattern, to reclaim her day. Her whole day will look different now, from an easy 5 minute wacky time. It’s so easy!
Everyone always has a choice between feeling excited, vibrant, in control, energetic; and feeling tired, overwhelmed, concerned, what would you choose? It’s just too easy sometimes to forget that’s a choice we have every moment of the day. Start your day off right!
Side note: Giving is a sure way to receive. I myself found an incredible surge of inspiration after giving that gift to her. That’s the way it always is.
Take a moment today and inspire yourself or someone around you. Make it a goal for the day. Just watch what happens.
Develop Motivational Muscle
January 22, 2007 by Ryan Merlin · Leave a Comment
Development, training, excellence, mastery, creativity, wealth, health, relationships, all come down to one thing:
Whatever you practice continuously, you are investing in. Every time you put your time and attention into anything it grows. Automatically! And some of the biggest gains and lessons are born out of the biggest losses or “failures.”
Every moment you are focusing on something, and by doing that you are reinforcing it. Most people are at a loss for words, when I ask them to look at a typical day and see where their attention and time gets invested. If you broke down your entire day, what is it that you’re practicing?
Here is a great article from Elaine Curry about Flex Your Motivational Muscle. What’s so fascinating about this article is how it shows that even self-motivation can be developed just like any other winning habit. This is so powerful, because the truth is that anything is possible with enough motivation.
Question: Have you ever intentionally taught yourself how to motivate yourself more than normal? Or worked with different ways of motivating yourself? See if you can find some. Or send me an email, I’m always happy to come up with some creative, fun, and powerful ideas.
Goal: Creating Mental Emotional States
January 21, 2007 by Ryan Merlin · Leave a Comment
I was just talking with a guy who is absolutely amazing when it comes to attracting attention, highly influential, creating results for himself and others, and is inspiring to watch. The list of his areas of influence is long and includes, entrepreneur, business owner, author, artist, athlete, among others. All high intensity, high impact areas of life. And what is truly incredible, is that you would never know because he is soft spoken, relaxed, almost shy (apologies if you’re reading 
.
I had to know, How does he do it? What does he focus on? What does he think?
His main goal is to: always start by creating mental emotional states.
What does that mean?
It means that what is happening is only a small part of the reality of the situation. It’s more important to know what you’re focusing on, why you’re focusing on it, & how you feel about it. Then to create any result, start by changing that state of what you focus on and how you feel.
Might sound trivial, but let me ask you this:
What makes the difference for you when you feel “in the zone” and everything you touch turns to gold vs when you have a ton of things to do and feel like you accomplished nothing?
Well, his approach is to start by getting himself (and others) “in the zone” and then producing results. Versus what most people do (I’m just as guilty) by starting a task, training, project, whatever, and then try to focus and get in the zone.
Tip – Try this out, you’ll be amazed!
Before you take any action today with anything, reading a book, talking to a friend/family, working out, checking email, hell even cooking food, start by taking a few minutes and put yourself in a more powerful state, before you do it. Get to the point where you can feel it. Feel the emotion, make it as intense as you can, compelling you to action. Then go for it!
Examples of powerful states:
reading – hunger for knowledge and growth, open mind & critical thinking.
talking to a friend – deep compassion, trust, empathy, inspire them to bring out their best
working out – vibrant, strong, confident, abundant energy
checking email – high value of your time and attention, efficiency prioritizing.
cooking – wild creativity, adventurous, fun, social,
What others can you come up with?
Theoretically Related:
Always Start With The Intention
Directing Attention Focus & Results
The Performance Zone – Flow
The Alpha Project
January 19, 2007 by Ryan Merlin · 2 Comments
What is The Alpha Project?
There is a place in the human psyche, a small place that everyone has. It is the place that dreams are real, potential is unlimited, achievement is only secondary to passion. It is the place where ideas & creativity flow and vision is born.
It is the place you can feel in every part of your being, that knows you have a purpose, to contribute and change the world. It’s where seeds can be planted, cultivated, grown, to produce unbelievable results. It is the fruit of human spirit that does not buy into the limiting beliefs that surround us. It will never settle for less.
Most people, ignore it, deny it, escape it. Some realize it and breakthrough to become innovators, leaders, and champions. And every so often, someone will use it to change the world.
The Alpha Project, is my quest, my mission, to find the best of the best, when it comes to realizing and developing that ability in the people that dare to dream, including myself. Those who know what’s possible, what might be possible and are willing to go for it.
“Alpha” has some very powerful meanings attached to it including:
Definitions of “Alpha” from Google
the brain wave frequency range from 8 – 14 Hz. in which there is focus and the beginnings of a state of balance. Alpha is the frequency range of light level meditation.
www.synchronicity.org/Glossaryp.html
Slow brainwave activity state of hypnosis (resting but awake). Also known as hypnoidal. Alpha is slower (deeper) than Beta, the awake state, and faster than Theta, a deep hypnotic state.
www.hypnosis.edu/glossary/a.asp
An alpha male or alpha female is the individual in the community to whom the others follow and defer. Humans and their nearest species-relatives, the chimpanzees, show deference to the alpha of the community by ritualized gestures such as bowing, allowing the alpha to walk first in a procession, or standing aside when the alpha challenges. Canines also show deference to the alpha male in their pack, by allowing him to be the first to eat and the first to mate. …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_(biology)
A measure of performance on a risk adjusted basis.
www.investinginoptions.com/glossary_A.html
A measure of selection risk (also known as residual risk) of a mutual fund in relation to the market. A positive alpha is the extra return awarded to the investor for taking a risk, instead of accepting the market return. For example, an alpha of 0.4 means the fund outperformed the market-based return estimate by 0.4 %. -0.6 means a fund’s monthly return was 0.6 % less than would have been predicted from the change in the market alone.
www.vss2000.com/glossary/a.asp
The first testing stage of a new program. The alpha stage occurs before a program becomes a beta version.
www.7designavenue.com/glossary.htm
A measure of the difference between a portfolio’s actual returns and its expected performance, given its level of risk as measured by beta. A positive alpha figure indicates the portfolio has performed better than its beta would predict. In contrast, a negative alpha indicates the fund’s under performance, given the expectations established by the fund’s beta.
www.brandywine-online.com/Glossary.asp
What about your dreams? Where did they go?