I am going tiny. Literally. I’ve mentioned a few times on the podcast that I’m in the process of building a tiny house. If you have no idea what that means, check out this link.
Lots of you have reached out wanting to know more about the process & my decision to go tiny. It doesn’t seem like a particularly relevant podcast episode but I’m happy to share more about it here on the blog!
If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, please click here.
I’ve always been a bit of a minimalist. I don’t like clutter – I don’t like hanging on to things that I don’t use regularly & love. I don’t have a huge closet or big shoe collection.
After my divorce, I had less “stuff” than ever. In fact, if you were to open my kitchen drawers right now, you wouldn’t find more than 4 forks & I’m pretty sure I only have 1 knife.
In the process of paying off my debt, starting a business, losing a lot of weight & getting a divorce, I’ve realized that “stuff” brings me very little pleasure. Sure, there’s a rush of an initial purchase, but that high is almost always gone in a week or less.
I want to have fewer things and more experiences. I want to feel free to experience as much of life as I possibly can.
For me, going tiny is part of that realization.
Plus, building a custom tiny house will also help me save money. I’ve been renting for a couple years now and I pay an absurd amount each month for a relatively small place. I want to have fewer expenses so I can travel more!
It will also allow me to be pretty mobile. While I will not be able to tow my own tiny house due to it’s size, I can hire a trucking company to move it for me if I decide to relocate.
Here are some of the questions you’ve asked about my tiny house.
Are you worried about living in such a small space?
A little bit, because it’s so new, but not really. When I think about it, I basically live out of my living room & bedroom anyways. I spend very little time in other areas of my current apartment. Most importantly: if I hate it, I can sell it or rent it out. It doesn’t feel like a big risk.
What are you most excited about?
My tiny house is going to have a custom Murphy bed that, when not extended into the bed, will be a really cool desk. I’m also psyched about the kitchen. It’ll have a huge copper farmhouse sink, full appliances and big windows.
How big is it?
My tiny house is being custom built & will be 30 feet long and 10 ft wide. It will have a main floor master bedroom as well as 2 sleeping lofts.
Will you have a composting toilet?
Nope, a regular toilet.
Where will you put it? Are you buying land? Renting land?
Great question. I have no idea. I really need to decide, as it will be done in early January.
Will you be featured on a TV show about tiny homes?
No! That is so not my style. I’m just doing this for me.
Do people in your life think you’re crazy?
I’m sure. It probably has nothing to do with the tiny house decision. 🙂
…
I came down to Cape Cod late last night so I’m doing my workout from here. Fortunately, it’s not a barbell workout so I can do my scheduled workout while I’m here. Here’s what it looks like today:
“Annie Got Wrecked”
100 Double Unders, 50 AbMat Sit-ups, 200m Run
80 Double Unders, 40 AbMat Sit-ups, 200m Run
60 Double Unders, 30 AbMat Sit-ups, 200m Run
40 Double Unders, 20 AbMat Sit-ups, 200m Run
20 Double Unders, 10 AbMat Sit-ups, 200m Run
I always keep my jump rope in my car & I never leave home without a pair of sneakers, so even when I’m unexpectedly away, I can get in a great workout.
Honestly though, even if I didn’t have stuff in my car (I also keep a kettlebell in my car), I could totally make a workout happen with just my body weight, as I often do in hotels – burpees, pushups, body weight squats, etc.
On the food front:
Since I wasn’t home this morning, my food choices are a little different from normal. I had a packet of Artisana Coconut Butter while working & drinking coffee.
Around noon I went out for lunch & enjoyed a beautiful plate of charcuterie – just a light snack before dinner…
Then I went out for dinner and enjoyed a steak & salad before heading back home.
It’s really not hard to eat in a way that is aligned with your goals when you’re away from home. The key is to look for solutions instead of fixating on the problems!
Do you ever find yourself rationalizing a choice you know you shouldn’t make? Do you catch yourself justifying an excuse? Talking yourself into why it’s okay to wait another day or break a promise you made to yourself?
That’s what we’re talking about today.
We’re talking about first recognizing the way you most commonly rationalize, justify or make excuses.
Then we’re talking about 3 different ways you can responsd in a resourceful way that gradually eliminates the habit of rationalizing, justifying or making excuses.
The Thrive Market product I mentioned in today’s episode is Great Lakes Gelatin.
In today’s episode I mentioned that I created a list of my favorite products from Thrive Market. You can download it here.
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
He regularly does listener/fan Q&A posts and I read a recent one that really moved me. I think he nailed so much of the challenge I try to work through with my own podcast listeners & Fat Loss Fast Track clients.
If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, please click here.
I’ve spent this last year trying to figure out the right career for myself and I still can’t figure out what to do. I have always been a hands on kind of guy and a go-getter. I could never be an office worker. I need change, excitement, and adventure in my life, but where the pay is steady. I grew up in construction and my first job was a restoration project. I love everything outdoors. I play music for extra money. I like trying pretty much everything, but get bored very easily. I want a career that will always keep me happy, but can allow me to have a family and get some time to travel. I figure if anyone knows jobs its you so I was wondering your thoughts on this if you ever get the time! Thank you!
Parker Hall
Hi Parker
My first thought is that you should learn to weld and move to North Dakota. The opportunities are enormous, and as a “hands-on go-getter,” you’re qualified for the work. But after reading your post a second time, it occurs to me that your qualifications are not the reason you can’t find the career you want.
I had drinks last night with a woman I know. Let’s call her Claire. Claire just turned 42. She’s cute, smart, and successful. She’s frustrated though, because she can’t find a man. I listened all evening about how difficult her search has been. About how all the “good ones” were taken. About how her other friends had found their soul-mates, and how it wasn’t fair that she had not.
“Look at me,” she said. “I take care of myself. I’ve put myself out there. Why is this so hard?”
“How about that guy at the end of the bar,” I said. “He keeps looking at you.”
“Not my type.”
“Really? How do you know?”
“I just know.”
“Have you tried a dating site?” I asked.”
“Are you kidding? I would never date someone I met online!”
“Alright. How about a change of scene? Your company has offices all over – maybe try living in another city?”
“What? Leave San Francisco? Never!”
“How about the other side of town? You know, mix it up a little. Visit different places. New museums, new bars, new theaters…?”
She looked at me like I had two heads. “Why the hell would I do that?”
Here’s the thing, Parker. Claire doesn’t really want a man. She wants the “right” man. She wants a soul-mate. Specifically, a soul-mate from her zip code. She assembled this guy in her mind years ago, and now, dammit, she’s tired of waiting!!
I didn’t tell her this, because Claire has the capacity for sudden violence. But it’s true. She complains about being alone, even though her rules have more or less guaranteed she’ll stay that way. She has built a wall between herself and her goal. A wall made of conditions and expectations. Is it possible that you’ve built a similar wall?
Consider your own words. You don’t want a career – you want the “right” career. You need “excitement” and “adventure,” but not at the expense of stability. You want lots of “change” and the “freedom to travel,” but you need the certainty of “steady pay.” You talk about being “easily bored” as though boredom is out of your control. It isn’t. Boredom is a choice. Like tardiness. Or interrupting. It’s one thing to “love the outdoors,” but you take it a step further. You vow to “never” take an office job. You talk about the needs of your family, even though that family doesn’t exist. And finally, you say the career you describe must “always” make you “happy.”
These are my thoughts. You may choose to ignore them and I wouldn’t blame you – especially after being compared to a 42 year old woman who can’t find love. But since you asked…
Stop looking for the “right” career, and start looking for a job. Any job. Forget about what you like. Focus on what’s available. Get yourself hired. Show up early. Stay late. Volunteer for the scut work. Become indispensable. You can always quit later, and be no worse off than you are today. But don’t waste another year looking for a career that doesn’t exist. And most of all, stop worrying about your happiness. Happiness does not come from a job. It comes from knowing what you truly value, and behaving in a way that’s consistent with those beliefs.
Many people today resent the suggestion that they’re in charge of the way the feel. But trust me, Parker. Those people are mistaken. That was a big lesson from Dirty Jobs, and I learned it several hundred times before it stuck. What you do, who you’re with, and how you feel about the world around you, is completely up to you.
Good luck –
Mike
PS. I’m serious about welding and North Dakota. Those guys are writing their own ticket.
PPS Think I should forward this to Claire?
The reason this story resonated so much with me is because I see the same thing related to nutrition and fat loss all the time.
People are so committed to the obstacles that they cannot see the solution. Or they refuse to.
They are so busy convincing themselves of what they can’t or won’t do – none of their energy is going to what they can or will do.
They want an ideal, but they aren’t willing to do the work to create it.
Do you see yourself in this?
What can you do today to talk yourself into the solution instead of talking yourself into the problem?
…
I got a bit of practice in this for myself in the form of today’s workout.
It was a pure strength & stamina workout. You can see it below.
As we finished up the squats, my butt was so tired and I said to my partner (who is a a fit, strong coach at my gym) “I’m not sure how those deadlifts are going to go – my legs are feeling pretty smoked.”
But then I realized I was making an assumption that I would struggle. I wasn’t even to the deadlifts yet and I was talking myself out of doing well.
Nope. None of that.
I’m going to give it every ounce of energy I have and that’s all that matters. No stories to the contrary!
The workout was intended to be with teams of 3 but you had to work with someone who lifts similiar weights as you do, so my team was a team of 2.
With every round, the weight increases. We were working with some heavy weight today!
“Slot Machine”
Teams of 2
AMRAP 7:
33 Back Squats
33 Back Squats
AMRAP Back Squats
I felt amazing (and very tired) afterwards! I did even bigger sets on the deadlifts than I thought I’d be able to!
On the food front:
I’m on a serious spaghetti squash kick right now. It’s amazing. Mid-morning I had spaghetti squash with goat cheese and bacon. Odd combo but totally delicious. It’s just what I had on hand in the fridge.
I had an early dinner because I have a webinar tonight – I just made a variation of my cabbage salad bowl, using brussels sprouts instead of cabbage. Today’s master piece was brussels sprouts (cooked) mashed together with eggs, bacon and some Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo.
…
Also: I placed an order through Thrive Market to get some more Great Lakes gelatin so I can make some bulletproof coffee gummies. More to come on those. Pretty pumped that I saved over $5 on the container of gelatin!
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
Last night I looked at today’s workout and immediately thought: “Looks like a good day for a rest day!” I quickly started creating a story about how I could workout at home, how I have a lot of work to do, how that amount of running might irritate my knee. Basically, I started making a bunch of excuses. I started talking myself out of the workout.
It looked hard. Running. Box jumps. Pull-ups. Wall balls. More running.
Here’s the thing though: I didn’t need a day off. I just didn’t want to do a hard workout.
If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, please click here.
I went to bed last night planning to workout at home today. In my head I was planning out a biking, kettlebell, burpee workout for my living room.
I woke up & didn’t go to the gym at my normal time.
As I waited for my chiropractor appointment, I thought: I’m avoiding this workout because it sounds hard and I don’t feel like working hard today.
BOOM.
A voice inside my head immediately responded: the thing you’re avoiding is the thing you need to do.
What I don’t want to do is what I must do.
I drove home, changed my clothes and went to the gym.
As I warmed up I kept repeating that in my head:
What I don’t want to do is what I must do.
What I resist because it feels hard is the very thing I need to embrace and commit to.
The workout was as hard as I thought it would be.
Kelen Helly
400m run
30 box jumps
30 wall balls
400m run
21 kettlebell swings
12 pullups
400m run
21 kettlebell swings
12 pullups
400m run
30 box jumps
30 wall balls
puke on the ground
Just kidding about the puking on the ground. I managed to avoid that.
As I worked through the WOD I kept telling myself, “You don’t need to stop, you just want to.”
I’m SO glad I saw through my own bullshit and decided to go. Those are the kinds of mental victories that represent growth & change.
On the food front:
I was in the work zone this morning so I didn’t eat until after my workout which was around 2pm. I didn’t get hungry either, which is one of the awesome benefits of fasting. After my fast last week, I’m just not as hungry.
I did have a mega-meal post workout: my cabbage salad bowl with raw cabbage, bacon, eggs, walnuts and Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo.
Around 7pm I had a huge plate of spaghetti squash with ground beef in a marinara sauce with some goat cheese. Yum! So simple & so good!
In today’s episode I mentioned that I created a list of my favorite products from Thrive Market. You can download it here.
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
