Reconnecting

Alright everyone, Happy Friday! I know its been quite a while since we’ve had a chance to chat. Well That’s because a few reasons. 1) I’ve really been pretty focused on taking care of myself both on and off the track and haven’t made the time to drop off some info for yall.

Anyways, since I’ve been focusing more on what I want and am working towards, I’ve seen a good amount of improvement and have been progressing quickly. Last week I ended up running a great race and just about ran my fastest time ever. Things are looking up for me, and I’m starting to see some payouts from the work that I put in several months prior.

One reason I think I may be having such a late spark for decent times, as compared to collegiately, is because of the volume of running we did then. Not just running, but competing, is a key to a lot of success for collegiate athletes. The many weekends of competition from indoor seasons straight through to outdoor profit the athletes to “run themselves into shape”. As a professional our season doesn’t really “start” until about May and then runs all the way through August, September, and for some as late as October. So that is a much different schedule than the college Dec-June schedule.

The problem lies that when a collegiate athlete starts competing in December say, it will take them until about April or early May to start to run extremely fast (i.e. competitive with the professional athletes). That means for the average person they don’t run comfortably fast for about 4 - 4.5 months. Theoretically, that means as a rookie or new professional track athlete your peaking period won’t take place until about July and August. The unfortunate truth about this is that in mid-June the availability of races in the states is slim to none. The majority of races are run in Europe and abroad, but in order to get to those meets you have to run quick times or qualifying times early in the season to set you up for the whole professional season.

The challenge for the new professionals is to fine tune your training and race readiness so much so that it only takes a few races to run fast and lock in some of those later meets overseas. That’s one of the main reasons I can say I have been faltering to run fast earlier in the season…I just need more competitions. I used to run 3 events in college, now I run 1 and don’t even get a chance to run a relay at the end of the day. It definitely has an effect, but I’m going to find ways to move myself into the right mindset in order to run fast now. After all its my time now! I’ll let you all in on some of the things that have helped me succeed thus far in my next post (tomorrow after race). This is the life…of DK the Great. PEACE!

Extra Training

Hey Bloggers. Hope all is well on your end. Things are going pretty good here in Orlando. I had been a little bit of a downer the past week and a half or so because I hadn't started out my competitions as fast as I wanted. After talking with several of the guys on the team I realized that even some of the great track athletes don't open up as fast as they'd like to. It doesn't mean that you're not good or that this season will be chalked as a loss. On the contrary, you just have to maintain your position and accept better races as you get into the groove of things. Now granted there are some athletes (Mr. Gay) that can open up as fast as they want with a scare at their current PRs (personal record), but not everyone is like that. For the average athlete you have to be get into a groove first of competing again then of your actual race. Just being comfortable in your skin is the key. Don't freak out and start doing some crazy off the wall stuff because chances are you're right where you need to be. Just keep working hard and believe that next time it will be a little better, then faster, then more comfortable, and add some power to finish it off and you have a PR waiting for you at the finish line down the road. I also had a chance to have a good chat with my older brother David who put a lot of things in perspective. He did an awesome job encouraging me, even though at the time I was completely oblivious to it all, lol. He definitely helped me out though, so a great appreciation and thanks goes to you bro! Im sure you're wondering how I've been doing at meets right? Well, like I mentioned earlier I havent run where I wanted, but coach put me out there trusting that through these races, I'd be able to get in a rhythm that will propel me to better races in the next few meets. I believe Im right on too. This is still my year to run fast and achieve success towards my goals! Positive Mental Attitude is a phrase that is thrown around at practice by some of the team when we're really not trying to hear our workout, let alone actually run the darn thing! Sometimes it helps, but track and life in general depends on what you know to be true even though it doesn't look like that and you may not be able to explain it. Faith. Its a law of this world, just like gravity and centripetal force. For my next meet I'll be stationed in Gainesville, FL for the Tom Jones Invitational. This is more of a low key meet, but should still be some decent competition for everyone. I had a good practice over hurdles today and never looked back. This next meet I will see an improvement in my performance. Hope to see you there :P This is the life...of DK the Trackstar

More Racing

Hey yall bloggerz whats up? Im in the hotel reporting on the day, which proved to be a rather beyond poor day to race. There were a lot of "fast" people at the meet today ready to run their respective open events, but for some reason hardly anyone ran fast. So what were the conditions right? The temp was warm and the sun was out, but it didn't seem overly hot; the humidity seemed low-normal; the track felt like trying to run on ice for some reason; the wind was really gusting in a swirl and frequently changing directions. I guess you could say that the weather was less than perfect, but it was still quite a shock to see soo many people not running to their potential. I was no different, and didn't have the race I would have liked to, but there were some good things I can take from it. Coach said I looked really good for 200. Unfortunately, I run 400H so that doesn't help me so much. I need to find the second half of my race. For now, I'll just rest up for the 4x400 tomorrow and see if I can save any face, l0l. Im definitely going to need a sit-down with coach to discuss my race and where the disconnect is coming from. The thing that doesn't add up to me is that my practices are pretty good and my track workouts are much better than last year. Im sure we'll find the issue and set it right so I can make some grounds towards some goals. DK

COMPETITION!

Hey bloggers! Sorry for the delay, but I've been busy building up my customer base for my new business, and its going pretty well :). Like I've mentioned in previous posts and on facebook too; if the state of the world economy looks bad create your own economy and build a business. I've taken that to heart and I fully believe that my situation is turning around even as you read this. Matter of fact, if you'd like to see what I have to offer check out my website yourself: www.thedkshop.com. Aside in my foundation building for my business, I've been making some good gains on the track. I had my first meet last weekend. I don't know what time I officially ran, but the race felt pretty good. I had a decent start and pressed through the first 3 hurdles and maintained on the back stretch pretty well. Im was able to press a little more down the back stretch, but I started to get too comfortable and relaxed. By 300m I was out in front feeling pretty good, but subconsciously allowed my body to slow down which resulted in an unfortunate ending. I was passed up the last 10 meters for a 2nd place finish. I was pretty upset with myself for relaxing soo much and allowing my competitors a second chance. Fortunately, there is another day to compete and always a chance to learn from your mistakes. This next race I'll make good on getting out hard and pressing the back stretch all the way through the finish line. My next race is going to be tomorrow at around 4pm. I'll have an update for you all coming up shortly after the meet. Until later yall. This is the life of a man chasing his dreams. DK

Investments: You Choose, but Choose the Right One

Hey bloggerz!

Im back with a little something to meditate, a note to think on, and hopefully motivate you. Selah.

The last post was a bit of overflow that I've been acquiring the past few months through the active, yet very rewarding feat of conquering books. Since I've been out of school and no longer have to read books, I've realized how momentous they can be to one's life. The greatest thing to invest in is yourself, your own mind. Books have the power to shape the way we think about things and can give us insight as to things that will either stunt or propel our growth. Since I've read a few books, I notice how simple some of the techniques are to put into play - for that matter how often I remember hearing them growing up. I believe that only when you start to analyze the information in a book for yourself in a way where you can apply it to your life that we realize significance of words, creating a desire for more of them. So thats exactly what I've been up to lately.

Going along with the latest post I want to educate everyone reading about making money effectively. I have been blessed with an ability and desire to teach people and explain things. This is something I believe many people need to know, so hopefully you have stopped by purposefully or accidentaly and will take away valuable understanding from this post.

Aside from investing in myself, I've decided to give investing a sure shot. After some careful analysis of risks and benefits I decided to invest in a business model. For those of you who may not be too business savy there are four main ways to create income. The first two are very active ways whereby you devote time for dollars and only time invested, each week say, will amount to dollars earned. So number 1 way people make money is to become an employee of someone or some company. The other active way to create income is to start your own traditional business where you have to invest your money (or the bank's) along with a substantial amount of time in order to generate income. Mind you, although the traditional business approach is a great way to earn a good income as your own boss more that 50% of businesses fail within 2 years and the other 50% will either fail within the next year or "break even" (earn as much money as they invested) within 3 more years. So statistically, all businesses, if they survive long enough, generally require 5 years to break even. That doesn't sound like something I can afford to do, so what are the last two ways to make money?

Glad that you asked and are still tuned in! The next way to make money is a passive creation of income: investments. Yes at first you may study the ways to invest and what markets or industries are heavily invested or soon to grow cash cows, but after you make your initial investment you can sit back and do a few clicks on your computer to watch your money grow. The problem with investments is that they are SO risky. The stock markets move in cycles and are constantly in a up down transition. Also, investments depend a lot on what news and events are going on around the globe. *As you can see in the Middle East and East-African countries, their protests are driving our gas prices up, WAY UP.

So you may think well how else can I make money without worrying about someone telling me what to do, without the fear of bankruptcy or loss of investment, and without the immeasurable risk in the stock market? The 4th and final way to make money is to create or invest in a business model. This passive form of income is an idea im sure you've heard of: creating residual income. Residual income is money that comes in regardless of if you continue to put more work in or not. A business model is one where you link your success to others' success and by so doing, create an exponential ability to create income. How many of you know that one person can only make so much money by themselves. That is why people employ others to do the simple foundational work while their net worth increases. This form of income may take a little while to establish enough income to where you can live solely off of it. However, when the foundation is created it can work wonders for your financial and personal freedom.

I have recently decided to invest in a business model myself through the great team of LTD. Through LTD I market products from huge companies like Best Buy, Barnes & Nobel, Amway Global, and Office Depot to name a few, to consumers in need of those products, which in turn allows me to make money. Now Im not advocating any schemes or scams. A legal residual income business should allow you the freedom of making more money than the person sponsoring you if you do more work; success based on your own terms (i.e. personal goals and ambitions); a limited risk for investing-similar to a franchising model; and also allow you to withdraw from the program within a trial period to determine if it is for you (with a full refund in the process). Now the LTD team Im hooked up with allows me all of this and is a legitimate way to make some extra money. If you think you'd be interested in learning more about exponential income and want to talk feel free to post a comment, e-mail me: dkinney_hu@comcast.net, or view my website: http://kinneyenterprises.ltdteam.com Username: 8549732 Password: guest

What Will Make You Rich and Allow You To Enjoy It?

Hey Bloggers, I have some exciting news! Have you ever wondered how to become rich; like what is it that will get YOU there? I feel that a lot of people are milling around life just hoping to have success, and unfortunately it will probably never happen like that. So many millionaires and wealthy people have done just about two things to ensure their success. That is 1) to invest their years into themselves by studying or reading lots of books or either making sure they position themselves around someone who knows what they need to know (a mentor); and 2)they take action!

You can't expect to gain anything without taking action. 100 times out of 100.99 times money doesn't just fall out of the sky and waah-la you're rich. You will have to take some kind of action towards success before it actually has an ability to become reality. Well, you might say, "Daniel, I don't know what I should do to create wealth for myself". I can let you in on a little secret that you may have even heard before. Follow your passions and dreams especially if your natural talents match up closely with those dreams. For example, if you have always loved helping people when they are injured, and you do very well in classes like anatomy and biology you may want to look at being somewhere in the medical field. John Maxwell said 90% of the time your passions will tell you your purpose, but your talents will tell you 100% of the time.

I know that from church and from reading about successful people who have followed their passions that God places on the inside of us a strong desire to do something. That desire is always hooked up to our purpose or the things we are called to do in the earth. When you chase what you love to do, its much easier...it no longer seems like a job, or work, or just a means to an end. Isn't it much easier to do something you like to do whether someone tells you to do it versus doing something you don't like to do? YES, because it doesn't seem like a chore. You actually enjoy doing that task. That's the same way with your way to create wealth through your purpose.

Now just because you have good stage presence and can sing very well doesn't mean you will be a breakout actress or celebrity singer. It may take years to actually cultivate and fine tune your gifts and talents before you become wealthy. You may even be broke for a period of time while chasing your dreams. The key here is not to think about being wealthy, but to think about how much you really enjoy doing what it is you're chasing. If you don't get hung up on the WHEN and start to enjoy the NOW, then in due time the money will come.

A major law of the earth is Seed, Time, and Harvest. Just think about a farmer, and how he plants seeds, allows it time to grow, then collects the harvest that springs up. Think of yourself as a farmer of life. Sow seeds into your dreams and passions, allow time for them to spring up, and then (after the first two steps) you'll reap that harvest you have been waiting for. Now don't be discouraged when it doesn't come when you expect or want it to come. Its a race of patience and endurance. You will get there though, believe that!

I just want to encourage all of you reading this, not to quit you jobs that you loathe so much to wake up for each day, but to start planting seeds into your dream. If you work in corporate America and desire to have your own fashion line, start by taking some sewing classes or upholstery classes at your local JoAnn Fabrics. The continuous deposit of those small seeds will sprout up into a massive tree of life, where one day you can get on the path you were designed to walk and be in your wealthy place. Praise the LORD!
DK

Training with Warm Weather

Hey whats up everyone! Since the last time we talked, I've picked up quite a change in things. Practice is going great in track workouts, and my hurdling is coming around surely. Right now Im just excited about LYFE, lol! I believe that this season I'll have a great track showing and have some good times to put out there. One of my goals is still to get over to Europe and get that international experience in competition. Not only for competing, but just to travel the world and see new ways of life. I think that will be one of the coolest things about traveling.

Ok, now that all that rambling is out of the way, lol, we can talk. As February comes to a near close, Indoor season is starting to wind down. To be honest, I haven't really taken too much notice with any stats for this indoor season. I think that is because I didn't run indoor myself, and the fact I was so wrapped up in staying healthy, getting the workouts I have done right, and preparing for the outdoor season. I feel that I don't need to know whats happening in the world of track right now as long as Im focused on my lane and getting better. (Agreed?) Agreed.

I am so thankful that this year I've been able to get the treatment for my body and the supplements I need (credit my coach and my mentor D. Cavilla) to operate my best at this point in time. I think those two areas are key when training for intense competition, so I thank not only them, but God for putting them in my life to help me out. As I've heard before success isn't achieved by one person, but its a compilation of all the people who helped you that leads to the grand accomplishment in the end. I really believe on that so I try to be extremely grateful for anyone who helps me along this journey of mine.

As far as competition goes, I will be opening up my outdoor season towards the end of next month. I have yet to sit down with my coach and discuss fully the first few race opportunities I'll have and how we want to use them. I personally, would like to run a relay the first meet then run my 400 hurdle race and a relay the next meet. Our third competition will be a large venue and fast times are expected so I'd like to have at least one race under my belt before I step on that stage. I have to be mindful now that this also means I have to be ready to run a FULL RACE of hurdles by then, so I have some moving and shaking to accomplish on our hurdle days from here on out. I'll make sure I get done what needs to get done in order to set myself up for a few early races at seasons open.

Aside from track news Im in the process of opening up my own business for nutritional supplements and skin care. Its a great opportunity and even now as I finish up all the registration requirements, I'm already making over $100 a month. This is just doing a little advertising when Im out and about, and doesn't really require much more time than sitting down to read a book or running errands. Its something I promote while Im out and about which is simple. I'll tell you all about it when I finish the registering process and you'll be able to take a look at my website then.

It looks like my time is up and I need to be heading off to my Maximized Living Chiro now so until next time bloggers! This is the life of...a man with a dream.