(for those that don’t know, I am not a smoker… i personally hate that habit)

Tomorrow I’ll be busy with work, but it was nice to see a friend from the States today. He will be traveling around Japan this week, so I probably won’t see him or Porscha much over the next few days

Normal posts resume on Wednesday

“The Two-Minute Challenge” is about self-actualization. Not only is this topic interesting to read about, but it can change your life when you seriously think about it. What are the driving forces of life? What is your strongest motivation? Where is your life going, and in what direction should you be steering?

From the book’s back cover:

What does a Prussian king, pre-Roman warlord, Sir Isaac Newton, Christopher Columbus, a stand-up comedian, and a bunch of caterpillars have in common with you?

Goals.

However, not all goals are made equal, and some people reach their goals, while others never cross the starting line. Do you sometimes fall into that latter group?

So why do some people reach their goals while others don’t? What motivates a person to achieve great things? How can you turn a dream into action, and why is it imperative that you start chasing your dreams today?

Enter the Two-Minute Challenge. This is going to be both the easiest challenge of your life and, perhaps, the hardest challenge of your life. If you want to lose weight, build muscle, learn a language, write a book, change your outlook, or just reach your full potential, then you need to start here. The Two-Minute Challenge will get you quickly moving toward your goals, all while blending a bit of history, psychology, and personal reflection together to shed light on the secrets to goal pursuit.

Join the journey for self-actualization, and learn what exemplary people do differently to help them reach their full potential. Don’t procrastinate, open this book and start your Two-Minute Challenge today!

My final proof for “The Two-Minute Challenge” was approved a few days ago and it will show up on Amazon.com for purchase within the next 7 days. But, what can you do today?

Go the newly launched companion site Mind over Motivation (mimoti.com) and sign-up with your email for a direct alert when the book goes live (and also receive a special extended preview).

Or, download the normal preview PDF here:

Final note: The book is not available on Amazon yet (will be in the next 3-5 days).
ISBN 1452888892
216 pages, 22 chapters, ~53,000 words

Special thanks to Matthew Braddick for superb developmental editing.
Special thanks to Laura Roberts for excellent proofreading.

So this past weekend my basketball team played in a tournament. It was a Saturday morning tournament starting at 930 AM (warm-ups before that). We were both nervous and excited - and ready to prove that the last 4 months of weekly practice had helped

About four months ago we played in our very first tournament. In that tournament 4 months ago, out of 12 teams, we placed 9th… not bad, especially considering that all but 1 of my teammates have never played basketball before 2009 (they played other sports like snowboarding, martial arts, baseball).

However, this weekend we came out with a better team strategy. Better defense, and much better rebounding skills than the last time (the main focus of our practice has been defense and rebounding).

We placed 2nd this time! Next time, we will be the champs!

Here a short video clip showing an offensive play we practiced. Pass to the high-post for a jump shot. Great job Anada san! I hope to have more video later.

We even had 1 girl play on our team, she made six points (good 3-point shooter!).

Video and photos will be posted, but we rode a Ferris Wheel, played in two basketball tournaments, had a BBQ, met some friends from Gumma, visited an aquarium, and walked around a large park.

Sorry for the lack of detailed info - I’m now busy with work

Dennis Rodman in Japan!

www.street2elite.jp

And on a different note, Gumma Japan! Gumma is the prefecture that Ayako is from. They are advertising in Tokyo.

Here is a small percentage of the emotes on my phone… but these are the ones i use most often (in no particular order):

In August I plan on being in the US for a short spell. During my stay in the US, Dennis Rodman will be in Tokyo as the main marketing tool of the And 1 street basketball tournament. What a shame, the on chance I’ll probably ever get to meet the guy before he ODs on some drug or drink of choice.

I saw a big poster for it today at the train station, but alas my camera wouldn’t cooperate with me. I will share it and more details later.

There are several things about the following photos that deserve public outrage (can you spot them?):