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May: Am I a producer or a consumer?

Posted on by Anton

What comes to mind when you reflect on the last 30 days?

 

Am I a producer or a consumer?

I remember waking up one morning with this question rattling around in my mind and it unravelled a lot.

This very question was able to put my life into perspective, it made me wonder – on an average day am I more of a consumer or a producer.

Everyday items/services are ideas was generated by an individual.

The Gram

Instagram is a platform that illustrates the producer/consumer dynamics.

By actively scrolling through the explore page I am a consumer, yet on the other side, there is a producer.
This producer is creating content and this is the ecosystem of social media, for this ecosystem to work it needs both consumers and producers.

A consumer engagement fuels the producer to produce more, and it’s our consumption that adds value to that producer.

Other than that what is the value of being a consumer?

 


What have you achieved?

 

Do experiences make memories?

Every month I plan to do a new experience in an attempt to create new memories, these memories create markers in time –“Oh yeah, May was when I did”

Looking back on the month I have been fortunate to experience so many new experiences but also share them with others:-

 

 


Remember when we?

Sharing these experiences with others can enhance these memories,  it’s proven that if you want to create good friendships share experiences with them; step away from the usual meet and do something different.

 

What have you struggled with?

 

Do you even fuel your mind though?

One book a month used to be my monthly challenge and now it’s starting to look like one book every 3 months.
“Education is the gateway to success“

There isn’t any real reason why I have been failing at this challenge, the harsh reality is I have dropped the ball on my own personal education.
Rolling back the months I used to spend the mornings listening to Blinkist, an app that summarises non-fiction books into 10 to 15 minutes audio clips.
These morning sessions allowed me to expand my general knowledge of areas that I did not actively have an interest in.

More streams of income?

The quest to generate new streams of income has resulted in some loss.

Each loss has felt like a setback and it does discourage me.

Yet if you don’t try how will you make a difference.

 

What are you working on right now?

 

Rebuilding the foundations

There are some key fundamental cornerstone habits which help with life, and when one of these habits are removed; things start to fall down.

Blocks of wellbeing

Forming these blocks takes time and often need to be shaped and moulded to fit.

A habit may work today but you could fall out of love with it, meaning you will have to reshape it and find a new one.

These blocks are:-

  • Diet
  • Fitness
  • Meditation
  • Planning
  • Sleep

 

How do you feel physically and mentally?

May I?

May has been a “maybe I could” type of months.

A month filled with no real burning desire to execute or take action, it is a strange place but in life, you have to roll with the punches.

Where do you spend your money?

I once listened to a millionaire speak about where people should invest their money.

Your shoes and your bed!

He said we spend most our time either walking around in our shoes and sleeping in our beds, he didn’t mention investing in X company but simply advise our wellbeing is worth more.

For months I’ve been sleeping on a not so comfortable mattress until I said enough was enough and purchased a new mattress and it was worth every penny.

Goodbye painful shoulders in the morning and hello blissful night sleeps

 

What are your future goals?

 

To make a profit on FX for the month
To make at least one active stock trade – IPO
To have a property offer accepted
To actively spend time in the evening stretching and working on core muscles
Morning meditation
Daily Gratitude Journal
Daily Visualisation/law of attraction
Spend 2/3 days with Friends
Start kick Boxing with brother
Connect with further family
Blinkist in the morning
Finish 4 hour work week
Learn from Adzvice
Record Realigned
BME Collective – Team formation – BME restaurant
Zero gravity experience
Learn how to fly a plane
Go outdoors more


Anything else you feel is important.

  • Do you ever think of global warming? – What will you do if the UK become flooded or there is a severe climate change
  • 50 percent of our time is spent on maintenance – That’s time spent sleep, working out and getting ready for the day.
  • Don’t forget how you feel in a situation. Don’t forget to put yourself first.

  • Despite being a man of the match, it doesn’t matter, as long as the team wins – a lot of us want to shine and do a job but we often forget that doesn’t matter if your team doesn’t win.

  • Be careful of the energy you put out

  • Do not walk signs – We automatically look at labels and perceive it in a way that may be wrong, does a do not walk sign mean run.

  • If you can show someone there is an alternative route than things become possible.
April: A Conversation with self

April: A Conversation with self

Posted on by Anton

What comes to mind when you reflect on the last 30 days?

 

The pain of reality can hurt, I will be the first to admit there are times where I beat myself up because I’m not where I want to be.

Hands up if your worst critic is yourself?

Mine can be loud as ****, it’s not often it wins in the battle but this month I think it won… But it was only for a day.

I remember waking up and the internal voice was “Oh boy, what’s the point, we ain’t got the energy today, You’ve tried but we ain’t getting results“

There’s more in you

Often I feel I could be doing more, and I do limit myself. I have sabotaged potential opportunities based on the thoughts in my mind.

Now, these thoughts have a name they are called “FEAR” (False Evidence Appearing Real).

Repair the ship

So what do you do when you are out in the sea and have spent the day just drifting, if you are similar to me you’ll end up educating yourself, evaluating where you are and thinking about what are the next steps.

Sometimes you need to shut up shop and focus on the one thing!

 

What have you achieved?

Give me the microphone let me spray them

 

I was fortunate enough to be invited along to a panel discussion on personal development at Obsidian Network Flagship event “Invest in You”

It was an amazing experience, to be in a room filled with young black males and sharing my own personal journey and shining the light on the importance of investing in yourself first.

 

 

 

 

afrotechfest

In April I also attended Afro Tech Fest, a festival which brought together black people of African and Caribbean heritage who are in tech or interested in tech.

 

A refreshing experience to hear other people in technology speak and share their own personal stories within the industry.

I even took the opportunity to showcase myself and Tag Me In Podcast again putting myself into situations that scare me, because that is the only way I will challenge and change.

 

Building Blocks

I’ve been educating myself on properties, an area that I have been aware of but the interest has been sporadic but this time I want to take action.

Samuel Leeds has been my main source of information, from his Youtube Channel to reading his books.

Education is very similar to the build of an actual building, you have to start with the basic aka the foundations, and then add new material like the brick blocks.

 

 

What have you struggled with?

 

Balancing this Dating world

Entering the dating world has had me feeling like a wobbly knee toddler, from having a feeling of we got this to whoops I don’t think I quite have this thing.

The biggest adjustment is letting go especially since it’s been 2 years of doing me, whilst dating you are required to make things work, which requires compromises like time, energy or putting the effort in to understand where a person is coming from.

A very different place to when it is Me, Myself and I

 

 

What are you working on right now?

Knowledge is power

Financial Education has been a big topic on my mind, a lot of events attended or books read have been centred around finances.

ameyfinance

The knowledge I thought I possessed was only touching the surface out there, which is necessary on my quest of building a legacy for my family.

 

Start with your why?

Another area I have been “trying”, and the focus word should be “try” is my personal brand.

But what is the personal brand, the question to this is asking where do you see your value, what is it you offer?

A deep question that will take you on a journey, a book worth mentioning is Start With Your Why by Simon Sinek.

 

 

How do you feel physically and mentally?

 

Triggered?

Three words that pained me on the day I wasn’t 100% was:-

  • Love
  • Value
  • Team

I could watch a youtube video and if I saw a team, I would be triggered! If I saw someone showing value… Triggered

What did these people have that I haven’t yet mastered – “The One Thing“. I’ve heard it multiple times the importance of focusing on One Thing but what do you when you don’t know what it could be.

Try Everything, Until one fits.

Physically I have started to see bodily change, which comes from eating better but being consistent with my home workout. You can actually find me out in my garden since we have sunnier days doing compound workouts.

 

 

What are your future goals?

 

Do better! Make passive
Diversify stocks
Research property and finalise MIP
Build personal branding
Do a martial arts
To experience Sensory Tank
Follow thought leaders
Start kick Boxing with Brother
Personal Brand is a must
Daily Quote of the day
Get Headshot done
POC meet
Complete Ep100 including social media, episode and event
Contact top followers and listeners for feedback
I have built a small team for TMI – graphics, social media, editing, video, photography
start insta life


Anything else you feel is important.

  • “Is it worth viewing if I was to put an offer below market value” – Determining if it is worth actually going to a viewing if they are fixed on the guide price.
  • I’m actively avoiding saying “One Day” because it doesn’t even exist in the calendar – “Let’s catch up one day” sometime may never happen unless you state a date/day.
  • This tweet alone made me evaluate my connections

March: Time waits for no man

Posted on by Anton

What comes to mind when you reflect on the last 30 days?

“That was a good Q1 Anton, now let’s build on this”
Funny enough sometimes I operation my life like a business, by asking questions like what are the goals for the year, have we been meeting those key performance indicator and are we achieving our targets.
This first quarter has been the best yet, mentally I knew I had to allow myself to readjust to a normal lifestyle since travelling.
I knew I had to take my time and approach my goals in a different way, I knew the aim of the game was to pace myself, listen to my intuition and say “NO” to incoming projects or work.
By taking control of my life I have been rewarded in many ways and learnt the importance of creating a healthy balanced lifestyle.

 

What have you achieved?

Not really an achievement but a realisation, I’ve recently made the switch to Evernote and have been taking regular notes throughout the day.
Whilst looking back on these notes I noticed these words appearing at least 3 times in the past month:-

  • Preparation – This realisation came whilst at an event hosted by Foundervine at Monzo, as teams, we had to pitch a Fin Tech idea in front of investors. This is when the preparation is important, knowing your numbers, the model is what makes the difference, and I personally witnessed this. The winning group idea and work started long before the event, it just needed a team around it.

  • Team – Continuing from the above point, having a squad, a team or even a network can make the difference.
    Collaboration with others can take you to the next stage.
    Identify peoples goals and gaining clarity is vital for teamwork, once everyone is onboard it can pave the way to a successful future.
  • Patience – Yes I wouldn’t mind all my dreams becoming my reality now, but there are lessons that need to be learnt before that stage.
    Personally, I hold onto the belief that things will eventually fall into place, and that’s the very reason I keep pushing on.
    By actively trying and doing it puts me in certain positions and opens up opportunities that may present themselves.

The remaining part of the month was my vacation, my chance to unwind and enjoy life for the now. Exploring countries and experience a new culture is something that I have fallen in love with.

On this trip, I was fortunate to be joined by friends as we road tripped from Los Angeles to San Francisco and then to Las Vegas. Very different from solo travelling, the reality of no longer being the captain of your own ship but having to decide as a group presented a different type of challenge.

Yet overall this trip there were unforgettable memories and strengthened existing relationships, they do say if you want to build friendship or relationship do experiences together.

 

What have you struggled with?

Creating time to relax, the saying “time waits for no man” hit me hard in the weeks leading up trip away, in my quest to grow and elevate I failed to structure days to rest at home.

Poor planning led to a sustained state of overwhelmedness, running from one event to another, late night podcast recordings, hosting events and a 72-hour Hackathorn was taking a toll on me mentally and physically.

Internally my body was screaming for sleep and rest, 4/5 hour sleep is enough to function but for a long period it has a knock-on impact, and the biggest impact is the loss of routine.
I found myself skipping out my golden key to energy and happiness – My morning routine. I found myself waking up 2 hours later than usual and felt the need to kick start the day straight away rather than doing me.

Awareness is always important, and this is a situation that can be avoided if I make a pledge to myself, my current pledge is to minimise or limit the events I attend on the first 2 days of the week or make a commitment to leave early to ensure I am recovering.

What are you working on right now?

I’ve been tapping into the question of “Who is Anton Richardson?“, if I stood as a brand what would I be known for and what can I offer to others.

There is nothing I want to see is people elevate, push on and have the belief that they can achieve anything.

With my brothers in mind, this message speaks to me:-

“I help black British professionals to ask the right questions and level themselves up by sharing my new discoveries and showing the importance of listening and asking questions in the hope it instils the belief that we all can win.”

 

How do you feel physically and mentally?

Approaching the end of the Q1 there is a strong sense of belief, I feel that the time I took to realign myself was necessary for the next quarter.

Everything stems from your mental position.

If you are mentally fresh and ready you can seize the day, this past month was a challenging one and had a knock-on impact on other aspects especially physically.
Despite knowing the benefits of physical exercise, I fail to make it a priority especially when running around and as a result, I miss out on the free feel-good hormones that are released which contributes to my mental wellbeing.

What were the goals?

Diversify stocks
I have made £4000 a month from FBA, Affiliate, dropshipping and stocks
Put money aside for property
Build personal branding
Implement Flexibility lifestyle
I have made 10 sales on eco-friendly direct by partnering up with my business partner
To experience Sensory Tank
Follow thought leaders
Reiki
Start kick Boxing with my brother
New networking event a week
Daily Quote of the day
Get Headshot done
Complete Ep100 including social media, episode and event
Contact top followers and listeners for feedback
I have built a small team for TMI – graphics, social media, editing, video, photography
LA to Vegas
Drive bmw i8

Anything else you feel is important.

  • Pay for the stuff you need – For the longest time I’ve been team “freemium” but there have been some apps I have upgraded to the premium version of
    • Evernote – used to capture notes and can be accessed from all devices
    • Later – used to schedule Tag Me In Podcast social media posts
  • “It’s not about you it’s about your family” – I’ve become truly geared towards building generational wealth for my family and leaving a legacy for the future generations
  • Build a team – When I look at anything successful there is a team, you can have one man who is the “talent” but there will be people around him. You can have a star player in your team but to win you have to function as a team.
  • “You never stop learning about yourself” – Everyday presents an opportunity to learn something new about yourself
  • “Doing My Best Today” – This is an affirmation I’ve been telling myself, today is the present and I set out to be the best me I can be.
  • When we say “Yes” to something we don’t want, we end up saying “No” to ourselves.

February: Do you best and be impeccable with your words

Posted on by Anton

What comes to mind when you reflect on the last 30 days?

Wow, I am officially old, this month marked my 28th birthday. Another level up for me, and I’m excited about the next 12 months.

28 for me is a massive achievement and is filled with so much joy and believe it will be a great birth year, what this year marks is 6 years out of formal education and the completion of primary school in adult/real-life studies.

What I found interesting about the past 30 days is I didn’t make an effort to celebrate, yet I spent a lot of time planning and arranging the birthday of Tag Me In Podcast.
It as though the podcast is a real person, it is a toddler with so many teething problems but I care about it that I’m planning it’s 2 year birthday.

What have you achieved?

I have spent the month educating and feeding, the four agreement has been a fantastic book especially when you combine the current events that have been happening in my life.

The agreements that really stand out in the book are:

-Do your best

I’ve been unlearning doing things out of best efforts

-Be impeccable with your word.

I have also completed my Ikagi which is a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being”, this Ikagi goes hand in hand with Simon Sinek book Start with your why?

What have you struggled with?

There has been a reoccurring theme in my life that constantly props up every 6 months, and you know what the definition of insanity is – Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

The level of awareness is there and I have allowed the situation to play out hoping something would change, however sometimes you have to take control and make a decision to see your progress forward.

More will be explained over the next few months, but this is the first step I’m taking to changing.

What are you working on right now?

Making improvements for Tag Me In Podcast, this has involved reviewing certain episodes and removing content or updating it. I got to a moment this month where I become embarrassed by the quality of the content that was put out.
Tag Me In Podcast has so much potential and rather than waiting for the next thing to happen, it’s time to take control and move it forward and this will all coincide with its 2 year birthday.

How do you feel physically and mentally?

Mentally and physically I am in a good place, it’s important for me to pay attention to each aspect equally because they are both keys to my wellbeing.

When I’m mentally strong, I feel physically strong, I’m conscious about what I eat, what time I go to sleep, How I feeling, creating time to relax and unwind but also discovering my flow state.

What were the goals?

I have brought ETF in healthcare, utilities, and technology
I have made £4000 a month from FBA, Affiliate,dropshipping and stocks
apply 0%credit card
I have made 10 sales on eco friendly direct with the assistance of Joyann
To go to 4 fitness classes
To experience Sensory Tank
Follow thought leaders
Complete passion circle
Reiki
I have had a social catchup with Joyann
I have completed the 4 agreements
I have spent time once a week completing Blinkst
Headshot
Circles
I have engaged with freelancers about the TMI best of album – promo for March Rebrand
I have found options to secure TMI Grant funding
I have built a small team for TMI – graphics, social media, editing, video, phtography
To have Booked flying

Anything else you feel is important.

 

 

January: New Year, New Me Seriously

Posted on by Anton

What comes to mind when you reflect on the last 30 days?

Happy new year people.

Now I’m not a person who jumps on the new year new me vibe, but this year is different. Reflecting on the year, this time last year I was enjoying my sabbatical making money buying and selling.
In 2019 I find myself back at work and thinking about the next steps, however, I’ve discovered and learnt a lot in the past 12 months, and the timing of my return has coincided with a new year.

What have you achieved?

I have put in a system/schedule which I review stocks on a weekly basis, this allows me to review current stocks I own and also look at potential future trades.

Understanding money comes and go and I spent time completing my tax return for the previous year, and it was fascinating to see I had a “money leak” whilst travelling. I was spending around £120 a month on unutilised assets. This visibility on reflection has led me to start reviewing my accounts on a monthly basis as opposed to the last few days of my tax year.

I’ve also dedicated myself to create a space in my day of which I do nothing, absolutely nothing, it is based on meditation just giving myself a time to calm down and take a step back from the day.

 

What have you struggled with?

My environment is everything, when I’m in the right space I can focus and as a result, can find my flow. What I have struggled with since being back is a lack of space, which I found insightful as for 9 months I wasn’t in my own space and travelling with a backpack. I feel the difference is when it’s time to get your head down and do work I need to be in a comfortable environment.

Another struggle is finding a fitness class, there are classes of interest however they happen at times of the day when I’m already in full swing. The one class I did manage to attend was slap bang at 3 pm on a Saturday and to my luck, the instructor wasn’t able to make it due to an emergency.

What are you working on right now?

Nothing in particular but I’m evaluating a lot of my work effort and seeing where can I apply the 80/20 rule. This is a key rule to apply in life because it’s about the key 20% in life that will get you the 80% of your results.

I’ve been a workaholic, sometimes working or creating the work thinking it taking me closer to my goal or destination, not realising it’s actually unproductive and in the long run a waste of time.

I’m conscious to not make these mistakes over and over again because that is what we call insanity.

How do you feel physically and mentally?

The cold weather makes it difficult to get up and go, the number of times I’ve been telling myself to put my trainers and go for a run to then find myself staying in the warmth.

I have been researching more on foods, my recent discovery was the importance of eating fruit and vegetable that is in season, the argument is they are in season for a reason and haven’t been modified to be in season all year round.

What are your future goals?

I need to commit every Monday Morning to reviewing stocks and selecting a trade (2 Hrs)
I have made £800 a month from FBA, Affiliate,dropshipping and stocks
Put Business money into account
Prepare and book exams for Linux+ and CISA
I am learning how to maximise traffic and page views
I have made 10 sales on eco friendly direct
I have set up my fiverr profile
To make the commitment of doing Kick Boxing Or Muay Thai
To make the commitment of doing gymnastics
I have been to the doctors about my knee
I have completed 25 wim hof push ups
I can do 10 pull ups unassisted
To eat in season fruit and veg
I have taken 8 minutes out of the daily to do nothing
I have had a social catchup with Nick
I have had a social catchup with Dom
I have had a social catchup with Joyann
I have completed the 4 agreements
I have spent time once a week completing Blinkst
I have ran one BME event this month, and have planned events for the first 3 months
I have engaged with freelancers about the TMI best of album – promo for March Rebrand
I have found options to secure TMI Grant funding
I have built a small team for TMI – graphics, social media, editing, video, phtography
To have Booked flying

 

Anything else you feel is important.

  • As long as you keep shooting – 1 will go in
    This has been one of my mantra’s without even knowing it, it’s good to shoot with the hope that one will go in but it is also important to know when to stop shooting and change your boots or even the ball.
  • Focus on improving our brain, body and brand
    We often take what we have for granted, we become fixated on the big dreams but we forget the most important aspect our health from a mental and physical point but also how we treat others along the way
  • Let a person character be their currency
    This has been an important lesson to me, understand that we are all different and it’s not what people say but their character that should be seen. Don’t let someone merits amaze you but their character.

December: Trusting your intuition

Posted on by Anton

What comes to mind when you reflect on the last 30 days?

Believe me, everything I do takes me one step closer to my dreams. My feeling of time is a fascinating one I love and hate it at the same time, I understand how valuable it is, how we don’t get time back and this sometimes prompts some anxious moments.

But on the other hand, time is on my side.

 

What I’ve started to implement in my life is trusting my intuition, and reinstating that inner belief because deep down I know what you need to do.

 

What have you achieved?

Transitioning into a routine, as we all know I’m a lover of structure and this extends to waking up early and seizing the morning and being productive.

Returning back to the world has made me start restructuring my finances and thinking about future financial goals. Travelling took about £10k out of my account, now it feels like its time to make that back.
This has actually prompted me to sort out some of my current accounts and placing new trades in the stock market, I’m trying to focus my energy and focus on stuff I have a history of doing well in.

What have you struggled with?

Those boring mundane tasks – they have been forever lurking on my to do list and I often struggle to find the motivation to do it. I’m sure I am not the only one, and I guess the answer is “just do it”, get it over with and move on.

Another struggle is Tag Me In Podcast, I have a vision for where it could go but the issue is execution and knowing where to start, at times I wish I had a team to bounce ideas off.

What are you working on right now?

As mentioned above this month is all about refining my current goals and building out my future plans and vision, this includes physical aims, mental aims and financial aims.

Goals are never final, and they have been created very loosely without no hard press time frame, I’m allowing myself to reground myself and then build it out of that.

How do you feel physically and mentally?

Mentally I have been finding myself thinking about this transitional zone I am in, this has been the month I return back to work. The loss of freedom in the sense of being fixed to a time period, I remember entering the office on my return and was thinking “here we go again”. The wall looked sterile white, along with the bright hospital lights, it lacked the atmosphere of a sunny island filled with smiley faces.
What’s beautiful about this whole experience is it’s given me a different perspective of life and the life we choose to live.

From this birthed a new type of flexible lifestyle.

Physically I haven’t committed myself to a consistent workout regimen, as I work out I’m trying to listen to my body, if my muscles ache from the previous day workout then I will change my workout.

 

What are your future goals?

I need to commit every Monday Morning to reviewing stocks and selecting a trade (2 Hrs)
I need to commit £800 to my saving every pay cheque via a bank transfer to halifax – Resolve OTP on Santander
I am spending saturday’s in a specific retail area to discover new items – You are haggle on prices with .97/98 and stating if you buy in bulk can they offer discount
I am learning how to maximise traffic and page views
I need to build an efficient system for Amazon FBA, this will improve the product selection and distribution
I have mapped out the next steps in my career and have developed my own PDP for work
I am working out everyday at home in the morning, with focus on pushups, pull ups and stretching
I am having my last meal at 5pm and eating the next day at 6am
I am waking up in the morning and watching manifestation videos and visioning the life I have/almost have
I am connecting more with my breathe, and doing deep breathwork and doing wim hof exercises everymorning
I Have committed to my schedule of meeting friends and family
I have completed 4 hour work week, and have moved to my next book 4 agreements
I have been listening to Blinkst in the evenings after dinner and taking notes
I have ran one BME event this month, and have planned events for the first 3 months
I have planned and created social media templates and calendar for TMI
I have engaged with freelancers about the TMI best of album – promo for March Rebrand
I have found options to secure TMI Grant funding
I have attended the trampolining group event
Extended and booked BMW i8 experience
To have planned out the 1 Year plan

Anything else you feel is important.

  • Use a 0% credit to pay off house refurbishment
    If your plan is an investment property of which you plan to flip in less than 12 months, you may want to consider using a 0% credit to pay off your refurbishment. It’s a message mentioned numerous of time about using someone else’s money to advance your development or investment.

 

November: Feeling blessed

Posted on by Anton

What comes to mind when you reflect on the last 30 days?

I have experienced one of the best chapters of my life, this was the month I returned home but I felt extremely blessed the moment the plane wheels touched down. I sense of pride washed over me I had just completed 9 months of travelling alone armed with just my backpack and I have had the most memorable experience.

These past 30 days have been truly magically from going back to my second home in Malaysia and reconnecting with my friends out there, to reflecting and meeting wonderful people along the way, trying new techniques like Holotropic breathwork which highlights the beauty of connecting with your breathe.

 

What have you struggled with?

The concept of time, at times it feels like all I have done in the past 10 months is pressed the pause button.

Although I have experienced so much, returning home creates this weird feeling as if nothing has changed.

My environment is the same, the road works near my house seems like it hasn’t progressed at all over the past 9 months.

Whilst travelling I spoke to other people who said this feeling was inevitable for those who return from travelling.

What are you working on right now?

Right now I’m all about adjusting and getting over this jetlag, which has been a battle as I’m keen to hit the ground running.

Over the last few months I have been preparing myself for my return, every free moment I have been thinking about what I needed to do and get into place before starting work again.

My main battle is getting eco-friendly direct up and running, and then creating a continuous revenue income which is passive.

How do you feel physically and mentally?

There’s more focus on bodyweight workout and stretch, the thought of a gym doesn’t appeal to me and I felt it caused more harm than good. I want to physically test my body but ensure it maintains its mobility, I want to focus on exercises that contribute to longevity as opposed to damage to ligaments and muscles.

I have started fasting for 16 hours each day, which has seen me gain control over my inner monster which likes to overindulge. My reasoning behind the fasting is maintaining my energy levels, I’m a victim for feeling the slow do after eating a meal and fasting gets your body to run at it’s optimal level.

What are your future goals?

Continuation of babypips, to spend time every week completing a course
Use Revenue to do Ad campaign for NW, BRG and Eco – £25 each
Complete social media for Eco Friendly Direct – hootsuite – and templates
moveGB – Kickboxing – Gymnastics, – Classes
Burpees, chin-ups, lunges, planks
Holotropics Breathwork
Spend atleast 1 day with each member of family
Live in uncomfort zone
Blinkst
4 hour workweek completion
TMI -WhatsApp, rebrand, guests, review, ranking, question of the day
BME events – games/quiz/trips
Get BME Business list to 100
Drive bmw i8
Roadtrip with Mum

 

Anything else you feel is important.

  • The Average Age of a Successful Startup Founder Is 45
    I’ve improved a lot in my early 20’s back then I used to get disappointed because I hadn’t achieved my startup success story. Now I have the thought but then I remember it’s the journey that I should be embracing and the results will happen.
  • Do I feel safe expressing my feelings and thoughts with this person?
    A question people should ask themselves when sharing their feeling or thoughts with others, it’s important in any type of relationship that you feel safe. If it isn’t then maybe you should be expressing pieces of you.

 

October: Time to explore

Posted on by Anton

What comes to mind when you reflect on the last 30 days?

Sometimes you have to create a space for you to really connect with yourself and allow all your thoughts to slowly trickle through. Over the past 30 days, I’ve been processing my life and the previous chapters which have brought me so much joy and there has been a strong sense of gratitude.

I’ve been enjoying my adventure around Australia and New Zealand using relocation car, a simple way to get a free hire car and all you contribute is your driving skill and petrol. As a solo traveller, you have to cut costs, and this extends to where you will sleep. Over the past 30 days, I have spent a number of days parked up on a road somewhere with me curled in the boot trying to catch some zzz’s

What have you achieved?

The biggest achievement this month is my exploration of Australia and New Zealand, both countries have stunning scenery because it’s a big country there is a lot to explore.

There also has been a shift in terms of diet, I’ve been eating more healthy whether my current location that has an influence on this but you will often find me in the kitchen of a hostel cooking up a dish like Spinach, broccoli and salmon.

What have you struggled with?

With the constant movement from travelling, I haven’t created time or space to allow myself to learn new things or even apply them in real life.

What I’ve also discovered and it has taken me a while but from my previous posts I have been unforgiving to myself for making mistakes, it wasn’t until a guy I met in Australia who framed my situation as a lesson that had to be learnt not only for myself but for that person as well.

Everything is about perspective!

What are you working on right now?

I’ve built upon the foundations of my projects by otimising them for more page visits and ad revenue.

This has lead me to refine my websites, including implementing Google AMP and also putting my trust in Google and using their Auto-ads function.

How do you feel physically and mentally?

As previously mentioned my diet has stepped up, I am eating more fruit and vegetable. This has been a major shift for me, although the impact has been a loss of energy and strength but I do believe this is because of my body adjusting.

Interestingly I have been using the outdoors as my gym, whether that a run on the beach or finding a park to do bodyweight workouts.

What are your future goals?

Evaluate stock portfolio and make a number of trades aiming for 10% increase in 30 days
Complete social media for Eco Friendly Direct – hootsuite – and templates
Review Affiliates for sites
Attempting running twice a week
Send a postcard to family
Spend time once a week learning and researching about property either through rightmove or propertygeek
Continuation of babypips, to spend time every week completing a course
Duolingo on a daily basis
Update and share projects on a platform like LinkedIn
Migrate Tag Me In Podcast to different podcast host – to support Spotify
Implement changes to TMI
-Branding
-Collaborations
-Podcast Recording place
-Question of the day
-Interview question for guest – take away -recommend someone and best advice/book
-Whatsapp Integration
Plan BME Collective and prep for Social Enterprise

Anything else you feel is important.

 

 

Anton richardson September

September: Learning from old mistakes

Posted on by Anton

What comes to mind when you reflect on the last 30 days?

The importance of learning from your past mistakes, and how if you don’t learn from these mistakes they will only reoccur until you learn from it.

You’ve probably heard someone questions a person behaviour and relating it to insanity, the very definition of “insanity” is completing an action over and over again and getting the same results although you are seeking a different one.

But how do you avoid the reoccurrence of the same results? One key is being able to accept responsibility, reflecting on your behaviour, and using this level of awareness to identify the fault at hand.

What have you struggled with?

Dealing with the feelings of guilt, recently I have hurt someone and in hindsight, it could have been avoided. If only I actually chose to learn from my previous mistakes.

I’ve been here before and it stems from my encounters of “friends with benefits“, interestingly each time I have taken time out of the game to learn and reflect, but also telling myself to never do again.
However, over time I find myself in that all too sticky situation, regardless if I make my intention uber clear at the beginning, the result is still the same – INSANITY

My first question for myself this time is why do I keep returning back to these types of relationships, and I discovered it stems from a place of loneliness. In this place, I will take short cuts to my journey of finding wifey and allow myself to compromise on standards or true connections for a superficial companionship which I already know will not evolve into more.

Nonetheless, when faced with tears of hurt it doesn’t stop that inner frustration from building and screaming “Ha Ha, You F**k** up Again”

Stupidly I’ve felt that you could apply logic to a relationship and how stating/communicating your intentions from the get-go will result in everything being OK.
Yet emotions operation irrationally, they can’t be managed or contained into a box no matter how hard you try. This I believe is due to the battle between our hearts and minds, of which any rational thoughts will be overridden by our emotional heart.

Admittedly I’m not saying I won’t make the same mistake again as I feel like sometimes you have to learn the hard way.  But there are some positives that have come out of this, I found myself communicating my thoughts, being open and genuine throughout and discovered that communication is very important but it’s your actions that speak volumes.

What have you achieved?

Continuing from the previous month a lot of focus has been on Tag Me In Podcast and doing recordings to cover us up until November.

I spent the remaining part of the month focusing on Eco-Friendly Direct, another project to add to the ever-growing list. I will eventually complain about having too many plates spinning but I feel you have to try.
With people becoming more conscious about the environment I want to capitalise on this, and as a result I have been spending time building the Eco-Friendly Direct Website and also creating the necessary social media accounts; these will be used to put out content in the hope to drive further traffic and sales, at current sales have been achieve naturally via eBay.

What are you working on right now?

Right now I have just been doing regular daily checks on all projects, so usually spending 30 to an hour going through analytics like Google Analytics to identify where source traffic is originating from, or scheduling social media post or resharing popular pages.

As always I’ve been working on developing good habits, and this has seen the reintroduction of listening to a podcast each day. Aiming for this will bring new insights on a daily basis, and it’s through listening to podcasts I have recently discovered other forms of medication in particular Vedic meditation, which has led me to learn and explore the practice.

How do you feel physically and mentally?

For the first time in a while, I saw my mood drop below a 7 out of 10, and this is simply because I’m a soul who doesn’t like to hurt people, and it takes a while to shift the feeling. However, time is the best way to overcome these moments, time to process, time to reflect and identify the moments’ things went wrong and what could have been done to avoid the situation.
Although a taxing time mentally, it contributes to my growth and I feel like this whole experience has meant I have levelled up.

In this month I have swapped villa life in Bali to sleeping in a campervan in Australia, the campervan life is fun but I have managed to catch a cold which is probably a result of cold nights in the camper. I’ve also have put more pressure on my shoulder simply by sleeping on one side, so it is a little bit sore.

What are your future goals?

To have successfully made a trade in stocks, through using stock screeners and technical analysis
Spend time once a week learning and researching about property either through Rightmove or property geek
Continuation of babypips, to spend time every week completing a course
Build the website Ecofriendlydirect.com site and push ads campaigns – on a dedicated day
Use daily goal template to assist and continue to push out frequent content on BRG and NW
Actively spend time during the week stretching for 10 minutes
Improve and research meditation practices, focusing on Vedic meditation
Buy and send a postcard to family
To take advice from others and define friendship circle and programming it into the phone
Listen to at least 3 podcasts a week, especially listen when walking around or eating dinner
Spend time in the morning, read one chapter of a book
Spend time when bored to launch and practice duolingo
Update and share projects on platforms like LinkedIn
Migrate Tag Me In Podcast to different podcast host – to support Spotify
Implement changes to TMI
-Branding
-Collaborations
-Podcast Recording place
-Question of the day
-Interview question for guest – take away -recommend someone and best advice/book
-Whatsapp Intergation
Plan BME Collective and prep for social Enterprise
Plan and book the next stops of my trip – Australia and New Zealand

Anything else you feel is important.

  • Avoid saying you will never know
    – This sentence alone can open up hope in someone if anything you should act on the present and be final.
  • Never put down someone
    – No matter who or where you; remember you are no better than anyone else.
  • See people as people
    – Try and have a conversation with someone of where either persons don’t reveal who or what they do, explore each other and see if there is a natural vibe.

 

being true

August: Being true to self and sharing all aspects

Posted on by Anton

What comes to mind when you reflect on the last 30 days?

When I reflect on the past 30 days I think about why I failed to be my true self in the workplace, and there is only one real answer… FEAR.
It’s funny because I often speak about being true, being authentic but in the workplace, I failed to live up to my own advice. I never opened up about my lifestyle outside of work due to fear of judgement or fear that they may think my focus is on other areas aside from Cyber Security.

It has taken a long time to realise that living this lie is probably a factor on my workplace happiness; I was never one of those people who woke up excited for a day at work, but for my own projects I would hop out with a spring in my step.
I rarely spoke or shared information about my real life and what really occupied my free time; whether it was hosting or running events for The BME Collective or Bristol Co-Working, recording or editing for Tag Me In Podcast or pushing Notesworthy or Best Revision Guide – none of this was revealed.

These are where my true happiness came from and it took a while to discover the reason. It was because in these ventures I am myself; I’m not holding or limiting myself, I’m ok with making mistakes, I’m comfortable in using my natural skills or learn the necessary skills required as I go along.
Mentally I think there is a workplace pressure or expectation although it may not truly exist, at times it feels like you always have to be on guard and you are only a few mistakes away from being shown the door.

I am making the commitment to myself to be truer, whether that be talking about them openly or even how them linked on my LinkedIn page.

What have you achieved?

Tag Me In Podcast has recently reached a milestone of 20,000 listens since it started, it’s a strange feeling knowing people spend time every week listening to myself and Ola discussing topics around being the best version of ourselves.
It’s these type of achievements that reinforces our drive to push on and do better, initially before travelling we pre-recorded 4 months worth of episode, we have had reached the point of which we were running out of episodes and that meant we recorded 12 episode over a week period. We both sacrificed our free time to ensure we could record these even with a 7-hour time difference as we remain committed to this baby of us.

What have you struggled with?

I have always struggled with is dealing with non-verbal conflicts, the type of conflict is when you know something is up just based on the vibe.
I find it difficult to be direct and say “Hey, are we cool?”, in these moments this is a lot of over thinking “What did I do, is it even me, have I thought about this too much”.

It naturally eats away at me and alters my own behaviour towards that person… Like “please don’t kill my vibe” but I have witnessed how other people deal with it and I’m trying to learn from their approach of just confronting the person directly and opening up that communication.

What are you working on right now?

I’ve been spending time going through the published material on Best Revision Guide and Notesworthy and trying to improve their SEO scoring, little amendments like heading length, ensuring the right keywords are listed in both the main body of text and heading and also adding other useful links to improving SEO scores of posts.

Based on the achievement of Tag Me In Podcast I have been reviewing and planning the roadmap for the next 6 months.
We have big aims and want to see more collaboration, new visual contents, new materials. This will progress over time, but small changes have already been implemented to our Youtube Channel like improving the thumbnails and tags in the hope it will catch people’s attention when searching for certain videos.

How do you feel physically and mentally?

The joys of travelling mean I meet new people frequently, but there are certain ones who stand out, and recently I met someone who challenged my mind on a daily basis. Conversations would roll on for 5+ hour plus, talking and exploring topics, and the greatest thing was it was so natural. Moments like this leaves you wanting more and there was a huge void when they did set off to their new destination. Yes, the moments didn’t last for long but they make you excited for the next meeting or encounter.

Physically I have been paying attention to those aches and pains and treated myself to a full on a spa day. I have also reduced the frequency of stretching, as I believe I may be overstretching which can be painful itself.

What are your future goals?

Research Properties and use propertygeek
Apply lessons learnt from Babypips and make 2 trades
Build traffic to Dropshipping website, to see sales of 20
Focus on and build better relationships with banknote sellers
Maintain daily stretching while traveling
Complete push up on a daily basis while travelling
Have video call with family once every 2 weeks
Have call with friends once every 2 weeks
Complete Funding Application for BME Collective
Record 4 months worth of Tag Me In Podcast
Migrate Tag Me In Podcast to different podcast host
Plan and book the next stops of my trip – Singapore, Indonesia and Australia

Anything else you feel is important.

  • Digital Look Stock Screener
    • Useful for those who want to screen stocks based on their fundamentals
  • Don’t have expectations but translate it as goals
    • More about your own personal expectation of yourself, learn how to convert the expectation into a goal. It will make things more achievable especially if they are broken down.
  • Pay off your mortgage in the shortest time frame
    • The longer your mortgage the more you will end up paying back, aim to repay your mortgage in a short time frame if possible.
  • Interest-only mortgages are the most common type used in property investment.
  •  The key to making a profit is to start with the price you can sell it for when the work is done, and work back from there.