What is So Hard?

A friend of mine gave me a book today, knowing that it fit perfectly with my interests.  He didn't know, but this book has been on my wish list for a while now.  I've heard from several people how awesome the book is. The book is The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.  Early on in the book, Pressfield makes a simple but profound statement:

"There's a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don't, and the secret is this: It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is siting down to write."

This is most definitely true for anything important in life. If you want to be successful, it takes action.  Pressfield is a writer.  I'm an entrepreneur and software engineer.  It applies everywhere. The hardest part is taking the time to get started with whatever it is I need to do. If you have a hard time making the time for important things, or if you procrastinate in general, then this book is for you.

Small Things Add Up

Wow! Has it been that long since I've shared anything on my blog?  Time sure flies.  Speaking of time flying by, I was thinking of how the small things in our lives add up.

We get a lot of junk mail in our mailbox.  I'm referring to snail-mail, but it also applies to email as well.  If you don't have a system for taking care of mail, you end up with large piles that look terrible, you eventually have to take care it, and it's always more frustrating to take care of a big pile of mail than a few pieces.

The solution? Take care of mail as soon as you check it.  Trash it or shred it if you don't need to keep it.  If it's a bill or something you can pay right away, do it now.  If you need to keep it, file it or scan it now, don't wait!

This is related to so many other things in our lives. If we don't take care of things right away, they end up something a lot worse than they needed to be.  Some things just build up frustration, like mail, weeds, dishes, dirty or unfolded clothes.  Others can cost money like a leaky faucet, low air in the tire, a late payment, or a balance on your credit card.

What are some examples of things in your life or others that you've observed that has added up to much more than it should have?  Please share in the comments below.

30-day Fitness Challenge: Are You Game?

UPDATE: The Fitness Challenge has ended, but keep up the great work!

I stumbled across a 30-day fitness challenge by Evernote Fitness Ambassador, Chad Williams.  I'm taking the challenge and challenging you as well.  You can read the full blog post on the 30-day fitness challenge, but first read on.

The challenge is fully customizable.  You pick any combination of the four challenges:

• 100 sit ups per day.
• 100 stairs per day.
• Water only to drink
• No sugar

Again, the challenge is fully customizable, so you can adjust the numbers to make it your own challenge.  This is intended to get you off your butt and to take action toward a healthy lifestyle, not dread each day.  Make it fun.

I have chosen to do the 100 sit ups and water-only challenges. I'm making one exception.  I drink a glass of OJ every morning.  Also, I'm adding my own extra challenge of 100 push ups each day for myself.

Here is what I'm asking of you:

1. Commit to one or more of the challenges for 30 days, even if you're starting late! Let me know your plans in the comments below.
2. Follow @whoschadwick on twitter to keep up with my progress and hold me accountable if I start slacking.
3. Keep me informed on your progress. Let me know how you're doing along the way by either commenting below or @mentioning me in some of your progress posts on twitter or facebook.
4. Share this with everyone you know and challenge them as well. This is important for accountability.
5. Finally, don't forget to check out the full challenge on Evernote and be sure to participate in the twitter party on March 15.  I'll be there.

Since I'm posting on the day of the challenge, I'll wait until March 22 (or a few days after) to decide on a winner.

Art In The Air: Boeing 787 Flight Path

I'm always thrilled to see new ways of how people are expressing their creativity. At the time of writing this, Boeing is in the final stretch of a unique test flight that includes drawing out 787 and Boeing's logo over the United States.

FlightAware

While this isn't  the first time that Boeing has created this type of virtual art in the skies, but it is history in the making.

The Boeing 787 has set two world records in recent months by flying a record distance of 10,337 nautical miles and then clocking in at 42 hours and 27 minutes for eastbound speed around the world.

If you're interested in more information on the Boeing 787, check out their 787 Dreamliner page.

Update: The flight landed at 08:45 PST with a duration of 19 hours and 12 minutes, max altitude of 43,000 feet, and max groundspeed of 696 mph according to FlightAware.com 's flight track log.

What I Know About You

What is the catch-all solution to all things we want to know?  "Google It," right?  With the amount of information on the Internet these days, it should be no surprise to you that your personal information is lurking out there as well.  But how much is too much?  With only your name and city, I now know things like your address, age, income, your household members, your political interests, and much more.  It's all available to the public, but you can take steps to make it more difficult to find at least some of your information.

Image adapted from sketch3 by cncpt

1. Start by visiting one of the more prominent and accurate aggregation sites, http://spokeo.com, and search for your name and city.  Don't be shocked if there is a ton of information about you. 
2. Once you find yourself, copy the URL of the page you are on. This is your profile URL. 
3. Then, go to the very bottom of the page and click on "Privacy."  It may be small and hard to find, but it is down there.  
4. Follow the directions to remove your profile (if you wish to do so).  
5. Be sure to search different variations of your name and cities you've lived in.  You may have more than one profile.

Now for the bad news: This is not the only aggregation site out there.  They pop up from time to time because the information they are gathering is public in one form or another, and people pay good money for information. If you are truly concerned by so much of your information being available online, I recommend you set up alerts for your name, email address, and mailing address, as well as anything else you want to keep an eye out for on the net.  Any time Google sees a site with that information, it will notify you.

If you find this useful, be sure to share it with others, and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Setting Up Your Business: Albuquerque Edition

Starting a business is an exciting adventure, but getting started can sometimes be a little frustrating and confusing.  If you're setting up your business as an S-Corporation in Albuquerque, you're in luck.  Here is a quick list of things to do in order to be up and running fairly quickly:

1) Articles of Incorporation:  First, download and fill out the Articles of Incorporation form .  Be sure to include an extra copy when you send it off, or they will return it as incomplete.  As part of the $100 fee, they will send you a certified copy for your records. Just to reiterate, you must send TWO copies of your form (the Original plus One Extra).  If you need additional certified copies, be sure to include the extra fee AND the extra copies to be certified.

2) Federal EIN:  You can apply for your Federal Tax ID (EIN) online and get your ID within minutes. You'll need this later for setting up your bank account and registering for your NM CRS.

**Once you have received your Articles of Incorporation back from NMPRC (and this could take a few weeks) you can continue, but don't forget to return your initial report or you'll be subject to a $200 fee.

3) NM CRS: Register your business with the NM Tax and Revenue dept online to receive your State Tax ID (CRS) within minutes.

4) CABQ Business Registration:  Obtain the form online, fill it out, and take it to 600 2nd Street down town Albuquerque on the corner of 2nd and Lomas.  When you walk in, everything you need will be in the big room to the left.  Your first stop will be Zoning, where they will approve your business location.  After they give their approval, you can go to the other end of the room and pay the Treasury and recieve you business license.

UPDATE: You must also submit an Election by a Small Business Corporation Form 2553  to the IRS.  For details, check out the Instructions for Form 2553.

Tell me your experience with setting up a business.  Leave comments and questions below.

Amazon Does

Amazon.com continues its quest for domination by adding the Amazon Appstore for Android. To shake things up, they are giving away a free paid app every day!  While it seems like this is mostly a duplication of the current Android Market, Amazon adds some really cool features like test driving apps on a simulated Android phone before you purchase them, and purchasing your apps from your computer for later use on your phone. You can also browse popular apps, find related apps based on your previous purchases, and share apps with your friends. How useful do you think Amazon's new Appstore for Android will be? Tell me what you think.