37 today...it's been a disappointing couple of years! Gonna make this year a good one

STR8UP

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Wow, to think it has been two whole years!

Actually a little longer, but my 35th birthday was the turning point where I started to sink into the abyss. I won't go into details, but it's been a rough run for awhile now.

I sit here reflecting on how good everything was the couple of years leading up to my 35th. I was having a good time, business wasn't stressing me out, women were falling from the sky....ahhh...those were the days!

I won't say that the past couple of years were all bad. It isn't like I have become a social leper or anything, it's just that over that course of time I lost a couple of people I considered to be friends over their greed. I learned what my "price" was with both of them when they cashed out their friendship chips with me in favor of cash or trying to take advantage of me.

And with women, there have been a few over that period of time, and of course they come and go, but the biggest thing is that I haven't had one fulfilling relationship with a woman in over 3 years. Sex with a young college chick doesn't cut it. Making out with a model in my bathroom doesn't cut it. Flirting with female friends, acquaintances, and random women doesn't cut it.

It's pretty disappointing to think about, actually. But the thing is, I know better than to expect to find an intimate relationship with a decent woman until I manage to get my life back on track in other ways.

A lot of things happened in the recent past and i won't go into it all, but lets just say that it was one of those times that test your mental and emotional resolve all the way to the limit, and eventually define the person you end up being.

On the good side though, I am absolutely determined to get my sh!t back in order, and get my life back to the way it was. I'm going to see my doctor to discuss a few things next week. I'm gonna go back on a bulking routine at the gym. I'm taking up painting, and even considering getting involved in martial arts. Alcohol consumption is going to go down, but I do plan on getting out more. Gonna finish remodeling my place. Most important of all, I just launched a new business that i am gonna take to the moon.

Here's to making year 37 the best yet :up:
 

SoCalMike

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Keep that mindset bro. Determination WILL pay off. Someone once said persistence is greater than genius, they may be right.

I'm going to be 34 in a few weeks. This past year was definitely not the best year for me either, I had some extremely stressful times, particularly with my job and my ex.

After overcoming some hardships, I too feel determined to move forward and progress in all areas of my life.

After getting out of a LTR about a couple months ago, it reminded me that being single has it's advantages. Woman can easily be a burden if you're not careful, i.e. they often try to limit your success and absorb all your time.

Stay focused. :cool:
 

KontrollerX

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Happy birthday Str8up!

Good to see you making changes dude.

A good idea for you is you could use backbreaker's calender idea.

He made a kind of calender for himself that I think listed things he had to do each day to make the changes he ultimately wanted to see in himself at the end of a set number of days and I think he tore each piece of paper off at the end of the days activity completion.

Much of the days activities were centered on physical fitness and I think he was also working towards business goals as well inner game work and reading certain books.

The calender served as a reminder so he had to stay on track and schedule to avoid procrastination and complacency.
 

STR8UP

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SoCalMike said:
Keep that mindset bro. Determination WILL pay off. Someone once said persistence is greater than genius, they may be right.
So if I am a persistent genius I should be in good shape ;)

Seriously....I don't want to discuss details, but picture yourself feeling confident that you had just made some incredibly astute business decisions that were serving to propel you to great wealth and security, just to watch it all evaporate with the faltering real estate market and the economy that is headed into the toilet.

That's a big fall.

And the thing is, I KNOW that I possess skills that are virtually priceless. I know that this is only a cycle, a necessary correction in my "path", but it sucks to still be near the bottom, fighting your way back to the top.

Henry Ford was once asked what he would do if he lost his fortune tomorrow, to which her replied that it didn't matter, he would have it all back again in a few years. And I firmly believe that a true entrepreneur's greatest asset is his mind and all of the wisdom he has acquired, so I know the direction I am headed, but it's still tough to see through the dark clouds.

After getting out of a LTR about a couple months ago, it reminded me that being single has it's advantages. Woman can easily be a burden if you're not careful, i.e. they often try to limit your success and absorb all your time.
True.....I have had my share of those women. They are attracted to your ambition, then they turn around and try to monopolize your time, complaining about how you are so focused on your work and not them, but if you were focused on them, they wouldn't want anything to do with you!

The tough part for me is the fact that i haven't had the opportunity to duck into a "sanctuary" for a long time. A LTR that is committed to you is a weight off your shoulders. It's gives you a sense of well being that can't be derived from anything else. I think we all need to experience that on a semi-regular basis. I think even an STR with a decent woman would do wonders for me right now.
 

Mr. Me

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Hey, it was my birthday too! Let me tell ya, it never ends. This is the journey, it's ALWAYS evolving. You've kissed a model in the bathroom, I kissed a model in a corner of a Chelsea lounge. They're gone the next day. You want something more. She's impossible to find. You have someone great, she turns out not to be so great. You have something meaningful one day, you don't the next. Someone is your friend yesterday, now they're a person you've decided not to be friends with. Today you learned something you didn't know before, that small step opens up to more and leads you to someplace even better six months from now. You say to yourself, let me do this; I wish to learn that; this isn't worth it anymore; that's not right; I'm happiest when I... All this, and you become a better man.

This is the journey.
 

MatureDJ

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It looks like I'm 6 years ahead of you.

I have come to the conclusion regarding women that I will just exude value to potential mates, and let them determine if they can detect this value. I'm going to keep my powder dry until then.
 

ketostix

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Happy Birthday, old man :)! Well it seems that you have plenty of confidence in your own ability, and top of that past successes. So I think things will be looking up in the future.
 

Scaramouche

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Happy Birthday Str8up,
At 37 I think I hit my top form,I am surprised to read you are up against it....Firstly are your aspirations realistic?don't ask a guy ask an older Lady...having said that lets have a look at your modus operandi....many guys when confronted with a no win situation don't think of reinventing themselves,they just think they have to try harder at their existing game..I applaud your committment to improving yourself,but bulking up? No that will give a marginal improvement at least,you are performing to women,not guys...Martial arts even crazier....Just as swimmers are statistically more likely to end up drowning,my take on things is,that those skilled in martial arts are the most likely to get their heads kicked in....But sure there is peer approval and an improvement in fitness and confidence....No if you want to pull women then go where you are not outnumbered....cooking classes is a good one,learning a language and best of all dancing....There is something about dancing,if you know your Ball room,your Latin and Tango you will never be lonely....Promise.
 

broken dreams

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Hey man all I can say is Happy Birthday!

You are one of the guys who contribute with awesome advice and an open mind.

PArty like a rockstar!

"bichezz come have sex with charlie murphy !" LoL

Congrats and makin this coming year the best!
 

Ballie

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Its always good to set yourself goals and a birthday is a very good time to do so. After my divorce I set a goal to go to gym to look good for my 50'th which was 6 months later. Well, that improved my confidence and 1 year later, I feel and look far younger than my chronical years. Go for it!!
 

MaddXMan

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I dunno man, about 99% of your posts are positive and you sound like you are having fun with life. But things can always get better right?

What sucks about aging are the things you have no control over. I turn 41 next week. On this last Monday, I was trying to read the fine print on a bottle of ibuprofin and realized I could not get the print to focus. Never wore glasses, never had a problem with my eyes, but now I cannot get anything within 14 inches of my face to focus. Only bummed for a minute tho, I'll look good rocking a stylish pair of frames.

Cheers!
 

STR8UP

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Happy birthday to the rest of you October/November babies! I have a ton of friends who have birthdays this time of year for some reason....

Espi said:
Congrats to you...I'm 37, too, and I've learned that anything I put my mind to can be accomplished with resolve...I didn't have the discipline in my twenties that i have now...and I actually feel younger than my 37 years...
I guess I am super lucky to be blessed with good genes, cause not only do I feel like I am in my 20's, but I also get carded regularly, and whenever I ask someone to guess my age, it's usually mid-late 20's. I can imagine when I get some more muscle put on that it's only going to help my youthful appearance. I really need to be thankful for this blessing, cause I look at a lot of guys my age and think they look OLD. I'm really glad I don't look that way.

Scaramouche said:
Happy Birthday Str8up,
At 37 I think I hit my top form,I am surprised to read you are up against it....Firstly are your aspirations realistic?
I am a "risk taker" and it just so happened that the perfect storm was a brewin' and it sunk my ship.

Fortunately, tenacity is also part of the nature of the risk taker. We realize that we don't every really fail....we just periodically pay large sums of money for the education that allows us to move forward. I dropped out of college. If I had stayed in college and followed a "normal" life. I probably wouldn't be coming off of a rock bottom right now, but I also never would have achieved the greatness I am destined for.

having said that lets have a look at your modus operandi....many guys when confronted with a no win situation don't think of reinventing themselves,they just think they have to try harder at their existing game
That is a very good point. I stopped paying the landlord at my retail store three months ago. My busy season is coming up (for what its worth with this sh!tty economy), and my landlord came to see me yesterday and he KNOWS what is up with the state of the economy, so I'm going to ride it out through busy season, throwing him a bone here and there, and then I might consider taking my entire operation online only.

I'm definitely not going to continue trying to get a different result from the same things, even by approaching them a different way, if there really isn't a chance of salvation.

..I applaud your committment to improving yourself,but bulking up? No that will give a marginal improvement at least,you are performing to women,not guys...
I am going back to a bulking routine because I have done it in the past and felt better than i have ever felt in my life. I was WAAAAY more confident and definitely HEALTHIER. There is something about the chemicals that are released when you so strength training that do wonders all the way around.
As an added bonus you look good too. I have been on a cutting, doing some cardio and a reduced calorie diet, and I think that has contributed to my depression lately, so I'm about done with that. Back to eating like a horse and letting the testosterone flow!

ketostix said:
Happy Birthday, old man ! Well it seems that you have plenty of confidence in your own ability, and top of that past successes. So I think things will be looking up in the future.
Haha.....last week this chick I know sends me a comment on Myspace "Someone is going to be an old man soon!"

I replied "Well you might as well put the word 'dirty' in front of that cause I'm not slowing down anytime soon!"

Mr. Me said:
Hey, it was my birthday too! Let me tell ya, it never ends. This is the journey, it's ALWAYS evolving. You've kissed a model in the bathroom, I kissed a model in a corner of a Chelsea lounge. They're gone the next day. You want something more. She's impossible to find. You have someone great, she turns out not to be so great. You have something meaningful one day, you don't the next. Someone is your friend yesterday, now they're a person you've decided not to be friends with. Today you learned something you didn't know before, that small step opens up to more and leads you to someplace even better six months from now. You say to yourself, let me do this; I wish to learn that; this isn't worth it anymore; that's not right; I'm happiest when I... All this, and you become a better man.

This is the journey.
And that's the key to being happy in life. It's understanding that things are rarely static. You have to roll with the punches. Take the good with the bad. Know that when one door closes, another opens.

You never arrive at a destination. As soon as you do, you are effectively dead.

Thanks for the replies fellas. For some strange reason I feel better today than I have felt in weeks! I'm gonna try to keep up the momentum!
 

Papillon

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Happy BDay Str8up! :cheer:
Keep up the good work as one of the most valuable posters here.
I am almost your age and I feel I am just 16 (as far as being energetic) and 70 (as far as being wise, well at least that's how I feel)
At 37 you cannot be anything short than on top of your game and little setbacks here and there do not do anything else but build up your confidence and inner strength. :woo:
 

Juando

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Do something special just for you.

And remember to be ok just as you are, while improving!

Buon Compleanno!!
 
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Happy Birthday STR8UP! I've been a lurker here for years and your posts have definitely had a positive impact on my life! Thanks my dude
 
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