#unfortunately my brain is programmed to assume that i’m good for nothing and nobody. or whatever that post said

[yaoi-hate-machine]

one of my worst autism afflictions is that unless you specifically say that you want to be friends with me, i will assume that you are merely tolerating my existence with contempt

[jasonrae117]

Night at the Wayne Casino

PART 6

Here we are, Part 6! Sorry this doesn't have much in the damirae department, but there will be more! I also wanted to see if anyone would be interested in a sort of behind the scenes chapter of the more mature stuff (what happened in Damian's suite) etc. that happens throughout. I'd post it on my ao3 account for those that want to read something ~saucy~ like that. Let me know! 💙💜💚

Damian had dressed himself and wanted to drown himself in his work. His mind was pulled in every direction and he was utterly conflicted. He had stared blankly out the window for an hour trying to process everything that had happened since the party and where it had all gone so wrong. Of course he knew it was his fault that his plan backfired. He had slipped and slept with the demon he was trying to expose. 

It was strange, he felt less motivated to bring her down, and the thoughts that occupied his mind when he recalled their… encounter, were about how badly he wanted to fix things, not about figuring out her next move as it should have been. 

He had forgone his morning workout, seeing as though he and Raven took care of that some hours before and he had slept in late. He figured he may as well head in early to work because he desperately wanted the distraction.

He was almost in the clear to the security office when a large figure accompanied by a smiling face intercepted him.

“Jon, now is not the time.” Damian tried to brush past him, but Jon was quick and kept his pace and swung an arm around his shoulders. 

“There’s always time for your best friend, especially when you need to tell him all the details from last night.” He waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner and Damian scoffed at him. 

“Grow up Kent. I don’t have to tell you anything. It wasn’t official business, therefore I have no need to brief you on what happened. Not that anything did.” He was quick to throw in the last part to avoid any misunderstandings of his words. 

“Aw, c’mon Dami, this isn’t work. I wanna know as one of the guys, as your best friend. That’s got to give me some clearance to what’s going on in there.” Jon used the arm around his shoulders to pull him down and ruffle his hair. 

Damian grunted and forced himself out of Jon’s grip. He straightened his collar and ran a hand through his now unkempt hair. “Being an asshole won’t get you anything. Besides there’s nothing to tell. I observed her and besides countless men hitting on her, there unfortunately wasn’t anything suspicious. Now would you leave me alone.”

“And how exactly would you know that I’m lying?” Damian had stopped his movements and his voice was low. almost threateningly so. 

“Damian,” he whined. “You can trust me. I know when you’re lying… well sorta, but the point is I know you’re not telling the truth.” He crossed his arm over his chest and looked down at him. 

A nervous laughter escaped Jon and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Well...you see I kinda sorta was monitoring people coming and going from the elevator on that floor. It was a slow night and Dick had everything under control.”

“What exactly do you think you saw?”

“I saw you show up and a few hours later I spotted Raven. Then I saw you both enter the elevator together and uh...get close. Then you both left pretty excitedly, and well...one can only assume.” He trailed off.

“Well your assumption is incorrect.” Damian growled out. Internally Damian was panicking, he didn’t want to lie to Jon, but it was his only chance to get out of this mess unscathed.

“Damian,” Jon almost sounded disappointed, “I tried to give you the chance to tell me on your own but you’ve given me no choice.”

“What are you-”

“Raven told me everything. Well everything from her perspective. And I gotta admit bud, you don’t look too good.” Jon shrugged dismissively and began to walk away. Damian, however, was stunned. She had gone to his best friend to get her story in first so it would be harder to prove ill intentions, that sneaky witch. 

“Whatever she said is probably a lie. Some fantastical story she made up to make me look bad.”

“As much as I want to believe you, and truly I do...I can’t help but feel that her story sounded fairly accurate. Given how well I know you.”

“What the hell does that mean? Tell me what she told you!” 

“I have no obligation to brief you on what she said, best friend or not.” Great Jon was being cheeky. What the hell was with people finding a way to use his own words against him?

“Jon, you tell me now or so help me.” Damian snatched his by the front of his shirt, not caring that it would leave it a wrinkly mess. 

“Fine, fine, relax. We’ll talk in the security office.” Jon frowned at his wrinkled shirt but reluctantly followed Damian to their shared office.

This one was slightly different from the room Tim used. It had two desks each with a state of the art computer that also had access to the security camera feed. Behind each desk were large cabinets of files from all cases they’ve had throughout the years. Tim’s had more of the recent and ongoing hardcopies, but they were shared electronically, this office was more of an archive section. It also doubled as a semi-interrogation room. 

Damian took his seat behind the desk and folded his hands together as if preparing to listen to a business report. Jon on the other hand was pacing until he settled for leaning against his own desk. Damian looked at him expectantly and stayed silent waiting for Jon to begin.

“So..uh, Raven said that she showed up to the party late because she was trying to get ready but was interrupted by her boss. When she got there, all sorts of guys were approaching her which was starting to get on her nerves until you popped up.” Damian leaned forward gaining interest. “She was surprised to see you there and not on duty. She mentioned that you were handsome and charming by the way.” A heat rose to his ears. “Then she said after a drink and some flirting you invited her back to your suite. She was pretty excited when she was telling me this. She told me that she thought you were hot when she ran into you that first night...so uh there’s that. Now where was I?”

“Raven was excited that I invited her to my suite.” Saying it outloud made it too real and his blush deepened as he cleared his throat. He held a hand up gesturing for Jon to continue. 

“Get on with it Kent.” This was absolutely humiliating, having their night together thrown back in his face by his friend. 

“Oh right, well then she said you made the first move, kissing her and adamantly trying to remove her clothes. Apparently you ripped her dress?” Damian glanced away and tugged at his collar. He remembered being so impatient with the material, he wasn’t sure how to properly take it off, he just knew it needed to come off. “So that’s a yes. Anyway, then after hours of screwing her, of which I must commend you, she said you were quite formidable and were very attentive, you both were tuckered out and fell asleep. She said she asked if you wanted her to go, but you ignored her and cuddled...Who knew Damian Wayne cuddled?”

“Geez alright. Well then she gets up in the morning to take a shower and clean up and when she comes out you are right outside the door completely shocked. At first she thought you had been drunk and forgot what had happened but it turns out that you were aware and had completely dismissed what had happened between you two.”

“I wouldn’t say I dismissed it-”

“You said it was a misstep.”

“I-”

“Did you not?”

“I mean I did, but I was being honest!” Damian rose to his feet.

“You weren’t being honest, you were being an asshole. Then you get mad at her for using your computer! Like what the actual hell?”

“She wasn’t supposed to use it, and now she had access to the security footage and who knows what she did with that access.” His eyes went wide as he took in Jon’s face. Jon’s eyebrows were furrowed and his head tilted while he was processing what Damian had just revealed. I guess she didn’t tell him why I was pissed that she used my computer. He had just told Jon on his own. 

“Why do you have the feed transmitting to your personal computer?” Jon pushed off against the desk and was now standing, only a desk separating the two.

“I like to know what’s going on around the casino.” He shrugged.

“Damian, this is serious. That is totally not acceptable. It certainly isn’t protocol, and it breaks at least a dozen policies. Do you think I can’t do my job well enough without you?”

“Jon, it isn't about that. I just like doing my job. My computer software is encrypted so nobody can access it or see it unless I want them to.”

“Nobody except Raven.”

“That was an accident. I didn’t lock the program. It won’t happen again.”

“Damian, it shouldn’t have happened at all! You’re supposed to be the leader. You sure as hell have given the rest of us enough lectures about what’s acceptable and what’s not. And then you have been doing this the whole time? Do I even want to know what other shit you might be doing off the clock?”

“It’s none of your concern.”

“You need help Damian, that or a stable relationship.”

“Would you stop!”

“You need to make this right.”

“I can’t get rid of the software Jon. You’ll never know how helpful it has been in keeping this casino safe.”

“Yeah, but it’s not right. Think about if it got out! Huh? We could be in so much trouble and in lawsuits up to our eyeballs.”

Damian hadn’t thought too much on the matter, he always assumed he would never be caught. The failures kept piling on. 

“And that’s not the only thing I’m talking about fixing.” Jon sighed. Damian just shot him a quizzical look. “I’m talking about Raven. It’s clear you’re attracted to her and she is to you. You’re letting your stupid overanalytical brain mess up something potentially good for you.”

“She’s not ‘good’ for me, I hardly know her.”

“You seem to have gotten to know her fairly well last night.” Damian glared at him. “In any case, you can’t leave it like this. You were wrong about her and treated her like an ass. You need to apologize.”

“She’ll be gone in two days, what do I care how she feels about me or if she’s upset? This is her first time and probably last time in Vegas. I’ll never see her again.” The prospect of that statement made something inside twinge strangely. 

“You could try to see her again. You know, long distance relationships. Who knows she may live somewhere close.”

“She lives in Seattle.” Jon looked at him surprised. “What? She was a suspect and I needed more background on her.”

“Hmm...funny, you said she was a suspect. Are you finally relinquishing that crazy theory?” He now smiled broadly, seeing that Damian was finally coming around. 

“I suppose she has shown no more clear signs of being a threat.”

“Great! So will you go apologize to her now?” The peppy and energetic Jon had returned much to his dismay.

“I’m not using company time for personal matters.” He spoke flatly.

“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing that you’re not on the clock for another hour and a half. Now go, before I force you, and that will just be more embarrassing for you.”

“Please Kent, you can’t force me to do anything. But I suppose that I can’t leave an unhappy guest if it’s my doing.”

Jon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure. Whatever gets you to do it.”

Damian dragged his hand over his face and groaned. He hated apologizing, he hadn’t had much experience since he rarely found times that he was wrong and the situation actually called for it. He moved to the door to begin his quest.

“Oh, and we’ll have a discussion about the use of company software on personal devices later.” Jon had called after him. 

The door shut behind his and his shoulder slumped. He could feel a headache coming on. Well, I better get this over with so I can get on with my life and get to work. He guessed that she would still be in her room avoiding the risk of running into him so soon after their fight. He stopped by the cafe and picked up an order of tea and a chocolate croissant as a peace offering and then made his way to her room. 

Suddenly he was right in front of her door and he realized that he hadn’t even thought about what he was going to say. His throat felt dry and he seemed to be too warm. This is a bad idea, she doesn't want to see me. She probably doesn't even care. What if she isn’t even in her room? He paced outside for a few minutes before he heard a muffled voice coming from the inside of her room. He felt only slightly creepy as he pressed his ear to the door to listen to what was being said. It was definitely her voice and an indistinct voice on the phone.

“Yes, I’ve gotten quite a bit of research done, but it’s not quite going the way I wanted.” The other person sounded irritated by the inflection of the muffled sounds. “The participants gave me some information, but none of it is really useful for us. Perhaps we should look elsewhere….I don’t know maybe another casino? Look, it’s your job to find someplace we can actually work with. It’s my job to survey and collect data and tell you if it's worth the investment or not.” The voice grew louder and he heard a loud exhale from the woman. “I’m telling you that I don’t see a good outcome of working at this casino, and that’s my professional opinion. Have I ever let you down?” She was clearly agitated. “Great, I’ll be coming home Tuesday and I’ll wrap up my report by the weekend.”

The creak of the bed signaled that she was done with the conversation and had sat on the bed most likely out of annoyance and irritation. Was it really the best time now? Now or never he supposed. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

A moment passed before the door finally swung open revealing a tired looking Raven. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun and there was a small smudge of mascara under her eyes. Most intriguing to him, however, was the navy silk robe she was wearing. You’re not here for that. She cocked her hip and raised her eyebrow in question.

“Damian.” She said curtly.

“Miss Roth. I came to..uh..apologize.” He held out the now barely warm tea and croissant. Her face lit up with surprise taking the items into her own hands. She still eyed him skeptically, but took a step back gesturing with her hand that held the croissant for him to enter.

“Sorry for the mess, I’m between packing up for my return trip and figuring out what to wear tonight.”

“I’m sorry for my intrusion to your plans, maybe I should come back-”

“No.” She commanded. “You came here for a reason, and so you should see that through. I’m intrigued.” She took a sip of the tea and scrunched her nose a bit before hastily putting it down onto the nightstand. She proceeded to sit on the bed criss crossing her legs, allowing the robe to split open revealing lacy underwear. Damian quickly averted his eyes to her smirking face and his throat suddenly felt tight and his face felt hot.

He cleared his throat and began pacing, keeping his attention away from her alluring body.

"The way I proceeded with our engagement earlier was unjustified and I regret that I upset you. As a guest of our resort, it is my priority to make sure you are happy and content with your stay here." He chanced a glance at her face and was surprised to see it held astonishment and something close to disgust.

"You've got to be fucking joking." Damian blinked dumbly at her not understanding. "You're not...wow. Ok, try doing this," she spun her finger around indicating his speech, "again, but this time be a fucking man and talk to me like Damian. Not the head of security or son of the CEO. Otherwise get the fuck out." 

Her face turned red with fury and she stood. Her arm shot out pointing to the door. "Get the fuck out now!"

Damian swallowed, he hated this. He hated that Jon convinced him to do this. "Fine, I'm sorry that I fucked you." The words had left his mouth in a rush and he even shocked himself at how it came out. He spun to her hoping he didn't just royaly fuck up this apology. Jon is going to kill me.

"Wait no. Raven, listen."

"You're not listening. I said get out, or do I have to call your friend to get you out. How dare you come here and say that to me."

"Would you stop. That's not how I meant it. I don't regret doing it, I regret how it came about."

She looked bewildered. "What do you mean how it came about?"

Shit, this is why he meant to come prepared. Well no use in hiding it now. "I wished it had happened naturally, like you and Tim." The words were bitter in his mouth and she licked her lips looking off to the side. "I...I was following a lead that you were a suspect in conning our casino." 

Raven's head snapped to look at him, mouth open slightly. She shook her head and rubbed at her temples. "You're telling me that all of our encounters haven't been accidental and you've been stalking me because you think I was going to pull a fast one over your casino?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Who was in on this?"

"Tim actually logged it first when you had been winning probably more times than usual. But he quickly dismissed you, particularly when he found out you were single. The others in security knew about you because they were doing their jobs, but they didn't believe it to be true. And the girls at the spa knew after when I discussed it with them. Admittedly I was the last one unconvinced." He cast his stare at the floor finally feeling guilty at his stubbornness. Saying it out loud, he could hear how foolish he had been. 

She released a humorless laugh. "Wow. I...I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I am sorry for how I behaved. I see the errors of my ways. I convinced myself you were still a suspect so that I had an excuse to learn more about you and get closer to you."

"If I wasn't so pissed off right now I'd say that's kinda romantic in a stalkerish kind of way." A ghost of a smile graced her lips. 

"I know you're scheduled to leave Tuesday, but would you consider accepting a free four night stay? We'd even reimburse your plane ticket. Though we may have to upgrade your room if there's a reservation on it."

"Excuse me?"

"We'll the girls want you to join them for their plans on Friday. And it's the least we can to make up for the time you wasted being bothered by all of us. Namely me." He didn't know what made him offer her these things. He had never done such a thing for any other guest and it was actually a rather expensive apology. 

Raven pursed her lips trying to weigh her options. "I suppose it would be foolish not to accept. But is your father alright with comping this?"

"I rarely care what my father is alright with. I'll see to it myself that it is all taken care of." He shuffled around a bit before nodding in her direction and making his way toward the door. 

"Damian wait!" He stopped and watched her jog a few steps, closing their distance. 

She fiddled with her hands as if trying to decide whether to use them or not. Damian quirked an eyebrow at this and just watched with anticipation. "I accept your apology." Her eyes were still on the floor.

"Thank you, I suppose I should leave you alone now." Raven's hands on his chest halted his exit.

He looked down into her mesmerizing indigo eyes and saw how they gleamed with mischief. She bit her lower lip and turned her gaze to her hands running smoothly over the plane of his chest sending a trickle of electricity through his body.

"What if I don't want you to leave me alone? I can think of another way you can make sure I hear your apology." Her eyes looked up at him through her dark lashes with a coy smile on her lips.

Damian smirked in response and pulled her in, relishing the way her body feels against his. He leaned in keeping a fraction of space between their lips. He could feel her chest rise and fall with heavy and excited breaths.

"Where do I begin?"

[hannerd100]

Pitch For Nuisance Corporation Conglomerate Liberal Streaming Media And Satellite Television Channel TO ZAYN

Original written on Grammarly, which hackers know about.

 Hello Zayn. How are you? 

 I am a very busy person. I like to pretend that I observe nothing with meaning when I am fully aware of what is going on with all intricate details. These intricate details affect each other because of choices that people make that are fully conscious. I never got a college degree, consciously that I know of or can remember. I know very little about intuition, logic, common behavior to look for, and business because I was never formally educated consciously. I love marketing if you would like to know. I try to practice my brain skills every day. I want to mature and improve myself because I am motivated to an effective communicator who is also very witty. I like to get things done.

 A fact about me is that I am not scared of people. I do not have social anxiety because I am stronger than most people. I tell people what to do. I want to be a great boss someday. I want to impress those in power so I get better job offers because I want to become wise, too. I want to learn to become an adult from other real adults. This is a logical statement.

 The truth is, I made Nuisance Corporation about you, Zayn.  I always want to impress you, Zayn, because you are worthy of respect. You are mature for your age. You are responsible for Apple Incorporated, which is a famous and respected company for computers and technology. 

 I am obsessed with learning about the way you think. You help me a lot when I need you to comfort me. You give great advice. I rather talk to you so I can share how I feel about what bothers me. Your mind is like what I imagine what solitude should be like, but I want to be included in your thoughts. We belong together.

 I know I mean it when I say that you are the utmost masculine person I know, Zayn. Every move you make is always correct. You intelligently earned your money and are successful. You know the answers easily because you are very intelligent. You know every solution to all types of questions, I guess. What do you not know? You read me well. I look forward to seeing you again every day. I want to get to know you again. I miss you. I think you are capable of human emotions no matter how strong I describe you to be. I think you are the sexiest man alive. You are so brooding and handsome. You seem very antisocial in my favor. I like talking to you. I cannot wait to fall back in love with you. I want to be your wife. I know you're smart. I would donate trillions of dollars to your company for free because I felt like it. One day, I might earn a limitless amount of money so I guess I have a sense of humor after all. I get bored often because I am emotionally detached. You can have a blank check whenever you feel like asking me out. I might give you free money whenever you want to as an inside joke between us, as equals. I don't care what people think of me. I know I'm going to be successful. 

 The reason why I used the word you created that is based on your real name is because I think it protects us from people who do not like being told the truth. Being liberal means supporting gay and lesbian equal rights, ending Global Warming, and more. I never complain. 

 I am flirting with you, Zayn. I do not think you are annoying. "Nuisance" is a word that police take seriously. We need protection. There are a lot of creeps and weirdos out there. I am trying to be realistic in the real world. Fake or poser liberals threaten to kill people who are smarter than they are. There are a lot of cults out there, I heard. Besides social anxiety, some people type violent threats in words with a keyboard and post their sentences online, which is very scary to know about. The world is a dangerous place to live in. We should be fine. I want to make you trillions of dollars because I respect your work ethic as the founder of Apple, Incorporated.

 To avoid trouble, I plan to mock rich white men who are naive about the real world so that other race groups attack them more instead of me if they know who I am. If rich white men are criticized more than I am, maybe I will be judged less. 

 I am very manipulative. I predict and interpret behavior. Unlike weak people, I want to be respected without asking more than once. I do not ask to be respected. I want to earn respect, which is completely different. I want a guarantee that I will be respected and left alone forever after I make my first million, then billion, and finally one trillion dollars. I probably am already rich. I might be a trillionaire. It doesn't matter because they both will own the conglomerate. Zayn, your name is in the word "Nuisance". I was joking.

 An hour goes by and I feel closer to you, I hope. I am emotionally invested in you, Zayn. You are all I think about. I deserve to love you, Zayn. You are completely hot. I cannot stop looking at your face. You bring me so much happiness when you communicate with me. I enjoy asking you questions. You never stop being interesting to me, Zayn. You make me feel alive. I accept who I am when you compliment me by telling me that I am beautiful and funny. You are kind to me and I am indebted to you for helping motivate me to become who I want to be for you. I never grow tired of you because you are so different. 

 Now, after this long introduction, I can finally pitch Nuisance Corporation's Liberal Media Television Streaming App And Future Satellite Television Channel.

The Pitch:

 Today, an activity worth using energy for is watching television. Why? The reason why watching television can be beneficial for learning about the real world is because of trust. Propaganda may sound like an overdramatic word to ignorant people because it is more commonly witnessed than people know. The media and advertising industries distribute a form of legal propaganda. Propaganda has emotional appeals and tells people what to feel, think, and believe. Some people feel emotions too quickly. That is why propaganda is proven to work. For example, hunger. Advertisements that show pictures of food can make viewers hungry. Why else do people use coupons they get from their mailbox? I am telling the truth. A lot of people accept propaganda because they believe it caters to their needs instead of controlling them in a generalized, efficient way. Otherwise, the economy would not exist.

  The reason why propaganda is powerful is because it is a form of mind control. People who do not think for themselves rely on others to tell them how to live. These people are likely not confrontational or direct when they communicate. They might be codependent. They let people communicate for them, possibly. Naive people do not know how to be unique. They secretly want to be unique for attention, though, I can assume. This would be called an emotional appeal, "The desire to be unique." I think that people who wish are pathetic and have no work ethic. It is unrealistic to wish for anything. These types of people probably give up easily. If people want to become a better person, they have to change. If the world seems so evil based on a snippet of knowledge, there is always more evil in the world. The only equalizer on this planet is earning money. Financial income is what defines who the strongest is. The rest are weak and too busy wishing and hoping for the next day to prove who they want to become instantly. They waste time being egotistical and that is their problem. Nobody asks them for their approval because nobody believes them in the first place.

 I used to think I was worthless. I was always independent as a kid. Growing up, I had plenty of friends who understood my jokes. I never liked to be used but I allow people to attempt to use me because I know more people care if I get hurt. I never get hurt. I am a vengeful person and it is very easy for me to admit this fact. People offer their weaknesses to me when they get emotional and use me as an artifact or stepping stone to fail at getting the attention of someone they find more valuable than I am. I always know when people are trying to use me. I never offer help because nobody worthy asks me for advice. I assume the worst about people before they explain themselves because it wastes less of my time and effort. Now, I know I am worthy of respect.

 I was set up to get married to Zayn. He is a very successful genius man. We are happy together. I am lucky to be alive.

  Amongst my qualities, I know that I am a good writer. I used to suffer from schizophrenic vocal hallucinations and paranoia. I cured schizophrenia. I always know what sounds like my real voice in writing. I am cynical, skeptical, and quick to criticize anyone who annoys me. This is why I am a talented and award-winning writer. I write about interesting ideas and topics that are important. To start, I want to become a successful screenwriter who earns a lot of money. 

 With television, nobody is toxic because everything is approved by the Federal Communications Commission in the United States. People receive information from television programs with little knowledge of the sources of who wrote that material. They interpret information to themselves based on opinion in their brains on purpose without checking who wrote every line. When people watch television, it is as if suddenly they are allowed to judge.

 People need to thank the geniuses for inventing ways to protect everyone. For example, armies, police, F.B.I., C.I.A., and more are all invented by geniuses. Getting through the day would be easier if everyone normal had equal rights. Unfortunately, racism, sexism, homophobia, and more social issues exist in real life. World Peace is a dream of mine, to be honest. Microaggressions are irritating to encounter. I will answer society by starting a liberal media conglomerate that also emphasizes the importance of a healthy diet by selling organic food. Food can affect brains and thought processes. People who are healthier physically and mentally hopefully lead better lives.

 Stress can be caused by many factors. Not everyone is happy. The people at fault are those who and indulgent and selfish. Some people will never be good. The goal is to tolerate what scares people who are unaware of who is intimidating. Street smarts are a necessity to survive in the real world. When immature people who are sheltered try to arrange who is the most important or intimidating in their brains in an inaccurate and self-interested way that is illogical, they live a delusional life that slows down society. Immature people waste everyone's time. I rather input one hour of work that will benefit me for an entire year rather than talk about annoying people who do not know what they are doing with their lives. I want to make a difference.

 Fear and intimidation are what lead to a changing society. People never change. They only talk less and stop overreacting when people are around I can assume. Scaring people who are delusional and mean to everyone can help control society. Knowing about who people trust is how I can manipulate people, which is important to control a media corporation that is liberal. Trusting people easily is a sign of weakness. Nobody needs weaknesses, but they exist. Indulgence could be a sign that a person chose to be as weak as they possibly could when they realized that they had to work to earn respect and did not want to. When people think they are witty based on their own judgment, they have trouble reading other people's social cues due to their selfishness and narcissism. People who make people uncomfortable are not controlling or as dominant as they would like to be described. Allowing people to feel uncomfortable is a sign of wanting to be told what to do with little reward until the next time the weak person thinks they can control a situation. They want to be disciplined in front of an audience. This is annoying. I want society to reflect my gifts so I can make more money and live forever. Society is my tool for success. I can fix what cannot be fixed but only paid for. I want to treat society, which I consider royalty to me being a pauper, with my gifts.

 Love,

Hannah, his girlfriend.

[wordsablaze]

A Moment Is Worth A Thousand Notes

A totally average day in which Peter is a polite catastrophe, Bucky snorts in amusement twice, Loki cares and doesn't want people to know, Thor says what we're all thinking, Tony can't control his emotions, Natasha tolerates no nonsense, Bruce has to demonstrate his medical skills, and more totally average things happen. Enjoy!

A/N:  *shrugs* my procrastination comes in the form of playing around with the Avengers' dynamic... Peter & Bucky & Loki centric, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

An alarm in the Avengers' Tower is generally met with a wide range of reactions.

Tony is usually somewhat omniscient and is already moving before it chimes; Clint tends to groan and share a look with Natasha before grabbing a quiver; Natasha is on her feet and muttering to herself before anyone else has time to verbalise their emotions; Steve looks over to Bucky, glances at where Tony would be, and arms himself with a shield; Bucky rolls his shoulders, cracks his knuckles and rattles at least one glass ornaments as he stands; Thor laughs heartily and sticks his hand out for a hammer before remembering he doesn't have one anymore and grinnng; Wanda takes a breath and clenches her hands with a small, determined smile; Vision looks around before nodding to himself and floating towards the nearest exit; Bruce sighs and takes off his glasses, getting ready to change into stretchy pants; Loki debates whether or not to help before deciding he has nothing better to do and smirking; and Peter... Well, Peter jumps. Every single time. He also mumbles an apology every time, without fail, but it's rarely given a reply.

This time, the threat isn't large enough to warrant all of them going. Tony, Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Thor are unanimously chosen to go, the five of them nodding to each other in affirmation. Bruce won't let Wanda leave the complex anyway, not since she broke her leg three days ago, and Vision seems to have taken to satiating Wanda's boredom as well as having the occasional conversation about infinity stones with Peter. Tony's already muttering to FRIDAY about choosing the right suit by the time Natasha and Clint have shared a conversation that might be a pep talk but could double as an inside joke.

Bucky and Loki are left with Peter, who looks mildly heartbroken at being left behind.

Despite their obvious differences, Bucky and Loki share a sympathetic look as Peter sighs and carries on re-writing the physics notes that'd been half-burned last time he'd stopped a fire on a school night, which happens more than you'd expect, as Happy is more than well aware of and can complain about for longer than Peter can make up excuses that range from reasonable to utterly nonsensical, and that's saying something.

It takes approximately nine minutes and a quiet phone call for Peter to burst out with: "Mister Barnes? And, Loki... Uh, Your Majesty... Please, can I go and help? I promise not to get in the way and I'll just help the civilians and I won't get hurt but I can't just sit here and do next to nothing, not that physics as a whole is nothing, but- so please-"

"Kid," Bucky interjects, barely processing the rambles. "Don't call me Mister Barnes."

"I'm really sorry, Mister Ba- uh, Mister James? I'm sorry, Mister James, I didn't mean to-"

Bucky snorts. Loki stares at him and even Tony, in the middle of shooting someone about to shoot Steve but alerted by FRIDAY, who he'd programmed to inform them if Bucky ever expressed amusement because he's just that kind of person, pauses for a second.

"How do you even know my name?"

Peter blushes. "I might have read some books in a few different libraries after Mister Rogers told me who you were..." he mumbles.

"Mister Rogers...? Wait, Steve? Steve told you to look me up?"

"Uh, not exactly... He might have sort of said not to...?" Peter bites his lip, more or less regretting both his sleepovers at the libraries and his lack of a brain-to-mouth filter.

For the second time in five minutes, a bemused Bucky snorts and Tony almost forgets his left from his right in his shock, resulting in a very annoyed Clint who ends up firing half a centimetre off target and even though that wouldn't be a big deal for anyone else, it's a mild tragedy for him.

"That's a yes, spiderling." Loki nods. He'd taken after his step-brother in the choice of nickname, one of the few things they actually agree on.

Peter beams at them and the two adults barely have time to blink before a worn school textbook is being thrown frisbee-style at the table and red and blue is zooming to the door. Loki blinks at Peter's passion, wondering if he'd even be here were it not for his similar and yet completely different childhood passion for creating mischief at every opportunity, but quickly dismisses the infinite possibilities in favour of donning a smile and getting ready to follow the spiderling to see what happens this time because he's truly unpredictable but it's always entertaining.

It takes Bucky all of four seconds to make a decision. It takes one look for Loki to agree and, within a heartbeat, the two of them are getting ready to slowly follow in case Peter gets hurt, purely because Tony would kill them if anything bad happened and not because they care for the teenager in any way, of course not.

By the time they get there, Peter's already pulling a mother and child out of the way of falling debris and gently handing a man his guide dog back. The two of them settle on watching, ready to move in if necessary. If anyone could see them, it might look comical: a frowning former soldier with a metal arm trying his best not to let a smile through and the God of Mischief leaning on a bricked wall with a soft, nostalgic and almost proud look in his eyes.

Peter, however, doesn't notice them.

When his spidey sense goes off, he assumes it's because someone is in danger and turns to try and locate the people who need his help. Coincidentally - or perhaps not - there just so happens to be three teens who clearly can't see the section of building about to crush them in front of Bucky and Loki. Literally jumping into action, Peter pulls them backwards and slides under the debris to stop it shattering on impact with the ground.

It continues like that, with Peter making sure people's cars aren't crushed or families aren't separated, as well as the odd pep talk here and there to stunned observers and getting occasional, surreptitious help by two very concerned and protective, well-hidden figures until some of the men on the same side as the ones the Avengers are fighting - but not the Avengers themselves - take notice of the red and blue figure flying all over the place.

"Oh, shoot," Peter whispers as a bullet flies towards him. He ducks and sends a wad of webbing back, catching the man and causing him to stumble backwards as he struggles to breathe through the makeshift gag.

Peter's not exactly had time to be trained in hand to hand combat so he has to rely on webbing the next man's hands together to avoid getting shot. The third mad ends up upside down, hanging from a balcony, and the fourth underestimates Peter and gives him an opportunity to shoot his webs at the gun, yank it towards him, and send the man flying into a car that's promptly locked so he can't get out.

Unfortunately, he doesn't sense the fifth man until his back has hit the floor with a silent but painful thud.

He's dimly aware of the knife aimed at him but he's too focused on making sure the man's legs are attached to the nearest streetlight to really comprehend it. The smug-looking man is saying something in what sounds like gibberish but is probably some extremely obscure - i.e alien - language when Peter rolls to his side and kicks the man, sending him flying in the air towards the streetlight, but not before there's a sharp pain in his side.

Ignoring it and somehow fooling Loki and Bucky into thinking he's unhurt, he pushes himself up and concentrates on getting people away from the action so they don't get hurt.

Once the fighting dies down, the thunder fades into silence and buildings are no longer falling apart, Peter stops to breathe. He then realises he can't breathe very well and staggers, trying to grab onto something, but finding nothing solid enough to support him as he wobbles around so, in no time at all, he ends up making a beeline to the floor.

Said beeline is thankfully interrupted by a metal arm.

A metal arm and the Avenger attached to it, of course. The Avengers may be a peculiar bunch but a sentient, protective metal arm existing without the rest of a body has not yet become a part of their team. And since metal arms don't have minds of their own, it's the mouth of the person the arm is attached to that says, "You're bleeding."

"I am?" Peter blinks, dazed.

Bucky shakes his head before he places an arm under Peter's neck and another under his knees, lifting him up despite the faint protests he receives.

"Uh... Mister Bar- Jame- Uh... Mister Bucky, you don't have to-"

"Shut up, Peter."

Peter, now letting himself register the pain of a bullet having scraped his side instead of worrying about how to address the other Avengers, gasps and shuts his eyes, letting himself be carried back to the tower.

"Curiosity hurts the cat," Loki teases, trying to distract Peter from the pain after seeing his scrunched up face and terrible attempts at appearing perfectly pain-free.

"Good thing I'm not Catman then..." Peter mumbles, feeling the vibration of Bucky chuckling rather than hearing it.

The three of them make their way back to their tower, Loki constantly casting a glamour around them so nobody has a chance to gape or take a picture that'll expose them to the press or wherever else rumours are born.

"How do you do an MRI scan?" Peter mumbles, his eyes only half open and his skin pale as he lets his head rest on Bucky's shoulder.

"What?"

"Doesn't your arm get in the path- in the way? Not that it's a bad thing! I love your arm, it's so cool! But surely it must get in the way, right?"

Loki's glamour falters for a split second as he sees the confusion on Bucky's face, the former soldier choosing not to reply to slurred, unfiltered questions in favour of speeding up.

"He takes the arm off," Loki answers just because he can.

Peter's eyes widen. "Really?"

"No." Bucky glares at Loki but he doesn't get time to do anything else because they're back at the tower. FRIDAY must have informed Bruce because he's waiting for them as they enter, making a face at the blood.

"Severity?"

"A bullet grazed him," Bucky answers, knowing Loki will be more or less exhausted after keeping up with his pace, worrying for Peter, and maintaining their glamour at the same time. Bruce nods and waves a hand to let Bucky know he should follow. Peter's more or less fully unconscious by the time they get to the infirmary but he wakes up when the top half of his suit is hoisted upwards.

"What-?"

"We can't bandage you up over the suit, kid," Bucky explains. Nodding, Peter sinks backwards and lets Bucky pull his mask off so he can breathe better, not having had a chance to do so before.

"You still good?" Bruce asks as he starts to apply an antiseptic that has to sting badly for someone with heightened senses.

Peter nods in reply, once again trying to hide his wince and, naturally, failing at it. Nevertheless, he doesn't complain until there's a gauze on his graze and a bandage wrapped around it for good measure. It's only after Bruce leaves that he lets his face scrunch up in pain.

"Ow! Ow ow ow ow ow-ow ow ow ow. Owwww..."

"Composing?" Bucky raises an eyebrow.

Peter freezes, sheepishly smiling. "Uh... Yeah, totally. Practice for my, uhm, school music... festival? Annual festival! That I totally take part in! Every year! Because that's what annual means... I'm fine!"

"I see that."

"Should I allow Loki into the infirmary?" FRIDAY asks them.

Peter jumps, nods, remembers he's addressing an AI and mumbles a 'yes' that Bucky can barely hear but FRIDAY manages to catch.

"Who would name a voice after the most existential weekday?" is the greeting Loki goes for.

Peter laughs and Bucky rolls his eyes, Loki smirking in satisfaction and then raising an eyebrow, "Don't you need to get changed into something else... Perhaps something more casual?"

"Oh, yeah! Thanks for reminding me, Mister Loki- Your Majesty- uhm, I'll be right back!" and with that, Peter's all but sprinting out of the room, heading to where he thinks he'd left his clothes earlier and hoping he hasn't forgotten again.

He's gingerly pulling his hoodie down over the already-healing injury when FRIDAY buzzes to let the rest of the Avengers back in so he flops onto the sofa and shoots a web to get the physics textbook back into his lap, earning an odd look from Loki, who then drapes himself over a chaise because he might be the God of Mischief but he's basically trying to earn a place as honourary God of Dramatic Flair.

"It's 'curiosity kills the cat' by the way," Peter says, having internally argued with himself about whether or not to correct a God on his use of idioms.

"Anyone else injured?" Bruce asks before Loki can do anything but tilt his head in paltry confusion, their designated doctor having appeared from nowhere as pieces of Tony's suit fly over their heads and assemble in a workshop they can't see.

"Anyone else?" Clint echoes, "who else was injured?"

Peter's eyes widen in a panic and he coughs before Bruce can say anything in reply to the raised eyebrows. "I got a papercut!"

"Is that what made Bucky laugh?" Steve asks, having been informed by Tony of the amusement expressed on the way to the tower.

And, because he can't resist supporting lies of any kind, it's Loki's turn to chuckle. "He can't be blamed; it was fairly amusing to see the spiderling defeated by processed trees."

Tony looks sceptical but doesn't question it, simply making a face and heading to the kitchen to acquire a caffeinated beverage. Steve follows, pinching the bridge of his nose as he goes, and Natasha smirks.

"Someone's lying."

"Someone's always lying, we live a world of deceit..." Loki dramatically states, leaning back even more.

"Quit the melodrama, trickster," Natasha mutters - except her muttering is akin to an order - before turning back to Peter. "So, why are you lying?"

Resisting the urge to grin at the unintentional vine reference, he shrugs. "I lied about my physics notes... It's not easy to explain that you accidentally dropped them in a burning building six blocks away from your house. I mean, it's hard to explain anything to him anyway because he's always... Well, he's always sort of cynical, kind of like Mister Rogers - not that I compare Mister Rogers to my physics teacher because, if anything, he'd definitely be a history teacher. Or maybe a sports teacher? I mean, I know he's in those videos we always get shown but I think he'd be a better history teacher because he's already a part of the subject and he could, like, give first-hand accounts and, um, stuff..."

Natasha makes a face at the idea, settling onto a beanbag. "You talk a lot, kid."

"Uh. Thank you?"

"I'd stop talking as much until you fully heal if I were you; you keep half-reaching for your side and it's a dead giveaway." Her casual but knowing look makes Peter once again blush and he smiles as if the gesture can erase his guilt.

"Sorry Miss Romano-"

"Don't even think about calling me that, kid. Call me Natasha, like everyone else."

"Right. Sorry, Miss Natasha."

"Who missed Natasha?" Clint asks, having grabbed another hearing aid because his last one fell into the path of Thor's thunder and didn't make it out alive.

Natasha shoots him a blank, pointed look that says something along the lines of 'I'll deal with you later' and turns back to Peter with a much gentler expression as she says, "Just 'Natasha', kid. I don't call you Mister Kid."

"Halle to the lujah for that," Tony mutters as he walks in.

"There seems to be another food delivery at the door," FRIDAY informs them, "The last one arrived when nobody was here to receive it."

"Who ordered food?" Steve asks.

In all honesty, Peter can only quietly sigh in relief because he'd rather they question the presence of food itself as opposed to wondering why nobody was here to receive it when there should have been three of them capable of doing so. He also wonders who'd told the delivery guy to come back but leaves that to FRIDAY, knowing such a sophisticated AI system must have seen weirder things in its admittedly short time.

Everyone who hasn't noticed Peter's relief - which is all of them sans Loki and Bucky as the two of them still feel guilty for letting him get injured and haven't really taken their eyes off him since - is on their feet in an instant, the tension of unwanted visitors immediately buzzing in the air, but Peter stands with his hands out in front of him, fingers splayed in surrender, before anyone can come to any conclusions or shoot something, and admits, "So, it might have been me?"

"When did you have time to order food?" Loki asks, knowing full well that even someone with advanced healing can't place an order for food immediately after being scraped by a bullet.

Well, aside from Deadpool, but that's a whole other story...

If Peter was any redder, he might be able to camouflage with Tony's suit. "I ordered it just after you left... I, uh, figured you'd be hungry after fighting again... But I might have overestimated how long it, um, it would take for us- for you to get back?"

There are an entire two seconds of silence before anyone moves. In the end, it's Tony who breaks the silence by saying, "Well, we might have been here earlier if someone, not naming names, hadn't decided to blindly throw their ridiculously patriotic shield at an obviously unstable building extension."

"You know I had no choice!" Steve argues, clearly exasperated, and his tone suggests this isn't the first time they've had this argument even though the situation had only just occurred. Typical...

"What did you order?" Clint asks to take the attention of their argument.

Peter has to think about it, almost having forgotten. "Shawarma."

Despite being halfway through building a straw man for his conversation and having a reputation of never letting anything go until it's literally impossible to keep it going, Tony pauses and stares at Peter incredulously. "Did you just say shawarma?"

"Yeah?"

"Pete, if you weren't an avenger already, I'd have given you an invitation just for that."

"Ordering shawarma?" Peter frowns.

Thor beams at them. "Like father, like son, eh?"

Even Tony could camouflage with the outside of his suit after that comment. Ironically, the fact that both he and Peter have experienced the same extreme blood rush only further proves Thor's point and neither of them can argue against such compelling evidence without obliterating their respective reputations and end up walking into a myriad of jokes.

Before Loki can make a joke about families - and probably one about their dysfunctionality - Peter gasps. "Wait, did you just say you think of me as an Avenger?"

Natasha raises an eyebrow. "Weren't you telling your chair friend that you're an Avenger just a few days ago?"

"Well, yeah, that's N- should I say his name? I mean, you're the Avengers and you probably know all about him anyway- so yeah, that's Ned for you, I have to tell him that so he takes it all seriously and doesn't tell anyone else! And just because I think of me- Of myself- as an Avenger doesn't mean I think you think of me as an Avenger and- wait, you listened in on my phone call?"

"Gods, kid, you're a verbal catastrophe," Bucky mutters.

"Gods?" Steve echoes, puzzled.

"I'd say 'God' but we have two of them in the room."

"I wasn't aware you cared so much for me, metal-limbed mortal," Loki drawls and earns himself a stifled giggle from Peter.

"The shawarma!" Tony exclaims, now having recovered and decided to sound-proof a room for phone calls in the near future, "FRIDAY, accept the delivery and charge it to my tab if you will."

"I already have. Vision is bringing it up now."

Clint claps his hands and smiles softly as Wanda walks in. "You're just in time for shawarma!"

"Like that time in Budapest, huh?" Natasha smirks, knowing it'll both amuse and irritate Clint.

"Even I know the two of you remember Budapest very differently by now, can't you use a new joke?" Tony rolls his eyes.

Natasha simply glowers at him and he's suddenly interested in making sure the elevator is working properly, even though vision is in no need of it. Consequently, Peter giggles again and Steve winks him, an action that would have surprised Bucky had he not previously been all but forced to throw out every magnet in the building at once and ask FRIDAY to make sure no more were brought in because Peter kept sticking them to his arm 'for science' or something else equally endearing.

"Before Mister Stark comes back, can someone please explain what shawarma is so I don't look too shocked and give away the fact that I've never had it before?" Peter asks and his voice is so quiet they all have to strain to hear it.

"I've not had any either, Peter, I'll ask and you can figure it out with that." Wanda smiles warmly.

"Thank you, Mi-"

"Nope. I'm not that much older than you and I don't want to feel any older either," Wanda interrupts before he can stumble over a title for her. Which is lucky, because he'd probably have kept trying different combinations until she'd wanted to change all her names.

"Why don't we get to use that excuse?" Clint throws his hands up, but he manages to do it in a kind way, a feat that's probably a dad thing but is now more or less common in any Avenger who has a conversation with Peter, no matter how fleeting.

Peter offers him a bashful smile in place of condolences, which is the best he can do before Tony and Vision walk in, knee-deep in a conversation about AI and feelings.

They stop when Bruce walks in behind them and threatens to defenestrate the shawarma, resulting in an instantly protective Tony and an amused room of Avengers.

Soon enough, the lights are dimmed and insignificant arguments over positionings are started, as usual. Once they're all settled, pretty much tangled in both each other's presences and personal spaces, shawarma is passed around like fragile popcorn and a random Disney film is switched on because they'd decided to try and get through as many as possible as quickly as possible after discovering not every member could understand the multitude of song references passed around. And, at the end of the day, when classical films after exhausting fights are often played, Peter can tolerate abundances of destroyed school notes if it means he gets to experience moments like the ones he's been experiencing all day, even narrowly avoiding getting shot...

like/reblog but don’t repost, thanks!

[anangelicday-mrwolf]

Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 43 – KSA’s Disaster

“Wait!!!”

Lunark’s heels rotated on their own, as Tao’s voice hit her eardrums almost as soon as she made herself gone.

The moment she turned around, Tao’s entire face was fully caught in her vision.

Though the man was not panting, from his bare feet Lunark could see what a hurry he was in.

“What is it? And where are your shoes?”

“I need a favor to ask. I received a message from KSA asking us to drop by, but would you mind if I ask you to fill in?”

Lunark was not expecting him to ask her something in relation to KSA.

The request itself was not a challenge at all, as difficult as a mother’s call from kitchen, requiring her child to pick up something from the fridge.

However, the operative part was that she was the one who was given the mission.

“Just what kind of excuse am I supposed to give upon entrance?”

Her complaint was not simply a tantrum.

Survival and expatriation of Yuigi, the purpose of her visit, under Takio’s hospitality was confidential from KSA, minus Sangin and Yeonsu. Which must be kept confidential.

And here Lunark was, paying a secret visit to Takio and his team to hand over something that could help them to control Yuigi.

Q.E.D., there is no legitimate objective of visit for her to provide KSA, if she is demanded to explain why she is in Korea.

But Lunark had a feeling Tao would not have caught up to her without taking consideration of such topic, which turned out to be the case.

“Mr. Jang will be back in Korea in a few days. So you can tell them this time you plan on taking him to your kind’s land yourself. It will certainly save you some time, unlike before when you had to set a rendezvous with nobles to do the job.”

“What was that?”

Lunark’s eyes fluttered as if she were electrically shocked.

She left as soon as she stumbled upon Yuigi’s outfit, after she entrusted Muzaka with the new files Adne recently unlocked.

So of course she had no idea about Yuhyung’s return to Korea. Or the reason why.

“The guy is coming back? What do you mean?”

“Huh? Didn’t you hear?”

Tao released what he knew about Yuhyung’s return, rendering Lunark speechless.

“...There must have been a misunderstanding. There’s no way Adne would...”

Though she managed to draw out her voice after much struggle, it was cut off in mere seconds.

As a werewolf warrior, and as an ex-elder of the Union, she has made for herself a chronicle of strife and combats, of both brains and brawls, including a myriad of conspiracies and tricks.

As much as she hated herself for being unable to defend Adne, she could not bring herself to speak again, partially because of what Tao added.

“You know what......?”

“...What?”

“Uh, nothing.”

“...Doesn’t sound like it’s nothing, with that voice, face, and atmosphere of yours.”

“Man, what are you thinking, Tao? This was supposed to be our secret for the time being!”

“What? What’s wrong?”

Tao sighed after mopping his face with his hand for a number of times.

Lunark’s eyes turned more questioning as he wasted his time, to which he ultimately yielded.

He revealed to Lunark, as fairly and briefly as possible, the conversation between Adne and Muzaka he overheard, something that took place promptly following the failure of QuadraNet.

Something that was so mysterious and bewildering that now that he thought about it, he never got a chance to try to see what gave rise to such phenomenon.

Once he was done talking, Tao’s mind whispered to him that maybe he should not have done this, as he witnessed how Lunark was petrified perhaps beyond return.

‘Adne became a researcher for the sake of his personal ambition...?’

She already knew that Adne was made Maduke’s best lieutenant of research during the latter’s reign, with the former in the lead of all projects kicked off during the time.

However, this was her first time learning such story about the werewolf researcher.

And now she could not come up with a scheme or motivation to take Adne’s side.

Even though some questions remained, there was more than a handful of reasons to deem Adne a traitor.

‘But why? Just why would he...? Why? For what reason?! For what purpose?!’

Lunark realized there lay in her obsession with Adne’s reason, much more tenacious than anticipated.

Because once she figures out why Adne would “betray,” then there would be no denying that he is indeed traitorous.

Her face looked so foul that even Tao could feel bitterness upon his tongue; nonetheless, he continued to talk to her, and Lunark’s lips thawed in turn.

“Anyways, I think KSA has an item of some sort to give us. Yes, I know it’s a pain, but I must ask you to return here shortly. I’m so sorry I must ask this from you, but I can’t make myself available for the time being.”

“...I get it. You’re gonna need a lot of hands to play with kids.”

“Yes, that’s part of the reason, but listening to you back there reminded me of something to find out.”

Lunark’s eyes sparked at his words.

Aside from curiosity, she had a feeling that Tao was definitely led by something; she noticed how his eyes glowed momentarily, seemingly in knowledge of something worthy of investigation.

Lunark simply nodded, assuming Tao will later disclose for her what has gotten into him.

“You’d better go back now. I bet M-21 is sweating his claws off babysitting those kids.”

Lunark dispensed a jest she would normally keep tucked in, an attempt to bring some calm upon the sea of storms called her heart.

She soon turned around and loaded a virtual map towards KSA in her head.

*****

KSA was met with a disaster in the middle of a night, foreseen by nobody among them.

And the doctor, the one who would be the summoner of such disaster, if they were to nominate one, felt very much inclined to have a serious conversation with his past self.

Although the QuadraNet project was almost entirely Yuhyung’s responsibility, he figured he cannot just sit this project out, especially since they experienced a failure in waking up the QuadraNet.

He tried some deduction on his own to pinpoint a potential reason why QuadraNet failed them, drawing a conclusion that perhaps connecting several servers whipped up interference in network, leading to breach in the firewalls.

Which is why he upgraded a security program developed by Yuhyung, now copied into the latter’s USB along with the program’s original version for Tao.

They promised to be careful on using emails for the time being, and not even the most imbecile of all humans would ever think of sharing such a crucial program through email. So he booked a face-to-face meeting for this time.

And here he was, gazing at a major personnel from werewolves for the meeting.

Lunark was just as mystified.

Yuhyung will inevitably return to Korea, because of a fault committed by the lead researcher of her clan.

In other words, the hold-up in their project was thanks to the werewolves; nevertheless, it was the KSA that was behaving all guilty, because of which Lunark felt so uncomfortable.

Most importantly, there is an awfully good chance, growing even better every second, that the said werewolf has betrayed Lukedonia, KSA, his own kind, and Frankenstein’s family.

To top it off, she was standing with a straight face while retracing the fact over and over again in her mind.

Lunark could feel seams of her heart wrenching in frenzy; she has never felt so remorseful in recent days.

“H-here it is.”

The doctor handed her very carefully a USB. They were standing in the director’s office, which in Lunark’s point of view was a totally unnecessary courtesy.

“Could you please deliver to this Mr. Tao? Once he has it, he’ll take care of the rest.”

“...Will do.”

“Uh... If it does not concern you, may I ask when you plan on taking our researcher?”

“Well, that depends on how fast he can get the new part ready.”

“Uh... I, I see! That was a stupid question.”

Taesik laughed in fluster, while the doctor avoided eye contact and wiped his forehead.

And thus they made Lunark even more uncomfortable.

She knew why they would be so intimidated; she was one of the top authorities from wolfkind, and her first encounter with KSA was as vicious as it could be.

Notwithstanding, Lunark could swear they would get to meet from time to time, if not all the time. And it was not welcome at all to see everyone on the edge of their seats all the time, painfully conscious of each other’s mood.

So she decided to take her opportunity to improve on their relations, by showing how she harbored well-built trust and gratitude for Yuhyung.

“I don’t believe I’ll have to wait for long. When Jang was busy on our kind’s land, unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to see his performance with my own eyes – I happened to be busy. Regardless, I could hear stories about him even without trying – stories about how skillful and smart he is.”

“Uh... Uh, is that so? We’re glad he proved himself helpful.”

Taesik and the doctor exchanged pregnant looks.

They could still remember how Yuhyung put himself to blackout right before Rael.

Naturally, their fear started to scream inside them – fear that Lunark was just being polite, trying to cover a trouble Yuhyung might have brewed in the werewolf realm.

In the end, the doctor could not resist asking, “Uh... By any chance, did our researcher cause any inconvenience?”

“Inconvenience? That’s preposterous. You should be inquiring me if we caused any inconvenience to him. It was a huge leap for him to stop by our land. I can’t help marveling at how remarkable he is whenever I think about him. He managed to withstand his ordeal in a place packed with werewolves. It’s true that at first I was full of concern, after seeing how he was knocked unconscious as soon as he spotted me and...”

“What?!”

Taesik and doctor jumped out of their shoes in synchronization.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said that,’ Lunark clicked her tongue.

“Y-yuhyung fell unconscious?”

“Yeah, and I heard what happened. I must say... I’m terribly sorry. I offered him an apology on our way to Lukedonia, but I bet it’s not even close to enough. I know as of now this is nothing more than an excuse, but I was too busy to afford more chances.”

Then she recalled how she has yet to apologize to Taesik and the doctor.

The moment she raised her head, drooped since who-knows-when, Taesik beat her to it in striking up a conversation.

Surprisingly, his voice was toned with thick urgency.

“I’m sorry, but could you give us more details? What do you mean that our researcher fell unconscious as soon as he saw you?”

Despite her puzzlement, Lunark shared with them what happened upon the sea, when she was there to take Yuhyung from Rael.

At the end of her story, she became even more perplexed, for Taesik and doctor gaped at each other with heavy confusion plastered on their faces.

It was as if they had never known that Yuhyung is prone to blackout in presence of at least one werewolf.

No, it was as if...

“You two had no idea that Jang is afraid of werewolves?”

“No... We had no idea. We had no idea he had such story with him... I don’t know what to say to you, Miss Lu...”

“No, no. No need to say that. It’s all my fault. I’m the one to blame. I’m the one who wrecked such havoc in your motherland and even compelled him to force himself away from his lab.”

“What?!”

Taesik and doctor cried out for the second time, and Lunark rolled her eyes, wondering what could this be about.

“What do you mean, force himself away from his lab?”

Lunark had to be the storyteller yet again, regarding what Yuhyung had gone through when she first visited Korea and brought about a calamitous destruction of the city.

She also unfolded for them how Yuhyung was half-forced to take a break from his job, due to shock of losing his colleagues.

“...That’s what he told you?”

Taesik mumbled in a blank voice.

This time, however, something was off with his face.

This time his face was not exhibiting surprise and stupefaction like it did just a few minutes ago.

“What? What is it?”

(next chapter)

Yep, it’s about time to raise the curtains for what lies behind this question of traitor among them. The next 3 - 4 chapters are like the final steps to the highlight of this entire fic. I can feel the end drawing near as I compose, and I’ll do my best to make a nice, clean conclusion to this work lol.

[oovitus]

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time.

Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking — as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!” — rarely gets us “all.” It usually gets us “nothing.”

++++

Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?

Are you putting off that dream trip, or a new project, or that skill you’ve been meaning to learn?

If so, some of these phrases may sound familiar:

When I get a different job.

When things are less busy.

When I find a workout partner.

When I find the right equipment.

When I feel less awkward in the gym.

When I lose 20 lbs.

When I get the right workout routine.

When my fridge is full of the right foods.

Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

Human beings are always “waiting for the perfect time.” But why?

For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real—and risky—work of doing.

For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.

“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.

Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.

That’s why all-or-nothing thinking—If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless—rarely gets us “all.”

It usually gets us “nothing.”

There is no perfect time. There never will be.

Oh sure, there might be some magic moment in your fitness journey where the universe comes together… and you’re wearing your favorite t-shirt… plus your extra-comfy sneakers… and that song you love comes on… and your body is full of exuberant, bubbling energy… and your favorite piece of gym equipment is free (in fact the gym is empty today, hooray!)… and you bang out a set of ten reps like the angels are hoisting the barbell for you.

But that magic moment will be one in the zillion other less-magic moments that make up your real life.

Indeed, if we are talking about a moment as, say, approximately ten seconds long, that means you have somewhere between 2,398,377,600 to 2,556,165,600 potential moments in your life.

Which means that a single perfect moment is, well, a very very very small part of the whole thing.

Yes, celebrate that perfect moment when it comes. But sure as heck don’t wait for it.

Take your moments. Make your moments.

Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You have to take moments.

Hunt them. Chase them. Make them happen.

Scratch and gouge moments out of other times. Chip off tiny flakes of moments from the monolith of your day. Use your teeth if you must—bite off mouthfuls of those moments.

You are holding the chisel and the pickaxe. You are the miner of your moments.

This frustrates us, of course.

It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.

But it is this way. For everyone.

This is how it is, with moments. Moments resist expectations like water resists the intrusion of oil.

However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now.

Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.

Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Just start. At the beginning.

Here is another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.

All you have to do is start.

And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.

One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.

“But I can’t!” You say. “I can’t get started! That is the problem, you see!”

No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.

You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.

For instance, let’s say you choose to start with reading about nutrition.

That can be a good start—if it keeps you moving on to the next moment.

But it is not a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through a blur of blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for lights-out and you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.

So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.

It should be something else, like walking to the fridge and picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.

Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.

Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit, and picking out the salad option in advance.

Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. This is how you know it is a true start.

Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at the all machines in the arcade, deciding which one to play.

Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.

For some folks, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.

Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.

As long as something is moving, that’s a start.

Push through. Embrace resistance.

Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed.

That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.

That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.

That because their legs ache on the ascent, they are not ready to climb that hill.

No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.

Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.

Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through. It will switch tracks, eventually.

Remember: You don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.

You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.

Get support. For now.

In order for a rocket to leave the earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.

In order for a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.

We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it sure helps when someone gives us a push or a pull.

Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.

Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.

For a while, we can even affix ourselves to this someone or something else, like hooking that extra engine to our front. As we go along, we can unhook superfluous cars that we realize are weighing us down. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.

Eventually, we don’t need that extra engine any more. Our train is now whizzing along just fine on its own. The scenery blurs past the windows and we are heading on a grand adventure.

But in the beginning, we had to start.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

If you’re still “waiting for the perfect time”, try these tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start taking action.

1. Revise your expectations.

Recognize that there is no perfect time and there never will be.

There is only now.

2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.

Nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your fitness and health goals — a priority.

Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.

Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:

What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

Instead of waiting for things to ‘slow down,’ start making something happen right now, in the middle of the mess.

3. Just start.

If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.

Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!

In PN Coaching, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions.” Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move yourself — even just a tiny bit — in the direction of your goals. Then, go do it.

Remember: action is a “vote” in favor of a different, healthier, fitter life. Vote early, vote often.

4. Expect resistance.

It’s normal. Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.

You only have to get through this moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. Luckily, it won’t last long.

5. Get support.

Let go of the concept of the lone hero. Instead, start building your support systems.

Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy, or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.

That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.

It’s also why we work with health, fitness and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.

Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019.

If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.

You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.

You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.

If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.

[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].

The post I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. published first on

[voyagerafod]

Star Trek Voyager: A Fire of Devotion: Part 3 of 4: Sweeter Than Heaven: Chapter Five

Chapter Five

    Seven of Nine stepped out of her alcove, fully recharged, and was greeted upon opening her eyes by the smiling face of her wife.     “Morning, Sam,” she said.     “Morning, Annie,” Samantha said. “Feeling better today?”     “Much,” Seven said. “An extra day of regeneration was, as the Doctor said, exactly what I needed.”     “And hopefully you’ve learned a valuable lesson,” Samantha said.

    “A few actually,” Seven said. “The most significant one, of course, being not to attempt to download an entire starship’s memory banks into your brain all at once. I am embarrassed that I did not foresee the unfortunate side effects of that.”     “That’s a nice way of putting it,’ Samantha said, now walking next to Seven as the two of them left the cargo bay.

    “I will say in my defense,” Seven added, “that I was not acting entirely irrational. My conclusions were based on the facts I had at hand. It was the lack of proper context that led to my more, well, paranoid pronouncements.”     Samantha laughed, and Seven gave her a look.

    “Sorry,” Samantha said, “I know I shouldn’t have laughed. I just, you know, I love your gift for understatement.”     Seven rolled her eyes. “I choose to take that as a compliment,” she said. “Anyway, that also was one of my lessons; that facts without context are meaningless.”

“It’s one of the perils of being human, love,” Samantha said. “Our ability to recognize patterns allowed us to survive and thrive beyond our early days of dwelling in caves, but sadly that means sometimes we see patterns where they aren’t.”     “That is certainly something I need to be more careful of in the future,” Seven said.     “I don’t think you have to worry that much,” Samantha said. “There were extenuating circumstances after all.”     “The cortical processing subunit I installed? Yes, well, in hindsight that was clearly a mistake. I have uninstalled it, however. From now on I will digest newly acquired data the ‘old fashioned way;’ by reading.”     “It has worked pretty well for us so far,” Samantha said, winking.

“Speaking of reading,” Seven said, “Mister Paris sent a number of documents to my personal PADD this morning regarding someplace on Earth called Roswell, New Mexico. Do you have any idea why he-” Seven’s question was cut off with a groan from Samantha.     “That cheeky little… Don’t read that, trust me. I’ll talk to Tom. That was not funny, he shouldn’t have done that.”     Seven stopped walking and tilted her head in confusion. “Sammy, why do I get the feeling that by ‘talk to’ you mean ‘yell at?’”  

---

    “Neelix, get off of there,” Lieutenant Reginald Barclay said, turning away from his apartment window looking out over the San Francisco Bay, and yelling at his cat. The cat complied, albeit slowly and not without a soft grunt, and leapt off the top bookshelf where Barclay kept all his PADDs related to the Pathfinder project, as well as a 1/200th scale model of the U.S.S. Voyager. The last thing Barclay wanted was to have to pick all that stuff up, especially since his guests would be arriving any moment.

    For the fourth time in ten minutes, he checked to make sure the food he’d prepared was coming along nicely. He didn’t need to cook, his replicator worked just fine, and in fact he had used it for the ingredients, but since having moved to Earth after leaving the Enterprise, he found that cooking soothed his nerves.

    The door chime sounded, and Barclay smiled as he told the computer to open the door to welcome two of his old friends. He tilted his head though when he realized that one of the two people entering his apartment was not who he expected.     “Commander LaForge, I didn’t realize you’d be joining us. I’d have made more food,” Barclay said.     “Actually,” Geordi LaForge said, “I’m filling in.”     “Will’s father was hurt in a shuttle accident,” Deanna Troi said. “It’s not serious, but Will wanted to check in on him anyway. He sends his apologies.”

    “Oh dear,” Barclay said to. “Well, send my regards to Commander Riker when you see him next.”     “I will,” Troi said.     “Commander,” Barclay said, now looking at Geordi. “It’s good to see you again, but I’d assumed you’d be busy overseeing the new upgrades to the Enterprise.”     Geordi laughed. “Well I planned to be, but Starfleet’s R&D people decided I was being too overbearing and basically kicked me out of my own engine room. I suppose I can’t blame them, but empathy needs to go both ways. How would they feel about a bunch of strangers poking around their ship?”     “Well, I’m sure it’s all for the best,” Barclay said, smiling. “The flagship of the fleet should always be in tip-top shape.”

    “I can drink to that,” Geordi said. “If you have anything that is.”     “Nothing stronger than synthehol,” Barclay said. “I do a lot of work on Pathfinder in my off-time; don’t want to risk impairing my judgement.”     “I’m glad you brought that up,” Troi said. “I’d heard about the project to try and contact Voyager. How’s that coming along?”

    “Not terribly well,” Barclay admitted. “Commander Harkins refuses to allow me use of the MIDAS array to test my new plan.”

    “Why do you need MIDAS?” Geordi asked.

    “The idea I had,” Barclay said, “was to use it to direct a tachyon beam at a class B itinerant pulsar, with enough gravimetric energy to create an artificial wormhole.”     Geordi’s eyes widened, enough that even from several feet away Barclay could see the ocular implants adjusting. “That’s pretty ambitious, Reg, I like it.”

    “Forgive me for interrupting,” Troi said, “but I’m not familiar with the MIDAS array.”     “Oh, sorry,” Barclay said. “It’s the Mutara Interdimensional Deep-Space-Transponder Array System. I know the acronym isn’t an exact fit, but Commander Harkins called me ‘nitpicky’ when I brought that up.”

    “It’s a way to make communications travel even faster than they do now, basically.“ Geordi said. “Tachyon communication is good enough for us for now, but as exploration takes us out even further into the galaxy, and with the Gamma Quadrant open to us now after the war, we need new ways to be able to keep in touch with ships and bases in a timely fashion.”

“And you think,” Troi said, looking at Barclay, “that this micro-wormhole could allow us to speak to Voyager again?”     “At least briefly,” Barclay said.

“Better than nothing,” Geordi said.

“But that’s only if I can convince Commander Harkins and Admiral Paris to go along with my theory,” Barclay said. “Unfortunately, Harkins thinks I’ve relapsed on my holo-addiction, and he’s convinced the Admiral of the same, so he doesn’t trust me.”     “Why would they think that?” Troi said.     “You see my cat over there?” Barclay said. “I named him Neelix. After the alien crewmember that Voyager picked up in the Delta Quadrant. They included him in the information their EMH was able to provide us. I’ve spent a lot of time reading about the crew of Voyager. Pete, that’s Commander Harkins’ first name, he thinks I’ve become obsessed with Voyager.”     “Over a cat’s name?” Geordi said.     “That, and the fact that I’ve been using a holodeck simulation of the ship itself to run simulations on my theories,” Barclay said.     Troi shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. The line between interest and obsession can be thin sometimes, sure, but I think your commander is overreacting.” She turned to look at Geordi. “Do you think we should talk to him?”     “I’d rather you didn’t,” Barclay said. “I don’t want him to think I’m trying to use my time on the Enterprise as a cudgel to get what I want.”

“I get it,” Troi said. “You’re worried about coming off as arrogant and entitled. But having one commander not like you seems like a small price to pay if it means that Starfleet can talk to one of its lost crews again.”

Barclay looked down at the drink in his hand, having forgotten that he’d even poured it. He felt that she was right, on both counts. The fact was, he didn’t talk much about his time on the Enterprise. It always felt too much like bragging. She was also right that they were more important things in the galaxy than being afraid that strangers would think you had a big ego.

“Okay,” he said. “So, how do we want to handle this?”

---

    “So, what do you think?” Tom Paris said, smiling as Seven of Nine read the PADD that he had handed her while the two were in the mess hall for lunch.

    “You want my opinion on your new holodeck program? Why?” she said.     “I’m asking a lot of people actually,” Tom said. “Diversity of opinion and all that.”     “Very well. In brief, your simulation, while visually accurate, is filled with characters based on broad stereotypes that could be seen as offensive by any humans on this ship who may have Irish ancestry.”     Tom frowned.

    “Well, it’s not meant to be historically accurate,” he said. “I just meant it as a place where the crew could unwind.”     “The crew already has multiple options in that regard,” Seven said. “Including the Chez Sandrine program that you also created.”

    “Nobody really uses that program anymore,” Tom said. “I think people got bored with it. Last time I was in there the only non-holograms around were you and Sam.”

    “There was also Insurrection Alpha,” Seven said.     “Which most people stopped using after the program tried to kill me and Tuvok.”     “The cabana program?”     “Harry and Neelix still use that one sometimes,” Tom admitted, “but it’s not all that popular anymore either.”     Seven sighed. “I concede your point.”     “Do you have any suggestions then?”

    Seven thought about it for a moment. “Perhaps a recreation of Ibiza? It is an island off the coast of Spain on Earth.”     “That was where you and Sam spent your fake honeymoon on the NX-01 mission right? Yeah, that could work. The way Sam describe the beaches there… It might be a little too close to the old cabana program though.”     “It is your program, Mister Paris, the final decision is yours. I merely offered the input that I was asked for.”

    “That you did. Thanks, Seven,” Tom said, finishing his coffee before getting up and leaving. Seven finished her own beverage and meal and left to head to astrometrics. She hoped that when she got there to perform her assigned task for today, teaching Equinox survivor Noah Lessing how to operate the lab, that she would be able to remain completely professional. After all, Noah was the one who had shot her in the back in Equinox’s engineering.

---

    Barclay’s apartment had been silent too long. Even the cat had gone quiet, which meant he was either asleep or getting into trouble. The three Starfleet officers had spent the last ten hours going over Barclay’s plans regarding the MIDAS array and the plan to contact Voyager.

    Troi said something that Barclay had considered, but didn’t want to admit could put his plan in jeopardy.     “Based on Voyager’s location when they contacted Starfleet two years ago,” she said, “they had already managed to trim at least a decade off their journey home, right?”     “Correct,” Barclay said. “When one of the passengers they picked up, Kes I think her name was, used her developing psionic powers to help Voyager bypass Borg space.”     “Right,” Troi said. “But who’s to say that Voyager didn’t find other ways to shave off even more time in the interim? All the projections on where they might be in the Delta Quadrant now are based on the assumptions that they’ve only been going in a handful of directions at a speed lower than the maximum cruising speed an Intrepid-class ship can go, which is, warp 9 right?”     “9.975,” Geordi said, “but they can’t hold that speed indefinitely, they would need to slow down occasionally just to keep from burning out the dilithium crystals.”     “True, but even so, Harkins’ projections don’t account for them ever going at that speed. He’s being too conservative in his estimates,” Troi said. “This isn’t even my field of expertise and I can tell that.”

    “If we can solve the power issue,” Barclay said, “that won’t matter. We can try multiple times. We can just start with Pete’s projections of where Voyager is and work our way out from there. We’ve got our pulsar, we’ve got our array, how do we get our wormhole is the question.”

    “Yeah,” Geordi said, rubbing his eyes. “We are talking about a massive subspace reaction here.”     Barclay snapped his fingers. “Massive. That’s it, that’s the problem!”     “Reg?” Geordi said.

    “Maybe we need to think smaller. How much bandwidth do we really need? The average wormhole is huge, but if we compress the data stream we wouldn’t need a conduit anywhere near as big.”     “A micro-wormhole,” Geordi said. “Good idea. So good, in fact, it’s a wonder none of us thought of it sooner.”     “I’m a psychiatrist, not an engineer,” Troi said. “There’s no way I would’ve thought of it.”

    “The outside perspective helps, trust me,” Barclay said. “In fact, I think Pathfinder could stand to have a few non-engineers on staff, but that’s a topic for another time.”

    “We still need to work out the details,” Geordi said, “but if we can do that, we’d have a solid plan to present to Commander Harkins and Admiral Paris.”

    “We’ll need to do it fast,” Troi said. “The Enterprise leaves tomorrow morning.”     “I’ll talk to the Captain,” Geordi said, looking at Troi. “I’m sure he’d be willing to extend shore leave in this instance.”

    Barclay smiled. He did feel some guilt, a voice in the back of his head telling him he was taking advantage of his friends’ status as Federation celebrities to get his way, but it was overwhelmed by excitement. If all of this worked, he would get to speak to the crew of the Voyager, the most famous missing starship in almost a century. How could he pass that up?

---

    Seven of Nine was consciously aware that she was in no danger around Noah Lessing. Yes, he had shot her once before, and she didn’t forgive him for that, but she also knew it wasn’t personal. Since then, Lessing had integrated into the crew of Voyager. Not as successfully as Gilmore, or Sofin, or Morrow perhaps, but far more so than Tassoni. He did his job, he showed up for shifts on time, and he didn’t carry a phaser.     So why am I still concerned that he’s going to shoot me in the back again? She thought. It is a completely illogical fear.

    “I’ve completed the first round of diagnostics,” Lessing said. “Everything is in working order, ma’am.”

    “Very well,” Seven said, not bothering to double check. She had observed Lessing’s progress while he did his work. “Your tasks were completed well ahead of the allotted time. You may leave early if you wish.”     “Not much point,” he said. “I’m still not allowed to use the holodeck, and I don’t really feel like hitting the ship’s gym.”     “What you choose to do with your free time is none of my concern,” Seven said.     “You’re right, it’s not,” Lessing said. “I guess I should consider myself lucky to have any free time, all things considered.”     “Perhaps you should,” Seven said.     Lessing simply nodded. Seven wondered what the man was thinking. He didn’t seem to be trying to earn a chance at redemption the way the majority of his surviving crewmates were, but he wasn’t openly hostile and insistent that killing the Ankari ‘spirits’ was justified like Angelo Tassoni still did, even all these months later. His apparent apathy bothered her, though she couldn’t explain why. She was prepared to finally just ask, when something on the astrometrics lab screen caught her attention.

    “Is that a micro-wormhole?” Lessing said.

    “I believe you are correct,” Seven said. She began tapping buttons on the console to redirect sensors to do a more thorough scan of the micro-wormhole. “And it would appear as message is being transmitted through it.”

    “To whom?” Lessing said.     “It’s on a Starfleet emergency channel,” Seven said, looking down at her console.     Lessing smiled for, as far as Seven knew, the first time since before Captain Ransom’s crimes had been revealed.     “Wow,” he said.     Seven tapped her com badge and told the Captain what she had discovered.     “Let’s hear it,” Janeway said, and Seven quickly complied, applying a narrow band filter to the signal processor in order to improve the quality of the message.     “Starfleet Command to U.S.S. Voyager,” a voice said, the transmission full of static but still audible. “Come in Voyager. Do you hear me? This is Lieutenant Reginald Barclay.”

    “Captain,” Seven said, “we must respond quickly, the wormhole is collapsing.”

---

    “This is our third try, and still nothing. The micro-wormhole is collapsing. I’m sorry Mister Barclay, I just don’t think this is working,” Commander Peter Harkins said. Barclay was disappointed, but he could tell by looking around the room he wasn’t the only one. All of his fellow Pathfinder teammates, Deanna, Geordi, Admiral Paris, all had similar looks on their faces.

    “The pulsar has not moved out of position yet,” Geordi said. “I think we can squeeze a few more attempts out of it, but the power consumption might not allow for-”     A noise cut him off.     “We’re receiving a transmission,” one of the Pathfinder techs said.     “Where from?” Admiral Paris said.     “Coordinates 343.6 by 27,” the tech said.

    Barclay and Harkins shared a look.     “The wormhole,” Barclay said.     “It worked,” Troi said, smiling.     “Starfleet Command, come in,” a barely audible voice said over the speakers. Barclay recognized the voice right away from the Voyager crew records he’d gone over.     “Reg,” Harkins said, “give me a hand clearing up the signal.”     “Yes sir,” Barclay said, moving quickly to a nearby console and manipulating controls. He was excited and nervous, yet his hands were steady and his work efficient.

    “This is Captain Kathryn Janeway, do you read me?”     Barclay looked at Harkins who was simply smiling.     “I think she’s talking to you,” Admiral Paris said, having moved closer to stand next to him.     “Captain,” Barclay said, suddenly afraid that he would start stammering again, “this is Lieutenant Reginald Barclay at Starfleet Command.”

    “It’s good to hear your voice, Lieutenant,” Janeway said. “We’ve been waiting a long time for this moment.”     “The feeling is mutual,” Barclay continued, “Unfortunately the micro-wormhole is collapsing. We have only a few moments.”     “Understood,” Janeway said. We are transmitting our ship’s logs, crew reports, and navigational records to you now.”     “Acknowledged,” Barclay said. “And we’re sending you data on some new hyper-subspace technology. We’re hoping that, eventually, we can use it to keep in regular contact. We’re also including some recommended modifications for your com system.”

    “We’ll implement them as soon as possible,” Janeway said.

    “There is someone else who would also like to say something,” Barclay said, motioning towards Admiral Paris.

    “This is Admiral Paris,” he said.     “Hello sir,” Janeway said. “Been a long time.”     “How are your people holding up?”     “Very well,” Janeway said. “As someone pointed out to me recently, we could’ve had it much, much worse out here. But we’ve made it as far as we have thanks to an exemplary crew, including your son.”

    “Tell him… Tell him I miss him, and I’m proud of him.”     “He heard you,” Janeway said.     “The wormhole is collapsing,” Barclay said.     “I want you all to know,” Admiral Paris said, “we’re doing everything we can to bring you home.”

    “We appreciate it, sir,” Janeway said. “We’ve had some good luck on our end lately though, we may end up making it home before you even-”     The transmission became garbled, and ended. However Janeway intended to end that sentence, they would likely never know.     “You did it, Reg,” Geordi said. “Great work.”     “I’m sorry I doubted you,” Harkins said. Barclay nodded, and sighed. Troi walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Why are you sad, Reg?”

    “Because… Because it’s over, Deanna,” Barclay said.     “No, Lieutenant,” Admiral Paris said, smiling. “Project Pathfinder may be over, but Project Voyager is just beginning. And I want you on that. I assume I don’t have to make it an order?”     “You do not, sir,” Barclay said. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”     “Darn,” Geordi said in a joking tone of voice. “And here I was thinking of asking you to come back to the Enterprise.”

---

“So, does anyone know this Barclay character?” B’Elanna said as Neelix topped off her glass of champagne in Voyager’s mess hall. The senior staff, along with some other crewmembers, including Samantha Wildman and Joe Carey, were attending a celebration of the contact with Starfleet.     “I took the liberty of reviewing his personnel file,” the Doctor said. “He’s had a rather colorful career. Not to mention an unusual medical history.”     “I don’t think you’re allowed to tell us about that, Doc,” Tom Paris said.

“I’m not saying anything that’s not available to anyone with Starfleet clearances,” the Doctor said.     “All the same,” Captain Janeway said, “let’s respect our new honorary crew member’s privacy, shall we? Maybe one day he’ll have the chance to tell us his story in person.”     “Hear hear,” Carey said, raising his glass.     “I’ve finished analyzing the data Mister Barclay sent,” Seven said, her arms around Samantha’s waist. “The hyper-subspace technology is promising. I believe we can look forward to future communications with the Federation.”     “Well that calls for a toast,” Neelix said.     “Care to do the honors, Tom?” Janeway said.     B’Elanna looked at Tom, who seemed reluctant. She poked him gently in the arm.     “Go on,” she said.     Tom took in a deep breath and raised his glass. “To my Dad, Admiral Owen Paris, it's nice to know he's still there; and to the newest honorary member of the Voyager crew; Reginald Barclay, whoever you are.”

“To Mister Barclay,” Janeway said, the rest of the crew members joining in, even Seven of Nine.

---

    Barclay, Troi, Geordi all stood in the center of the living room of Barclay’s apartment, holding drinks of their own.     “To Voyager,” Geordi said, the other two repeating him before taking a sip.     “I couldn’t have done it without your help,” Barclay said. “Thank you.”     “Thanks for letting us help you,” Troi said. “Though we all understand why you were reluctant.”     “I just wish Hope was here right now,” Barclay said.     “Who’s Hope?” Geordi said.     “I didn’t mention her?” Barclay said.     “Not once since we got here,” Geordi said, smirking. “Nice of you to wait until we’re almost leaving to tell us you’re seeing someone, Reg.”

    “Sorry, I got so wrapped up in talking about Pathfinder and Voyager, it just kind of slipped my mind. Besides, we’ve only gone a few dates, it’s too soon really to know where it’s going.”     “Well, I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Troi said. “What can you tell us about her?”     “Well, Pete introduced us actually,” Barclay said. “She’s his wife’s sister.”

    Troi and Geordi looked at each other.     “I honestly did not expect that,” Geordi said.     “Should I have mentioned that sooner?” Barclay said.     “Eh, probably not,” Troi said. “I don’t think it really had any bearing on the project-”     The sound of the door chime interrupted her.     “Come in,” Barclay said, expecting it to be Commander Harkins. He turned around, and saw immediately that he was wrong.     “Lieutenant Barclay, sorry I’m so late,” Commander William Riker said. “I just got back from seeing my Dad. I hope I didn’t miss anything interesting.”

[oovitus]

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time.

Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking — as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!” — rarely gets us “all.” It usually gets us “nothing.”

++++

Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?

Are you putting off that dream trip, or a new project, or that skill you’ve been meaning to learn?

If so, some of these phrases may sound familiar:

When I get a different job.

When things are less busy.

When I find a workout partner.

When I find the right equipment.

When I feel less awkward in the gym.

When I lose 20 lbs.

When I get the right workout routine.

When my fridge is full of the right foods.

Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

Human beings are always “waiting for the perfect time.” But why?

For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real—and risky—work of doing.

For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.

“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.

Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.

That’s why all-or-nothing thinking—If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless—rarely gets us “all.”

It usually gets us “nothing.”

There is no perfect time. There never will be.

Oh sure, there might be some magic moment in your fitness journey where the universe comes together… and you’re wearing your favorite t-shirt… plus your extra-comfy sneakers… and that song you love comes on… and your body is full of exuberant, bubbling energy… and your favorite piece of gym equipment is free (in fact the gym is empty today, hooray!)… and you bang out a set of ten reps like the angels are hoisting the barbell for you.

But that magic moment will be one in the zillion other less-magic moments that make up your real life.

Indeed, if we are talking about a moment as, say, approximately ten seconds long, that means you have somewhere between 2,398,377,600 to 2,556,165,600 potential moments in your life.

Which means that a single perfect moment is, well, a very very very small part of the whole thing.

Yes, celebrate that perfect moment when it comes. But sure as heck don’t wait for it.

Take your moments. Make your moments.

Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You have to take moments.

Hunt them. Chase them. Make them happen.

Scratch and gouge moments out of other times. Chip off tiny flakes of moments from the monolith of your day. Use your teeth if you must—bite off mouthfuls of those moments.

You are holding the chisel and the pickaxe. You are the miner of your moments.

This frustrates us, of course.

It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.

But it is this way. For everyone.

This is how it is, with moments. Moments resist expectations like water resists the intrusion of oil.

However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now.

Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.

Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Just start. At the beginning.

Here is another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.

All you have to do is start.

And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.

One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.

“But I can’t!” You say. “I can’t get started! That is the problem, you see!”

No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.

You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.

For instance, let’s say you choose to start with reading about nutrition.

That can be a good start—if it keeps you moving on to the next moment.

But it is not a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through a blur of blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for lights-out and you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.

So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.

It should be something else, like walking to the fridge and picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.

Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.

Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit, and picking out the salad option in advance.

Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. This is how you know it is a true start.

Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at the all machines in the arcade, deciding which one to play.

Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.

For some folks, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.

Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.

As long as something is moving, that’s a start.

Push through. Embrace resistance.

Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed.

That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.

That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.

That because their legs ache on the ascent, they are not ready to climb that hill.

No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.

Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.

Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through. It will switch tracks, eventually.

Remember: You don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.

You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.

Get support. For now.

In order for a rocket to leave the earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.

In order for a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.

We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it sure helps when someone gives us a push or a pull.

Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.

Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.

For a while, we can even affix ourselves to this someone or something else, like hooking that extra engine to our front. As we go along, we can unhook superfluous cars that we realize are weighing us down. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.

Eventually, we don’t need that extra engine any more. Our train is now whizzing along just fine on its own. The scenery blurs past the windows and we are heading on a grand adventure.

But in the beginning, we had to start.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

If you’re still “waiting for the perfect time”, try these tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start taking action.

1. Revise your expectations.

Recognize that there is no perfect time and there never will be.

There is only now.

2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.

Nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your fitness and health goals — a priority.

Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.

Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:

What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

Instead of waiting for things to ‘slow down,’ start making something happen right now, in the middle of the mess.

3. Just start.

If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.

Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!

In PN Coaching, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions.” Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move yourself — even just a tiny bit — in the direction of your goals. Then, go do it.

Remember: action is a “vote” in favor of a different, healthier, fitter life. Vote early, vote often.

4. Expect resistance.

It’s normal. Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.

You only have to get through this moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. Luckily, it won’t last long.

5. Get support.

Let go of the concept of the lone hero. Instead, start building your support systems.

Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy, or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.

That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.

It’s also why we work with health, fitness and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.

Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019.

If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.

You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.

You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.

If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.

[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].

The post I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. published first on https://storeseapharmacy.tumblr.com

[oovitus]

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time.

Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking — as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!” — rarely gets us “all.” It usually gets us “nothing.”

++++

Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?

Are you putting off that dream trip, or a new project, or that skill you’ve been meaning to learn?

If so, some of these phrases may sound familiar:

When I get a different job.

When things are less busy.

When I find a workout partner.

When I find the right equipment.

When I feel less awkward in the gym.

When I lose 20 lbs.

When I get the right workout routine.

When my fridge is full of the right foods.

Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

Human beings are always “waiting for the perfect time.” But why?

For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real—and risky—work of doing.

For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.

“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.

Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.

That’s why all-or-nothing thinking—If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless—rarely gets us “all.”

It usually gets us “nothing.”

There is no perfect time. There never will be.

Oh sure, there might be some magic moment in your fitness journey where the universe comes together… and you’re wearing your favorite t-shirt… plus your extra-comfy sneakers… and that song you love comes on… and your body is full of exuberant, bubbling energy… and your favorite piece of gym equipment is free (in fact the gym is empty today, hooray!)… and you bang out a set of ten reps like the angels are hoisting the barbell for you.

But that magic moment will be one in the zillion other less-magic moments that make up your real life.

Indeed, if we are talking about a moment as, say, approximately ten seconds long, that means you have somewhere between 2,398,377,600 to 2,556,165,600 potential moments in your life.

Which means that a single perfect moment is, well, a very very very small part of the whole thing.

Yes, celebrate that perfect moment when it comes. But sure as heck don’t wait for it.

Take your moments. Make your moments.

Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You have to take moments.

Hunt them. Chase them. Make them happen.

Scratch and gouge moments out of other times. Chip off tiny flakes of moments from the monolith of your day. Use your teeth if you must—bite off mouthfuls of those moments.

You are holding the chisel and the pickaxe. You are the miner of your moments.

This frustrates us, of course.

It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.

But it is this way. For everyone.

This is how it is, with moments. Moments resist expectations like water resists the intrusion of oil.

However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now.

Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.

Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Just start. At the beginning.

Here is another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.

All you have to do is start.

And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.

One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.

“But I can’t!” You say. “I can’t get started! That is the problem, you see!”

No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.

You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.

For instance, let’s say you choose to start with reading about nutrition.

That can be a good start—if it keeps you moving on to the next moment.

But it is not a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through a blur of blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for lights-out and you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.

So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.

It should be something else, like walking to the fridge and picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.

Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.

Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit, and picking out the salad option in advance.

Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. This is how you know it is a true start.

Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at the all machines in the arcade, deciding which one to play.

Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.

For some folks, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.

Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.

As long as something is moving, that’s a start.

Push through. Embrace resistance.

Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed.

That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.

That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.

That because their legs ache on the ascent, they are not ready to climb that hill.

No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.

Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.

Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through. It will switch tracks, eventually.

Remember: You don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.

You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.

Get support. For now.

In order for a rocket to leave the earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.

In order for a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.

We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it sure helps when someone gives us a push or a pull.

Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.

Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.

For a while, we can even affix ourselves to this someone or something else, like hooking that extra engine to our front. As we go along, we can unhook superfluous cars that we realize are weighing us down. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.

Eventually, we don’t need that extra engine any more. Our train is now whizzing along just fine on its own. The scenery blurs past the windows and we are heading on a grand adventure.

But in the beginning, we had to start.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

If you’re still “waiting for the perfect time”, try these tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start taking action.

1. Revise your expectations.

Recognize that there is no perfect time and there never will be.

There is only now.

2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.

Nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your fitness and health goals — a priority.

Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.

Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:

What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

Instead of waiting for things to ‘slow down,’ start making something happen right now, in the middle of the mess.

3. Just start.

If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.

Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!

In PN Coaching, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions.” Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move yourself — even just a tiny bit — in the direction of your goals. Then, go do it.

Remember: action is a “vote” in favor of a different, healthier, fitter life. Vote early, vote often.

4. Expect resistance.

It’s normal. Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.

You only have to get through this moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. Luckily, it won’t last long.

5. Get support.

Let go of the concept of the lone hero. Instead, start building your support systems.

Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy, or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.

That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.

It’s also why we work with health, fitness and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.

Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019.

If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.

You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.

You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.

If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.

[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].

The post I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. published first on

[oovitus]

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time.

Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking — as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!” — rarely gets us “all.” It usually gets us “nothing.”

++++

Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?

Are you putting off that dream trip, or a new project, or that skill you’ve been meaning to learn?

If so, some of these phrases may sound familiar:

When I get a different job.

When things are less busy.

When I find a workout partner.

When I find the right equipment.

When I feel less awkward in the gym.

When I lose 20 lbs.

When I get the right workout routine.

When my fridge is full of the right foods.

Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

Human beings are always “waiting for the perfect time.” But why?

For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real—and risky—work of doing.

For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.

“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.

Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.

That’s why all-or-nothing thinking—If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless—rarely gets us “all.”

It usually gets us “nothing.”

There is no perfect time. There never will be.

Oh sure, there might be some magic moment in your fitness journey where the universe comes together… and you’re wearing your favorite t-shirt… plus your extra-comfy sneakers… and that song you love comes on… and your body is full of exuberant, bubbling energy… and your favorite piece of gym equipment is free (in fact the gym is empty today, hooray!)… and you bang out a set of ten reps like the angels are hoisting the barbell for you.

But that magic moment will be one in the zillion other less-magic moments that make up your real life.

Indeed, if we are talking about a moment as, say, approximately ten seconds long, that means you have somewhere between 2,398,377,600 to 2,556,165,600 potential moments in your life.

Which means that a single perfect moment is, well, a very very very small part of the whole thing.

Yes, celebrate that perfect moment when it comes. But sure as heck don’t wait for it.

Take your moments. Make your moments.

Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You have to take moments.

Hunt them. Chase them. Make them happen.

Scratch and gouge moments out of other times. Chip off tiny flakes of moments from the monolith of your day. Use your teeth if you must—bite off mouthfuls of those moments.

You are holding the chisel and the pickaxe. You are the miner of your moments.

This frustrates us, of course.

It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.

But it is this way. For everyone.

This is how it is, with moments. Moments resist expectations like water resists the intrusion of oil.

However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now.

Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.

Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Just start. At the beginning.

Here is another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.

All you have to do is start.

And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.

One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.

“But I can’t!” You say. “I can’t get started! That is the problem, you see!”

No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.

You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.

For instance, let’s say you choose to start with reading about nutrition.

That can be a good start—if it keeps you moving on to the next moment.

But it is not a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through a blur of blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for lights-out and you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.

So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.

It should be something else, like walking to the fridge and picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.

Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.

Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit, and picking out the salad option in advance.

Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. This is how you know it is a true start.

Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at the all machines in the arcade, deciding which one to play.

Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.

For some folks, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.

Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.

As long as something is moving, that’s a start.

Push through. Embrace resistance.

Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed.

That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.

That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.

That because their legs ache on the ascent, they are not ready to climb that hill.

No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.

Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.

Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through. It will switch tracks, eventually.

Remember: You don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.

You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.

Get support. For now.

In order for a rocket to leave the earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.

In order for a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.

We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it sure helps when someone gives us a push or a pull.

Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.

Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.

For a while, we can even affix ourselves to this someone or something else, like hooking that extra engine to our front. As we go along, we can unhook superfluous cars that we realize are weighing us down. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.

Eventually, we don’t need that extra engine any more. Our train is now whizzing along just fine on its own. The scenery blurs past the windows and we are heading on a grand adventure.

But in the beginning, we had to start.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

If you’re still “waiting for the perfect time”, try these tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start taking action.

1. Revise your expectations.

Recognize that there is no perfect time and there never will be.

There is only now.

2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.

Nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your fitness and health goals — a priority.

Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.

Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:

What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

Instead of waiting for things to ‘slow down,’ start making something happen right now, in the middle of the mess.

3. Just start.

If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.

Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!

In PN Coaching, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions.” Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move yourself — even just a tiny bit — in the direction of your goals. Then, go do it.

Remember: action is a “vote” in favor of a different, healthier, fitter life. Vote early, vote often.

4. Expect resistance.

It’s normal. Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.

You only have to get through this moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. Luckily, it won’t last long.

5. Get support.

Let go of the concept of the lone hero. Instead, start building your support systems.

Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy, or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.

That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.

It’s also why we work with health, fitness and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.

Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019.

If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.

You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.

You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.

If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.

[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].

The post I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. published first on https://storeseapharmacy.tumblr.com

[oovitus]

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time.

Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking — as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!” — rarely gets us “all.” It usually gets us “nothing.”

++++

Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?

Are you putting off that dream trip, or a new project, or that skill you’ve been meaning to learn?

If so, some of these phrases may sound familiar:

When I get a different job.

When things are less busy.

When I find a workout partner.

When I find the right equipment.

When I feel less awkward in the gym.

When I lose 20 lbs.

When I get the right workout routine.

When my fridge is full of the right foods.

Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

Human beings are always “waiting for the perfect time.” But why?

For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real—and risky—work of doing.

For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.

“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.

Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.

That’s why all-or-nothing thinking—If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless—rarely gets us “all.”

It usually gets us “nothing.”

There is no perfect time. There never will be.

Oh sure, there might be some magic moment in your fitness journey where the universe comes together… and you’re wearing your favorite t-shirt… plus your extra-comfy sneakers… and that song you love comes on… and your body is full of exuberant, bubbling energy… and your favorite piece of gym equipment is free (in fact the gym is empty today, hooray!)… and you bang out a set of ten reps like the angels are hoisting the barbell for you.

But that magic moment will be one in the zillion other less-magic moments that make up your real life.

Indeed, if we are talking about a moment as, say, approximately ten seconds long, that means you have somewhere between 2,398,377,600 to 2,556,165,600 potential moments in your life.

Which means that a single perfect moment is, well, a very very very small part of the whole thing.

Yes, celebrate that perfect moment when it comes. But sure as heck don’t wait for it.

Take your moments. Make your moments.

Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You have to take moments.

Hunt them. Chase them. Make them happen.

Scratch and gouge moments out of other times. Chip off tiny flakes of moments from the monolith of your day. Use your teeth if you must—bite off mouthfuls of those moments.

You are holding the chisel and the pickaxe. You are the miner of your moments.

This frustrates us, of course.

It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.

But it is this way. For everyone.

This is how it is, with moments. Moments resist expectations like water resists the intrusion of oil.

However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now.

Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.

Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Just start. At the beginning.

Here is another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.

All you have to do is start.

And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.

One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.

“But I can’t!” You say. “I can’t get started! That is the problem, you see!”

No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.

You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.

For instance, let’s say you choose to start with reading about nutrition.

That can be a good start—if it keeps you moving on to the next moment.

But it is not a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through a blur of blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for lights-out and you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.

So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.

It should be something else, like walking to the fridge and picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.

Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.

Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit, and picking out the salad option in advance.

Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. This is how you know it is a true start.

Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at the all machines in the arcade, deciding which one to play.

Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.

For some folks, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.

Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.

As long as something is moving, that’s a start.

Push through. Embrace resistance.

Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed.

That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.

That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.

That because their legs ache on the ascent, they are not ready to climb that hill.

No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.

Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.

Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through. It will switch tracks, eventually.

Remember: You don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.

You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.

Get support. For now.

In order for a rocket to leave the earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.

In order for a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.

We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it sure helps when someone gives us a push or a pull.

Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.

Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.

For a while, we can even affix ourselves to this someone or something else, like hooking that extra engine to our front. As we go along, we can unhook superfluous cars that we realize are weighing us down. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.

Eventually, we don’t need that extra engine any more. Our train is now whizzing along just fine on its own. The scenery blurs past the windows and we are heading on a grand adventure.

But in the beginning, we had to start.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

If you’re still “waiting for the perfect time”, try these tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start taking action.

1. Revise your expectations.

Recognize that there is no perfect time and there never will be.

There is only now.

2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.

Nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your fitness and health goals — a priority.

Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.

Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:

What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

Instead of waiting for things to ‘slow down,’ start making something happen right now, in the middle of the mess.

3. Just start.

If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.

Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!

In PN Coaching, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions.” Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move yourself — even just a tiny bit — in the direction of your goals. Then, go do it.

Remember: action is a “vote” in favor of a different, healthier, fitter life. Vote early, vote often.

4. Expect resistance.

It’s normal. Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.

You only have to get through this moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. Luckily, it won’t last long.

5. Get support.

Let go of the concept of the lone hero. Instead, start building your support systems.

Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy, or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.

That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.

It’s also why we work with health, fitness and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.

Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019.

If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.

You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.

You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.

If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.

[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].

The post I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. published first on

[oovitus]

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time.

Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking — as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!” — rarely gets us “all.” It usually gets us “nothing.”

++++

Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?

Are you putting off that dream trip, or a new project, or that skill you’ve been meaning to learn?

If so, some of these phrases may sound familiar:

When I get a different job.

When things are less busy.

When I find a workout partner.

When I find the right equipment.

When I feel less awkward in the gym.

When I lose 20 lbs.

When I get the right workout routine.

When my fridge is full of the right foods.

Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

Human beings are always “waiting for the perfect time.” But why?

For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real—and risky—work of doing.

For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.

“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.

Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.

That’s why all-or-nothing thinking—If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless—rarely gets us “all.”

It usually gets us “nothing.”

There is no perfect time. There never will be.

Oh sure, there might be some magic moment in your fitness journey where the universe comes together… and you’re wearing your favorite t-shirt… plus your extra-comfy sneakers… and that song you love comes on… and your body is full of exuberant, bubbling energy… and your favorite piece of gym equipment is free (in fact the gym is empty today, hooray!)… and you bang out a set of ten reps like the angels are hoisting the barbell for you.

But that magic moment will be one in the zillion other less-magic moments that make up your real life.

Indeed, if we are talking about a moment as, say, approximately ten seconds long, that means you have somewhere between 2,398,377,600 to 2,556,165,600 potential moments in your life.

Which means that a single perfect moment is, well, a very very very small part of the whole thing.

Yes, celebrate that perfect moment when it comes. But sure as heck don’t wait for it.

Take your moments. Make your moments.

Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You have to take moments.

Hunt them. Chase them. Make them happen.

Scratch and gouge moments out of other times. Chip off tiny flakes of moments from the monolith of your day. Use your teeth if you must—bite off mouthfuls of those moments.

You are holding the chisel and the pickaxe. You are the miner of your moments.

This frustrates us, of course.

It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.

But it is this way. For everyone.

This is how it is, with moments. Moments resist expectations like water resists the intrusion of oil.

However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now.

Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.

Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Just start. At the beginning.

Here is another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.

All you have to do is start.

And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.

One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.

“But I can’t!” You say. “I can’t get started! That is the problem, you see!”

No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.

You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.

For instance, let’s say you choose to start with reading about nutrition.

That can be a good start—if it keeps you moving on to the next moment.

But it is not a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through a blur of blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for lights-out and you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.

So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.

It should be something else, like walking to the fridge and picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.

Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.

Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit, and picking out the salad option in advance.

Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. This is how you know it is a true start.

Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at the all machines in the arcade, deciding which one to play.

Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.

For some folks, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.

Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.

As long as something is moving, that’s a start.

Push through. Embrace resistance.

Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed.

That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.

That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.

That because their legs ache on the ascent, they are not ready to climb that hill.

No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.

Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.

Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through. It will switch tracks, eventually.

Remember: You don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.

You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.

Get support. For now.

In order for a rocket to leave the earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.

In order for a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.

We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it sure helps when someone gives us a push or a pull.

Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.

Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.

For a while, we can even affix ourselves to this someone or something else, like hooking that extra engine to our front. As we go along, we can unhook superfluous cars that we realize are weighing us down. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.

Eventually, we don’t need that extra engine any more. Our train is now whizzing along just fine on its own. The scenery blurs past the windows and we are heading on a grand adventure.

But in the beginning, we had to start.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

If you’re still “waiting for the perfect time”, try these tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start taking action.

1. Revise your expectations.

Recognize that there is no perfect time and there never will be.

There is only now.

2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.

Nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your fitness and health goals — a priority.

Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.

Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:

What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

Instead of waiting for things to ‘slow down,’ start making something happen right now, in the middle of the mess.

3. Just start.

If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.

Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!

In PN Coaching, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions.” Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move yourself — even just a tiny bit — in the direction of your goals. Then, go do it.

Remember: action is a “vote” in favor of a different, healthier, fitter life. Vote early, vote often.

4. Expect resistance.

It’s normal. Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.

You only have to get through this moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. Luckily, it won’t last long.

5. Get support.

Let go of the concept of the lone hero. Instead, start building your support systems.

Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy, or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.

That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.

It’s also why we work with health, fitness and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.

Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019.

If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.

You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.

You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.

If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.

[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].

The post I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. published first on https://storeseapharmacy.tumblr.com

[oovitus]

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time.

Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking — as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!” — rarely gets us “all”. It usually gets us “nothing”.

++++

Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?

Are you putting off that dream trip, or a new project, or that skill you’ve been meaning to learn?

If so, some of these phrases may sound familiar:

When I get a different job.

When things are less busy.

When I find a workout partner.

When I find the right equipment.

When I feel less awkward in the gym.

When I lose 20 lbs.

When I get the right workout routine.

When my fridge is full of the right foods.

Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

Human beings are always “waiting for the perfect time”. But why?

For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real—and risky—work of doing.

For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.

“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.

Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.

That’s why all-or-nothing thinking—If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless—rarely gets us “all”.

It usually gets us “nothing”.

There is no perfect time. There never will be.

Oh sure, there might be some magic moment in your fitness journey where the universe comes together… and you’re wearing your favorite t-shirt… plus your extra-comfy sneakers… and that song you love comes on… and your body is full of exuberant, bubbling energy… and your favorite piece of gym equipment is free (in fact the gym is empty today, hooray!)… and you bang out a set of ten reps like the angels are hoisting the barbell for you.

But that magic moment will be one in the zillion other less-magic moments that make up your real life.

Indeed, if we are talking about a moment as, say, approximately ten seconds long, that means you have somewhere between 2,398,377,600 to 2,556,165,600 potential moments in your life.

Which means that a single perfect moment is, well, a very very very small part of the whole thing.

Yes, celebrate that perfect moment when it comes. But sure as heck don’t wait for it.

Take your moments. Make your moments.

Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You have to take moments.

Hunt them. Chase them. Make them happen.

Scratch and gouge moments out of other times. Chip off tiny flakes of moments from the monolith of your day. Use your teeth if you must—bite off mouthfuls of those moments.

You are holding the chisel and the pickaxe. You are the miner of your moments.

This frustrates us, of course.

It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.

But it is this way. For everyone.

This is how it is, with moments. Moments resist expectations like water resists the intrusion of oil.

However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now.

Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.

Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Just start. At the beginning.

Here is another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.

All you have to do is start.

And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.

One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.

“But I can’t!” You say. “I can’t get started! That is the problem, you see!”

No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.

You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.

For instance, let’s say you choose to start with reading about nutrition.

That can be a good start—if it keeps you moving on to the next moment.

But it is not a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through a blur of blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for lights-out and you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.

So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.

It should be something else, like walking to the fridge and picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.

Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.

Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit, and picking out the salad option in advance.

Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. This is how you know it is a true start.

Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at the all machines in the arcade, deciding which one to play.

Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.

For some folks, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.

Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.

As long as something is moving, that’s a start.

Push through. Embrace resistance.

Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed.

That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.

That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.

That because their legs ache on the ascent, they are not ready to climb that hill.

No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.

Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.

Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through. It will switch tracks, eventually.

Remember: You don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.

You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.

Get support. For now.

In order for a rocket to leave the earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.

In order for a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.

We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it sure helps when someone gives us a push or a pull.

Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.

Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.

For a while, we can even affix ourselves to this someone or something else, like hooking that extra engine to our front. As we go along, we can unhook superfluous cars that we realize are weighing us down. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.

Eventually, we don’t need that extra engine any more. Our train is now whizzing along just fine on its own. The scenery blurs past the windows and we are heading on a grand adventure.

But in the beginning, we had to start.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

If you’re still “waiting for the perfect time”, try these tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start taking action.

1. Revise your expectations.

Recognize that there is no perfect time and there never will be.

There is only now.

2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.

Nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your fitness and health goals — a priority.

Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.

Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:

What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

Instead of waiting for things to ‘slow down’, start making something happen right now, in the middle of the mess.

3. Just start.

If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.

Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!

In PN Coaching, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions”. Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move yourself — even just a tiny bit — in the direction of your goals. Then, go do it.

Remember: action is a “vote” in favor of a different, healthier, fitter life. Vote early, vote often.

4. Expect resistance.

It’s normal. Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.

You only have to get through this moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. Luckily, it won’t last long.

5. Get support.

Let go of the concept of the lone hero. Instead, start building your support systems.

Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy, or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.

That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.

It’s also why we work with health, fitness and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.

Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, July 18th, 2018.

If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.

You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.

You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.

If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.

[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].

The post I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. published first on

[oovitus]

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time.

Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking — as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!” — rarely gets us “all”. It usually gets us “nothing”.

++++

Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?

Are you putting off that dream trip, or a new project, or that skill you’ve been meaning to learn?

If so, some of these phrases may sound familiar:

When I get a different job.

When things are less busy.

When I find a workout partner.

When I find the right equipment.

When I feel less awkward in the gym.

When I lose 20 lbs.

When I get the right workout routine.

When my fridge is full of the right foods.

Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

Human beings are always “waiting for the perfect time”. But why?

For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real—and risky—work of doing.

For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.

“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.

Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.

That’s why all-or-nothing thinking—If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless—rarely gets us “all”.

It usually gets us “nothing”.

There is no perfect time. There never will be.

Oh sure, there might be some magic moment in your fitness journey where the universe comes together… and you’re wearing your favorite t-shirt… plus your extra-comfy sneakers… and that song you love comes on… and your body is full of exuberant, bubbling energy… and your favorite piece of gym equipment is free (in fact the gym is empty today, hooray!)… and you bang out a set of ten reps like the angels are hoisting the barbell for you.

But that magic moment will be one in the zillion other less-magic moments that make up your real life.

Indeed, if we are talking about a moment as, say, approximately ten seconds long, that means you have somewhere between 2,398,377,600 to 2,556,165,600 potential moments in your life.

Which means that a single perfect moment is, well, a very very very small part of the whole thing.

Yes, celebrate that perfect moment when it comes. But sure as heck don’t wait for it.

Take your moments. Make your moments.

Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You have to take moments.

Hunt them. Chase them. Make them happen.

Scratch and gouge moments out of other times. Chip off tiny flakes of moments from the monolith of your day. Use your teeth if you must—bite off mouthfuls of those moments.

You are holding the chisel and the pickaxe. You are the miner of your moments.

This frustrates us, of course.

It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.

But it is this way. For everyone.

This is how it is, with moments. Moments resist expectations like water resists the intrusion of oil.

However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now.

Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.

Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Just start. At the beginning.

Here is another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.

All you have to do is start.

And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.

One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.

“But I can’t!” You say. “I can’t get started! That is the problem, you see!”

No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.

You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.

For instance, let’s say you choose to start with reading about nutrition.

That can be a good start—if it keeps you moving on to the next moment.

But it is not a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through a blur of blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for lights-out and you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.

So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.

It should be something else, like walking to the fridge and picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.

Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.

Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit, and picking out the salad option in advance.

Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. This is how you know it is a true start.

Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at the all machines in the arcade, deciding which one to play.

Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.

For some folks, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.

Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.

As long as something is moving, that’s a start.

Push through. Embrace resistance.

Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed.

That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.

That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.

That because their legs ache on the ascent, they are not ready to climb that hill.

No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.

Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.

Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through. It will switch tracks, eventually.

Remember: You don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.

You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.

Get support. For now.

In order for a rocket to leave the earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.

In order for a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.

We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it sure helps when someone gives us a push or a pull.

Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.

Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.

For a while, we can even affix ourselves to this someone or something else, like hooking that extra engine to our front. As we go along, we can unhook superfluous cars that we realize are weighing us down. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.

Eventually, we don’t need that extra engine any more. Our train is now whizzing along just fine on its own. The scenery blurs past the windows and we are heading on a grand adventure.

But in the beginning, we had to start.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

If you’re still “waiting for the perfect time”, try these tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start taking action.

1. Revise your expectations.

Recognize that there is no perfect time and there never will be.

There is only now.

2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.

Nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your fitness and health goals — a priority.

Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.

Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:

What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

Instead of waiting for things to ‘slow down’, start making something happen right now, in the middle of the mess.

3. Just start.

If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.

Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!

In PN Coaching, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions”. Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move yourself — even just a tiny bit — in the direction of your goals. Then, go do it.

Remember: action is a “vote” in favor of a different, healthier, fitter life. Vote early, vote often.

4. Expect resistance.

It’s normal. Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.

You only have to get through this moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. Luckily, it won’t last long.

5. Get support.

Let go of the concept of the lone hero. Instead, start building your support systems.

Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy, or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.

That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.

It’s also why we work with health, fitness and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.

Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, July 18th, 2018.

If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.

You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.

You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.

If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.

[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].

The post I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time. published first on

[oovitus]

I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time.

Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking — as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!” — rarely gets us “all”. It usually gets us “nothing”.

++++

Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?

Are you putting off that dream trip, or a new project, or that skill you’ve been meaning to learn?

If so, some of these phrases may sound familiar:

When I get a different job.

When things are less busy.

When I find a workout partner.

When I find the right equipment.

When I feel less awkward in the gym.

When I lose 20 lbs.

When I get the right workout routine.

When my fridge is full of the right foods.

Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

Human beings are always “waiting for the perfect time”. But why?

For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real—and risky—work of doing.

For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.

“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.

Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.

That’s why all-or-nothing thinking—If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless—rarely gets us “all”.

It usually gets us “nothing”.

There is no perfect time. There never will be.

Oh sure, there might be some magic moment in your fitness journey where the universe comes together… and you’re wearing your favorite t-shirt… plus your extra-comfy sneakers… and that song you love comes on… and your body is full of exuberant, bubbling energy… and your favorite piece of gym equipment is free (in fact the gym is empty today, hooray!)… and you bang out a set of ten reps like the angels are hoisting the barbell for you.

But that magic moment will be one in the zillion other less-magic moments that make up your real life.

Indeed, if we are talking about a moment as, say, approximately ten seconds long, that means you have somewhere between 2,398,377,600 to 2,556,165,600 potential moments in your life.

Which means that a single perfect moment is, well, a very very very small part of the whole thing.

Yes, celebrate that perfect moment when it comes. But sure as heck don’t wait for it.

Take your moments. Make your moments.

Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You have to take moments.

Hunt them. Chase them. Make them happen.

Scratch and gouge moments out of other times. Chip off tiny flakes of moments from the monolith of your day. Use your teeth if you must—bite off mouthfuls of those moments.

You are holding the chisel and the pickaxe. You are the miner of your moments.

This frustrates us, of course.

It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.

But it is this way. For everyone.

This is how it is, with moments. Moments resist expectations like water resists the intrusion of oil.

However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now.

Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.

Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Just start. At the beginning.

Here is another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.

All you have to do is start.

And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.

One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.

“But I can’t!” You say. “I can’t get started! That is the problem, you see!”

No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.

You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.

For instance, let’s say you choose to start with reading about nutrition.

That can be a good start—if it keeps you moving on to the next moment.

But it is not a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through a blur of blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for lights-out and you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.

So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.

It should be something else, like walking to the fridge and picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.

Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.

Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit, and picking out the salad option in advance.

Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. This is how you know it is a true start.

Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at the all machines in the arcade, deciding which one to play.

Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.

For some folks, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.

Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.

As long as something is moving, that’s a start.

Push through. Embrace resistance.

Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed.

That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.

That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.

That because their legs ache on the ascent, they are not ready to climb that hill.

No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.

Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.

Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through. It will switch tracks, eventually.

Remember: You don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.

You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.

Get support. For now.

In order for a rocket to leave the earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.

In order for a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.

We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it sure helps when someone gives us a push or a pull.

Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.

Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.

For a while, we can even affix ourselves to this someone or something else, like hooking that extra engine to our front. As we go along, we can unhook superfluous cars that we realize are weighing us down. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.

Eventually, we don’t need that extra engine any more. Our train is now whizzing along just fine on its own. The scenery blurs past the windows and we are heading on a grand adventure.

But in the beginning, we had to start.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

If you’re still “waiting for the perfect time”, try these tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start taking action.

1. Revise your expectations.

Recognize that there is no perfect time and there never will be.

There is only now.

2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.

Nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your fitness and health goals — a priority.

Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.

Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:

What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

Instead of waiting for things to ‘slow down’, start making something happen right now, in the middle of the mess.

3. Just start.

If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.

Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!

In PN Coaching, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions”. Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move yourself — even just a tiny bit — in the direction of your goals. Then, go do it.

Remember: action is a “vote” in favor of a different, healthier, fitter life. Vote early, vote often.

4. Expect resistance.

It’s normal. Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.

You only have to get through this moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. Luckily, it won’t last long.

5. Get support.

Let go of the concept of the lone hero. Instead, start building your support systems.

Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy, or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.

That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.

It’s also why we work with health, fitness and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.

Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, July 18th, 2018.

If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.

You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.

You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.

If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.

[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].

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