Regaining Yourself

Before I start this blog post, I'd like to tell you a little bit more about me. Ever since I was four years old, I've been doing some form of martial art -- be it Shotokan Karate, Taekwondo, Wushu, Sanda, Brazilian Jujitsu (BJJ), Kickboxing, or even Bajiquan.

It was something I wanted to do all my life. I had aspirations of being a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter and I trained really hard to get towards it. I was in the midst of breaking my way into the amateur scene when an unfortunate incident happened that left me concussed. I had to stop training for half a year, and when I returned, it felt like most of my progress had been erased. Honestly, it was really disheartening -- I went back to martial arts for a year or so after that, but it wasn't the same any more. My old goal seemed so out of reach. I was just there to be there, and eventually I gave up earlier in the year. Around 20 years down the drain.

Recently though, I picked up my gloves again. It's not that I think I have any shot of going pro, but what I do think is important is to not give up on something that you enjoy just because you can't reach the highest level.

You can still reach your own highest level. It still has value when you're learning something new, pushing yourself, and feeling the scope of your limitations increasing with each practice session. Martial arts works on both my physical and mental health, teaching me to always have hustle, and to not settle for laziness.

In honour of this, I'll also try to start posting once a week.

Happy hustle, everyone!

My boy.

Embarrassing Selfies: Commitment and the Journey

Today I'm going to be do something I've never done. I'm going to post some before pictures that I took this week of my body as it currently is.

This is to help make me more accountable for my personal goals related to health and fitness, that I will share with you today.

1. Successful obtain abs by December 30, 2014.
2. Increase my bodyweight with muscle mass by 15% by the end of 2014.
3. Successfully run a mile in 9 minutes or less by the end of 2014.

I will do this by

1. Lifting weights three times a week.
2. Eat healthier, leaner, cutting out fatty foods, sweet snacks, desserts, and midnight meals.
3. Cardio three times a week.

I'll try to post weekly updates of what I look like. BE WARNED: I will be half naked. HERE WE GO!

The journey begins with one step. I'm currently 145 lbs. 

Excuse my ugly washroom. 

What I've Learned from Google Analytics

Hey everyone,

today I'll be talking a little bit about what I've been learning on Google Analytics.

First off, I learned about metrics and dimensions. Dimensions are descriptions of the characteristics of a site or app's users, sessions and actions, while metrics are the quantitative measurements of dimensions. Both of these sources of information will always be in a Google Analytics Report.

Metrics are very useful because they can give insight into understanding guests by showing how frequently they utilize your webpage, or which sites they visit, and from which areas they visit, etc. Metrics can also look at averages such as how long on average a guest visits your particular webpages. This can help you glean information on what content is appealing and what content is not.

Generally speaking, I learned about the power of digital analytics and how it is rapidly changing the way people do business. Reports and results from Google Analytics can help provide the information required to continually improve the online experience for customers and potential customers.

There's still a long way to go for me, but Google Analytics is definitely a valuable resource that deserves to be learned. And since they offer free online lessons, why don't we all try to improve ourselves?

What YOU Can get from a Co-op

There's a lot of powerful things you can learn from your co-op. One thing that is reflected in all the blogs that I read is that ultimately, it's what you make of your co-op and not exactly what they initially make you do.

So without further adieu, here are some blogs:

1. Dmitry learned more about professionalism and got a chance to promote his own brand.

2. Through hard work and strong interest, Samantha managed to find a marketing job.

3. Rahul discovered a powerful marketing secret related to videos.

4. Chelsea was able to get a foot in the door to break into the field of sports marketing.

5. Jonathan was able to work on his coordination skills during his time at the Canadian Cancer Society.

At the end of the day, I think it's all about perspective. These people were able to look at the positives to create a good, useful experience for themselves.

From Jim Reed / Photo Researchers / Universal Images Group for Education Use Only

My Co-op Experience at BMO Nesbitt Burns

I did my co-op at BMO Nesbitt Burns as a Business Development Associate. A lot of what I had to do was related to calling potential clients to offer them wealth management solutions tailored for each individual person.

The importance of a job like this was that it drastically improved my phone communication skills, which is a skill that some of us are neglecting due to the increasing prevalence of online communication methods. As well, I learned that I had tailor my approach to each potential customer. My job was not as simple as just calling people -- I was trying to reach out to them to begin the establishment of a relationship that could last for years or even decades.

To that end, I learned how to manage relationships by being respectful, courteous and sincere in all my communications.

Welcome to my blog.

My name is Jeffrey and I'll be chronicling my journey through improving my health and wellness from September until December.

I was motivated to do this as a result of finding about some genetic dispositions to health conditions that I have.

Hope you like my blog.