The Blog of Author Nolan Matthias

Every year at about this time I sit down and reflect on the past year, and prepare for the year to follow. I take note of what I have done well over the last year, what I have learned, what my greatest achievements were, and how I can continue to grow as a person.

2007 was an especially good year for me. I finished my first book and sold over 1500 copies of it, even though there was a two month period in the height of the selling season where I was completely out of books. I fully expect my book to reach best seller status by the end of next year, all without it ever touching a bookstores shelf. I also began what has turned into a very profitable venture back into the mortgage industry. I took on the role of Managing Partner with MortgageBrokers.com and successfully built a self sustaining referral network and team of four (soon to be five) hungry and very talented mortgage associates. With my foray back into the mortgage industry, I also succesfully launched asknolan.com, a web based information portal for the mortgage, real estate, and finance industries.

2008 looks even brighter, there are an additional 3 books which are planned to be released in 2008, one golf related, one finance related, and an additional title which will essentially take the lessons of Golf Balls Don’t Float and put them into a format that everyone can enjoy. In addition there has been a keynote created based on Golf Balls Don’t Float that is perfect for any sales organization. On the mortgage side of things, asknolan.com will continue to take on a refined form, and we expect to grow our team to a total of 10.

2008 looks to be a phenomenal year, look for the up and coming post on goal setting for the new year.

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There is no question about it, there is a fundamental flaw to personal training. There is one sole reason that 90% of people who start a workout program quit. The last 30 days have proved this without a doubt as far as I am concerned.

For those of you who haven’t been following along, 30 days ago I wrote a post about what I think is flawed with personal training. The major flaw as I see it is that personal trainers are more interested in teaching someone how to do a set program that they are paid to create, rather than simply teaching clients that the first thing they need to do is get active at the most basic level, and at a level that the client is comfortable with. That doesn’t mean creating a once a week program of cardio and weight training, it means telling someone who has never been active before to get active, once a day, everyday, until your body adjust to being used physically. This can mean anything from doing a 15 minute walk every morning to working a different muscle group everyday for a 30 day period.

The 30 day period is based on the thirty day principle, the principle that can teach anyone how to form or break any habit, no matter what it is. It is thought, and has been successfully proven by NASA, that if someone changes anything in their life for 30 days consistently, their body will adjust and subsequently form a habit as a result. Thus, in order for someone who is not used to working out to start exercising regularly, they must do so consistently for 30 days.

My past experience with the theory has lead me to several outcomes successfully, some of which have been quitting drinking Coca-Cola, one of the most addictive drinks on the planet, and eating healthy. This time around, I have consistently created the habit of working out everyday without fail, for at the very least 15 minutes. What has this done for my body you may ask? Well I have lost fat, gained muscle, and overall look and feel better than I ever have before. It has also created a base that will now allow me to go to a personal trainer and have a program created that suits my needs, one that I will be able to continue indefinitely.

The thirty day principle works, and it can work for you if you want to get fit. All you have to do is introduce yourself to physical activity everyday for thirty days, and you body and mind will thank you.

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It has been 21 straight days since I started the 30 Day Principle to get used to exercising. At this point, depending on who’s theory you use, I should pretty much have the habit ingrained. In fact there have been several days where right before bed it hit me that I had not exercised that day, and I promptly jumped into a 30 minute routine. When I started the program I could do 18 full push ups, I can now do 37. I am noticeably stronger, and noticeably heavier (muscle not fat). My progression has gone from working out

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The number one search engine query that drives traffic to my website is the question “do golf balls float?” The simple answer is no they don’t, unless of course you get creative in your thinking.

You see, if you simply put a golf ball in water, it will sink. However, if you think outside of the box, there is a very simple way to make it float. The key is you have to think outside of the box.

Making a golf ball float is similar to making adjustments to anything that happens in your life. Nothing is impossible as long as you are open to and always looking for alternate methods to solving life’s problems. For example, Will Smith played Chris Gardner in the Pursuit of Happiness, the story of a man who looked outside of what was possible within reason and became the worlds most successful African-American investment specialist. Instead of doing things the way that his company had set out for him, he looked outside of the box and pursued the biggest customers he could possibly attract. He looked for an alternate method to a problem, keeping his child housed and fed, and found the answer in an atypical, but spectacular manner. There was an answer to the problem out there, it just took creative thinking to find the answer.

So what is the outside the box answer on whether golf balls float? Well if you think outside of the box, there is in fact, a very simple method, that will make any golf ball float with ease. Simply fill a glass with water and add about a third of a cup of epson salts. Drop the golf ball in the water and watch it float. If it does not do so at first, add more salt. Eventually, you will have a floating golf ball.

A simple outside the box solution to a simple query.

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It has been an interesting 8 days so far. I have been both criticized and praised for the 30 day theory and its potential as a tool to help anybody become active.

A 25 year veteran of the personal training and golf fitness industry has voiced his opinion stating that asking anybody who has not worked out before to exercise everyday is setting them up for certain failure. My response was that anybody who hasn’t worked out before should not be going into a full fitness routine once per week, but should be getting into the habit of being active and physical on a daily basis by walking for at least 15 minutes a day just to get their heart rate up.

On the other side of the debate, a Muay Thai Boxer and internationally renowned success expert and speaker who recently trained with some of the best athletes in the world, agreed with me. He stated that when developing the habit of physical fitness, it does not mean that you have to be in the gym lifting iron everyday, but on the days that you are not, you should be keeping active by doing something else that will keep your body in the habit of being used.

My personal experience has so far been a positive one. I have done some level of physical activity each day for the last 8 days. Some days I found myself in the gym, testing both my strength and endurance. Other days I have found myself running near midnight as my day did not allow me to take the time to exercise any sooner. On one day in particular I nearly went to bed without exercising, having been exhausted from a long day at work. Yet I managed to pull through and felt truly inspired and full of energy afterwards.

I knew it would not be easy, but I can feel my body getting used to the extra use. I have already noticeably lost body fat, and have added at least as much weight in muscle as I have lost. I am up three pounds and noticeably bigger through my legs and upper body (keep in mind my goal is not to lose weight but gain muscle). I am fully confident I will make it to thirty days. It is truly a different perspective having the goal to create the habit instead of the goal to change my body. I believe the difference is that most people quit exercising because they do not see results. This method takes the emphasis off of the results and puts it on the habit.

Always consult a physician before beginning any type of exercise routine.

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