elegance (http://definr.com/elegance)
n : a quality of refined gracefulness and good taste

elegant (http://definr.com/elegant)
adj 3: of seemingly effortless beauty in form or proportion

simplicity (http://definr.com/simplicity)
n 3: absence of affectation or pretense
4: freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort
5: lack of ornamentation

Perhaps my definition of elegance is incorrect in my internal dictionary but I always consider elegance and simplicity to be closely related. When I think of elegance I think of the items and execution of activities that shows no unnecessary flourish, no flamboyance, no BS.

When I think of simplicity and elegance, I think of:

• The dry martini
• The espresso
• Sushi
• Bruce Lee
• Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov
• Zen
• Bushido
• Vibram Five Fingers

An eclectic collection to be sure. But what am I getting at here? I want a simple, elegant life. I am in the process of simplifying and refining lots of bits and pieces to this end. It’s going to be a long (probably never-ending) task, but isn’t that what it’s all about? I think that in trying to simplify and look for elegance, beauty and grace I might just find the life that I’m searching for. And if I don’t at least I’ll have some fun along the way.

Is it possible that some of us live unhappy and unfulfilled lives because we continue to do things that we do not have a passion for? Is this why we remain unsatisfied and stuck wondering what could be?

Is it possible that all those stories of successful entrepreneurs doing what they love and therefore not working a day in their lives are actually true?

Lately, I’ve been spending some time thinking about what I have a passion for and what I really love to do. I came to the following conclusions.

I am passionate about:

• my family
• health & fitness
• educating people

I enjoy:

• travelling
• writing
• reading

Understanding these aspects of myself has led to a level of clarity. I’m now planning to involve myself more in businesses and other opportunities that benefit my family (by allowing me more time with them and the financial rewards to support them) whilst offering education to others in health & fitness (and a few other areas). I’m also looking to write as part of my entrepreneurial efforts and for fun; and to read and travel a whole lot more. Obviously I have to get a whole lot of things right to allow this all to happen. Now that I have the underlying reasons for my activities, I can plan and then I can execute.

I hope that you might learn something from this post. That way I’m well on the way to achieving some of the things I’ve set myself and maybe you will be too.

Getting Things Done (GTD) is a productivity system and book by David Allen. I only recently found about about it via Merlin Mann’s website 43 Folders. A couple of days later the guys at Automate My Small Business spoke about the same system. It was as if the planets had aligned and were pointing me toward GTD. I did a quick Google search and found a little podcast with some more info and then found some cool Mac tools like Things and The Hit List that I could use to get my life in order (I’m using The Hit List at present).

At the moment, I’m just learning about the basics of GTD (I’ve ordered the book and am awaiting delivery). But here’s the thing, just implementing the little I know has made a massive difference to my life. And it’s only been a week. So, what have I learned and what have I actually done?

The first thing that I learned was that there is a difference between an ideas list and a task list. The two are not the same and should not be confused. Historically, I had one big list of both tasks and ideas and I could never get through it. This was disheartening and frustrating (to say the least). With one small adjustment I now maintain an ideas folder and a task list. So, my task list has reduced substantially in size and I don’t fell quite so overwhelmed.

Next, I started to capture every little idea, task, problem, solution that popped into my head. I captured it however and wherever I could. I used my iPhone, my MacBook, a piece of paper. I just wrote it down wherever I could. This is what I call Writing Shit Down. With this simple change I’ve begun to free my mind from having to circle around on itself wondering if I’ve done everything. I believe David Allen calls these circles open loops. These open loops keep us thinking and agonising over things we need not concern ourselves with. Once they are down on paper and part of a system – a trusted system – we can stop worrying about them.

My GTD system is incomplete (I don’t have the book yet) but I’m already felling better and I’ve only made two small changes to the way I’ve done things for a very long time. I’m excited about what improvements I can make by implementing more of the GTD protocol.

If you’ve been following what I write about for a little while, you’ll know that I’m always on about thinking for yourself, learning, reading, questioning … you get the idea. Books have always been a great way to learn and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Audio books, Kindle, web transcriptions and so forth will not stop humans wanting to read from paper-based mediums.

Here in Australia, books are too expensive! Thankfully, the internet is rescuing us readers from having to pay too much for our reading material. There are a few places that you can find what you are looking for online. Lately, I’ve started to shop at different online stores depending on what I’m after:

• First, I check Booko to see where I can find the cheapest per item price and a comparison of numerous suppliers.
• If I am buying only a few books, I’ll generally either pick the best option from Booko or I’ll head straight to The Book Depository; they have free shipping worldwide and it works out cheaper than most other stores if you’re only after a few titles in one purchase.
• If I’m going to place a bulk order, I’ll go straight to Amazon. Shipping a single order of many titles from Amazon results in decent savings over most other suppliers.

I hope this helps you find the books you want at a decent price. If you have anything to add, please leave a comment.

Fellow CrossFit coach, TV personality, former special ops soldier … It’s a long list of accomplishments. “Commando” Steve Willis has done a lot in his life. A down-to-earth (and funny) guy, Steve is also an amazingly motivational coach. He lives by the credo “There are no excuses”. If you see the man workout you’ll understand that he walks his talk.

At first Steve’s little saying might seem trite. I disagree. There’s a lot to find in those four words. It’s a simple credo that you can fall back on to set you straight. At times when you feel like giving up or just not giving it your all, you just have to remember that “there are no excuses”.

Simple and effective. Exactly the way I like it.

A personal note: I’ve been a slacker lately. That’s right. I haven’t been exercising as much as I should. At first, I relied a bunch of excuses: I’m working 12 hour days, I’m not sleeping well, my shoulder hurts, my knee hurts. But, you know what, that’s all bullshit. I have the time and all I need is the dedication to get back into it.

FYI: Steve’s book has just been released by Random House, you can grab it from Amazon.