When Quitting Your Passion Might Be the Best Option

When Quitting Your Passion Might Be the Best Option #pivot #passion #quitting #goals #ballet

Quitting Your passion is a process I’ve struggled with in the past… And one I’m also wrestling with at the present (more on that… in time). But no matter what your passion or your specific situation, quitting can be so… shameful.   But I’ve recently come to know another great blogger, SC from MissFunctional Money (I know, great blog name, right??) who has also had some intimate experience with quitting something that was her life – for nearly all her life. And news flash – it wasn’t easy for her to make that decision. And because SC has been so open and honest in her post below, I think we’ve been given the fortunate opportunity to see when quitting the thing you love – may be the best thing that could’ve happened to you.    I’ll let SC take it from here:     “What are you going to be when you […]

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Why you Should Start P90X3 – A Complete Review

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The original P90X program changed my life at a time when I needed it the most. After that transformation (almost a decade ago…), I kept on with maintaining my then “new” and decent fitness level until I found what I call the best workout program I’ve ever used – P90X3 helped me get even stronger, better, and more confident. In this post, I’ll describe why it’ll work for YOU too.     It’s that time of year again… You know – the time when years transition from 1 to the next, bad habits are shunned for good, and resolutions are made.   Let’s put aside for a moment that about 88% of those granite-clad and unbreakable New Year’s resolutions fail, and call this what it is. Some of us are big-time into fitness, some will join our tribe, and another group will join our tribe then fall off the fitness train after a […]

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Hey Cancer – You Picked the Wrong Bitch (Part 2)

Hey Cancer - You Picked the Wrong Bitch (Part 2)

This is the second and final portion of a story from Jen – a wife, mother, daughter, …, a breast cancer survivor, and a badass. Please click here to read Part 1 of Jen’s story and then come back here for the ending.   As I said in the first half of Jen’s story – this is quite possibly the most important post that has been published on MikedUp Blog. Thank you so much for reading…   Here’s Jen picking up where she left off:       August 4, 2017   Exchange day.   I was so excited about this surgery! This was supposed to be the end of this journey for me, and because the exchange is a far less complicated procedure than a mastectomy, I was optimistic about the road ahead.   The surgeons simply open you up, remove the expanders, tweak the pockets that will hold the […]

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Hey, Cancer – You Picked the Wrong Bitch…

Hey Cancer - You Picked the Wrong Bitch #remission #cancer #journey #family #breastcancer #surgery #fight

This post will be unlike most things you can find on MikedUp Blog. Normally, I will help to solve a pain point in your life in some aspect of fitness, finance, business, or personal relationships… But not today. Today, I am humbled and grateful to bring you the ultra-personal story of a breast cancer survivor – from life before cancer all the way through to present day…   But this isn’t just any story from some random person… Much like the story I wrote about in 2016 – where a man deployed to Afghanistan away from his wife and child to wage war who ended up returning home in critical condition, not knowing if he would survive the multiple surgeries ahead of him… I too know the key character in this story pretty well.   Jen (as you will read below) is a wife, mother, scientist, … a little OCD (her own […]

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MikedUp Blog’s No-BS Promise to “The Team”

MikedUp Blog's No-BS Promise to "The Team"

It’s currently 8:47pm on Tuesday evening as I write these words right here… And as of right now I have no post to publish tomorrow at 0533 – Wednesday, October 24. It’s not because I’ve procrastinated and just didn’t do it. Or because I have no other post to slot into this timeframe in a pinch… I actually have posts scheduled out for the next 3 weeks, but I’m not using one of those today.   You see, I had a guest post scheduled to run today titled: “How Bad Financial Habits Might Actually Be Great For You”    But in an honest moment, I disagreed with the tone, points, and just about everything of substance in the article… I was going to sell it to you as – “C’mon, all. Let’s see the alternate viewpoint and make an informed decision.” But that would’ve been a lie. There weren’t useful things […]

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How to Not Gain a Single Pound Over the Holidays

How to Not Gain a Single Pound Over the Holidays #avoidweightgain #health #healthychoices #exercise #nutrition

Just because it’s “a thing” doesn’t mean we have to submit to the typical winter hibernation… When the weather turns colder, the days retreat shorter, and the average person tends to pack on 5-7 pounds during the winter months (John’s Hopkins). Well, here at MikedUp Blog, we’re doing everything we can to avoid holiday weight gain.   As my 3 year old says, “No. No…” (she also waves her finger while saying this). No extra pounds are welcome on this guy. And they shouldn’t be welcome on you either.   Let me issue you a challenge right here and now   I’m not gaining a single pound this holiday season. In fact, I vow to lose those 5-7 pounds. Are you game for doing the same?   If so, here is our game plan to avoid holiday weight gain   1- We’re going to make healthy holiday choices   Last […]

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Help!! I’m Proposing and Need Some Financial Advice!!

Help!! I'm Proposing and Need Some Financial Advice!! #creditcards #proposing #highyield #savings #personalfinance

Hi, Team! From time-to-time, I’ll do a mailbag post where I’m literally answering questions from readers just like you! So if you’ve got a burning question or would like a second set of eyes on a financial, business, or fitness situation, please feel free to reach out on Twitter or via email and my answer to your question may be featured in a post!   (Photo courtesy of Justin Montemarano)   Today, I’m responding to Jake, who asked a few things about credit cards and online savings accounts (my comments are in bold italics here):   1- What’s the best way for me to pay for a wedding ring that I don’t currently have the cash for but will in the next 12-15 months (he’s proposing in the next 2 months), and what are some things I need to be thinking about? Is going with a 0% APR for a year […]

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How to Start Going Green – 13 Easy and Effective Ways!

How to Start Going Green - 13 Easy and Effective Ways! #environment #gogreen #sustainable #environmentallyfriendly

  Have you ever had a desire to start ‘going green’ (you know, using more environmentally friendly products and practices) but you just don’t know where to begin? Well, that was us just a couple months ago… And until I started asking my friends for some advice, I had no idea what to do, where to look, much less how to get started.   That is until I asked one of my ‘greener’ coworkers to help me with an intro guide on how to get started. Little did she know, I’d ask her to write a guest post for the blog as well… ????And it doesn’t hurt that she’s also an accomplished writer! So let me get out of the way and let Sarah hook you up with the roadmap on how to start going green. Take it away, Sarah!     Hi, all! I am a coworker of Mike’s and […]

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How I Increase Productivity and Get 25 Hours Out Of a Day

How To Increase Productivity By Getting 25 Hours Out of a Day #productivity #efficiency #goals #tasks #progress #personaldevelopment

To successfully increase productivity for an extended period of time, it is essential to have a well thought out plan in place. Sure, you may get lucky and be ultra-productive for a few weeks or months, but eventually, the absence of a solid plan will lead to increased stress and burnout. Trust me… I’ve been there.   But once I had a handle on my stress and anxiety, I turned my focus to a full proof plan that would allow me to increase productivity while still enjoying the finer things in life…   This is that plan:   (Photo courtesy of Justin Montemarano)     “Dude, how in the world do you find time to do all of that?!? It’s like you get 25 hours in a day…”   This was a friend’s response after hearing about my revolving priority list (below). It wasn’t a beat-my-chest brag sesh’.     […]

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How to Prepare a Successful Student – (It’s Not With Supplies)

How To Prepare A Successful Student (And It's Not with Supplies) #attachment #success #academics #parenting #personaldevelopment

Hi, Team! This is a special occasion for me today. I’m bringing you a guest post from a close friend, published author, English teacher, and candidate for Virginia Senate – He’s my brother-in-law (@ronnierossva)! Ronnie has been an educator for nearly a decade and he knows how to prepare a successful student. Whether you’re returning to your school for a new year or starting a different journey at a new school, Ronnie has you covered below! Hint – it has little to do with “Back to School Supplies”. Take it away, Ronnie:   (Photo by Al Emmert)     Ronnie Ross is a new father who, along with his wife and son, lives in the Piedmont area of Virginia.  A teacher and school administrator, he spends his days helping young folks read, write, and think “better.”  Recently, inspired by the birth of his son, he announced his candidacy for the Virginia […]

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