Lifebuilding

HEY!!!

2011-02-13T17:23:00.004-05:00

Hey guys - Sorry for not being here in a while! I'm starting a new blog over at jasonwojo.com. It's going to be mainly a bodybuilding-related blog.

I will also probably be starting a real estate flipping blog in the future.

I was getting requests from people interested in one or the other, but not always both, so I decided to try and split them up.

I'll probably pull some content from this site so we don't lose anything, but 99% of the other stuff will be new moving forward.

Thanks!!! See you over at jasonwojo.com!!!

Jason

Changing the Way You Think

2010-08-04T09:30:00.010-04:00

Check out this article from CNN:

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/03/change-your-thinking-to-kick-that-cigarette-habit/

I'm not posting it specifically for smokers, but rather as just one example of how powerful changing the way you think can be.

As simple as it sounds, this single factor determines the extent of your success and happiness in life. Once you truly realize this and harness it's strength to your advantage, it will transform your life.

Bestselling books like "The Secret" (mediocre in my opinion - but that's not the point) talk about drawing things into your life merely by focusing your attention on them. Similarly, Napoleon Hill wrote "Think and Grow Rich" and in "The Strangest Secret" Earl Nightingale said "We become what we think about most".

Like it or not, this applies to EVERYTHING. The way you view yourself, your circumstances, and the world in general greatly influences your ability to excel, or lack thereof. As John Milton once said, "The mind can make a Heaven of Hell or a Hell of Heaven". Take your pick.

This axiom holds true even on a smaller level. For instance, if I'm in the gym and I get under 400 lbs for squats, if I tell tell myself it feels light it becomes light. If I convince myself it feels heavy, I will do poorly.

We all talk to ourselves. It's the CONTENT that differentiates the successful/happy from the unsuccessful/unhappy.

Become a MIND CONTROL NINJA and take over the world!!!!

Too funny not to re-post.

2010-08-02T21:03:00.003-04:00

Saw this on CNN. LMAO!

What a Weekend!!!

2010-06-27T23:49:00.003-04:00

Whew - I can almost sit back and relax for a minute now!

First - We FINALLY closed on my rehab on Friday late afternoon! NICE!!! It took longer than I had hoped due to a down-payment assistance program that held things up a bit, but fortunately it all worked out in the end. We did pretty good on the property and the buyer got a great house so everyone is happy. I'm not going to know what to do with all my time now so I guess I'll have to find another one!!! LOL

After closing was done (about 7:00pm!), I drove down to NC to judge my friend Kevin's NPC show called Victory in the Valley. It was in Hickory NC - pretty far out west. What a great show he and his partner Dar put on. It was truly first class all the way. In addition to a sick goodie bag and sweet t-shirt, all competitors got A CASE of the OhYeah shakes! You don't see that kind of athlete treatment ANYWHERE! In addition, what a pleasure it was to be at a show that ran smoothly and on time (You can't appreciate that one until you've been at shows that start an hour late and aren't done until 1AM. Not so fun). They're doing another show in October so you need to check it out.

After another 7 hrs on the road today, I'm back in MD ready to go to work tomorrow. :)

Distractions and Wasting Time

2010-06-14T22:33:00.003-04:00

Most of us have extremely busy lives. Some of us have stressful jobs that require long hours, others have children, and most of us have interests and/or goals we are trying to pursue.

If you don't pay attention, it's very easy to get caught up in the 'daily life' of errands and other miscellaneous time drains that leave you wondering where your day went. It can be very frustrating to look back at what you've accomplished that day and realize that you haven't taken even a single step towards your predetermined goals and objectives for the day.

You need to keep your eye on the ball at all times, and frequently ask yourself the question "Is this action important in moving me towards achieving my goals?". If not, you need to re-prioritize your activities to get the most "bang for your buck".

For example, in real estate, I could update my Quickbooks files and visit discussion group sites OR I could make offers on properties. Which of those do you think would be most productive? Right - making offers, because no offers = no properties = no profits.

The same is true in the gym - you can do tricep kickbacks all day or you can do narrow grip bench press with some heavy slag iron. Which is more effective? You already know the answer.

Focus your efforts on those things that are most effective and remember that ACTIVITY does not equal PRODUCTIVITY.

Now stop wasting your time reading this blog and go out and do something! hahahahaha

Competency and Integrity

2010-05-23T21:35:00.003-04:00

Is it just me or does it seem that 90% of the people we deal with in business (and life in general) are incompetent and/or lack integrity?

I know that sounds harsh, but I'm really wondering why people so often fall short on their commitments. I don't think it's that they CAN'T...I think it's they DON'T.

Now I'll admit I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, but I'm not talking about doing things perfectly. I'm talking about just doing what you're supposed to.

If you sign a contract.......follow through on the terms agreed upon.
If you say you're going to call someone by X date.....call them.
If you give someone your word......honor it.
If you make a promise.....keep it.

Sure things come up, but aside from unanticipated setbacks and challenges...is it really that difficult to be a person of integrity? To be a person that honors their word?

If you don't think you can do something (or just don't want to), then don't make the commitment! When you fail to meet your commitments, you get a bad reputation of being a slacker, unreliable, or flaky.

I think we can all be a little more conscious of how reliable we are as friends, co-workers, bosses, etc.

Plus....it feels nice to be able to rely on someone and to know others think they can rely on you!

How to Get Sponsored!

2010-05-23T21:07:00.003-04:00

Rehab Completed & Have Contract!

2010-05-13T08:58:00.005-04:00

Hi guys,

The rehab was finished a few weeks ago and we got a full price contract the 2nd day on the market. Actually we got 2 but we're moving forward with one of them. It's supposed to close at the end of the month so keep your fingers crossed for me!!!!

The profits from this deal are going to pay some debt, my Roth IRA, my daughter's Coverdell, and I'm putting aside some into savings. MAN it goes quick!!! I feel like a house junkie - I'm already jonesing for another!!! LOL.

Here are some pics. Check out the "before" pics from my Feb 2 post.

Phew it's been a while!

2010-04-19T21:39:00.003-04:00

Hey guys I haven't posted much (ok..at all...lol) lately but things have been pretty crazy around here. I'm finishing up a 2-part class in bookkeeping, which is something I wanted to learn for my business. I'll probably out-source it in the future, but I just wanted to know what's going on first so I don't get scammed.

Next on the list - lifting is going great. I've been diligent with my training and my lifts are all increasing. I'm very happy. I still need to eat more, but what's new....grrrrrr.

Also, I recently received a few awards from Long & Foster in the Southern MD/PG county region:

Rookie of the Year by Settled Units - 2nd place
Top Rookie Lister of the Year - 1st place
Overall Rookie of the Year - 4th place

Pretty Cool. I didn't even know I got them until I checked my office mailbox (which I do about once a month...lol). I hope they didn't have a ceremony or anything...oops!

I have more exciting news coming so stay posted!

J

In Loving Memory

2010-03-14T19:45:00.004-04:00

"We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever"

This is a quote from the Kennedy family referring to the passing of senator Edward M. Kennedy, but I'd like to dedicate it to my close friend Dante who lost his father this past week to cancer.

Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

READ THIS BOOK!!!!

2010-03-10T22:40:00.003-05:00

Goals! by Brian Tracy.

I just finished it and I have to say it was outstanding. I read a lot of books and I think you'll really enjoy this one. The title doesn't do justice to how much the book covers.

I think he actually has the free e-book of it on his website (www.briantracy.com), but personally I always like a hard copy so I can mark it up with a highlighter and make notes, etc.

Shake & Bake!

2010-02-26T21:01:00.002-05:00

Hey guys - we closed on another property yesterday - it was actually pretty painless (except for handing over that much money! LOL) & only took 10 minutes.

The rehab starts on Tues and I'm hoping we can cruise through this project in about 5-6 weeks. I'd REALLY like to have it on the market for at least a couple weeks before the Homebuyer credit expires Apr 30. It's gonna be really tight! The last house we did sold the first day so hopefully we can try and move this one quickly too.

I'm using a new contractor so hopefully there will be no surprises. I have a good feeling about him though and his references checked out so we'll see....

This one's only like a mile from my gym though so I can stop by all the time to check up.

I'll keep y'all posted!

Congratulations!

2010-02-22T11:18:00.002-05:00

Here's a big Congratulations to Dr. Martin Skopp (my awesome chiro/ART/SASTM guy) who was recently featured in the prominent Washingtonian magazine for being one of the best sports chiropractors in the region!

What a great accomplishment!

I'm so lucky to have him helping me out - he's gotten me though several injuries and issues so that I can train 100%. Us old guys need all the help we can get! LOL

The Gift of Struggle

2010-02-16T20:24:00.004-05:00

Check out this story:

One day a man saw a butterfly shuddering on the sidewalk, locked in a seemingly hopeless struggle to free itself from it's now useless cocoon.

Feeling pity, he took out his pocket knife, carefully cut away the cocoon and set the butterfly free. To his dismay, it lay on the sidewalk, convulsed weakly for awhile, then died.

A biologist later told the man "That was the worst thing you could have done! A butterfly needs that struggle to develop the muscles to fly. By robbing him of the struggle, you made him too weak to live."

------------------

The takeaway lesson here is that we can only truly excel after we have struggled through a challenge on our own. This is what Nietzsche was talking about when he said "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

This also means that allowing others to struggle (to some extent) is actually good for them. The irony is that if you solve all their problems they'll be weaker for it in the long run - you haven't helped them at all.

An interesting thing relating to this principle recently happened to me. My daughter had never been ice skating and we were passing by an ice rink on our way to a museum in DC. She wanted to try so Rae and I each took an arm and stood on each side of her. She did horribly - falling all over the place and legs flailing everywhere. Our astute observational skills (LOL) realized our assistance wasn't helping so we decided to let her skate on her own, with us just staying close by.

We were amazed, but she immediately did 1000x better. Turns out we were hurting her by helping too much! Of course this was probably due to us preventing her ability to use her arms for balance, but I thought it was a pretty cool example of how helping people too much is a negative thing.

Great Parable!

2010-02-07T23:40:00.004-05:00

From John C. Maxwell's book Failing Forward (a phenomenal book BTW)

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle: When the sun comes up you had better be running.

-----------------

Are you running? Walking? Or not moving at all?

Here we go again! :)

2010-02-02T22:18:00.005-05:00

Hey guys - we have another rehab project! Got this one for $90k, it needs about $50k work (pretty much everything and finishing the basement), and the after-repaired value is somewhere around $210-215k.

The Mexican Fisherman

2010-01-27T15:44:00.002-05:00

I read this story in Tim Ferris' book The 4-hour Workweek. It really struck a note with me and it makes painfully clear how some of us are on the wrong path.

A cruise boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his catch. “How long did it take you to get those?” he asked.

“Not so long,” said the Mexican.

“Then why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was quite enough to meet his needs and feed his family.

“So what do you do with the rest of your time?” asked the American.

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evening, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”

The American interrupted. “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”

“And after that?” asked the Mexican.

“With the extra money the bigger boat will bring, you can buy a second boat and then a third boat, and then more until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants. Pretty soon you could open your own plant. You could leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York! From there you could direct your whole enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.

“Twenty — perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.

“And after that?”

“Afterwards? Well, my friend,” laughed the American, “that’s when it gets really interesting. When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?” said the Mexican.

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a beautiful place near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take siestas with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

Passion and Success

2010-01-03T20:12:00.003-05:00

I recently read this description of Passion:

"Look at any person who is a recognized leader in any field of endeavor and you will see passion. Passion makes things happen which would otherwise be considered impossible. Passion overcomes obstacles which long ago would have killed mere interest or resolve.

Those who are passionate about what they do have an advantage that is nearly impossible to overcome. In passion there is energy, creativity, resilience and persistence. Passion will get it done.

If there is something about which you are passionate, find it, understand it, and connect it with what you are doing. Put the power of passion behind the things you do. Live and act in harmony with a purpose that touches your soul. Go beyond being inspired. Go beyond being merely motivated. Get really passionate and fulfill your greatest possibilities and dreams."

This quotation is from Paul Esajian but I think is the culmination of several contributors. It really hit home for me when I sat back and realized that everything I've been good at, I was passionate about. Conversely, everything that I was poor or mediocre at, I didn't enjoy.

Makes sense, but it means that for any of us to be truly successful, we need to actually like what we do. Although it's a simple concept, how many of us are on that path? The bad news is I believe it's the minority of us. The good news is it's never to late to pursue your passions.

Start to ask yourself: What am I passionate about? How can I start to pursue those passions? What steps must be taken? What obstacles must I overcome? Etc., and you'll be on the right track.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T19:52:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Holiday season and New Years. I got to spend Christmas with my family, which was great. I don't get to see them enough.

I'm so excited for 2010. I truly believe this will be a fantastic year. I have lots of goals and ambitions that I know I can achieve. I have a simple Excel spreadsheet that I use to list my goals by category - family, relationship, personal, business, financial, and health. If any of you want it, just email me (jasonwojo@gmail.com) and I'll send you the template. (As I'm sure you ALL know, it's IMPERATIVE to write out your goals!)

When I was making my list of goals, one was to update this blog more often. Then I thought about it, and the truth is, I really don't have something notable or interesting to say on a regular, predictable basis.

With that being true, I probably won't commit to writing every week, but rather when I have something to share I think you might enjoy or benefit from. This way I won't bore you or contribute to the "information overload" that we're all already subject to. I don't want this to turn into a "I just washed my hair and now I'm driving to the gym to do glutes wearing the latest UnderArmor spandex singlet" blog of useless garbage that seems to permeate the internet these days.

I hope you understand and agree!

As we approach the end of the year...

2009-12-13T21:57:00.003-05:00

The end of the year is crazy for just about everyone. Amid all the shopping and eating though, it's important to "reflect and project".

Thanksgiving was a time to reflect on the all the wonderful things you have to be grateful for - family, friends, health, a job, etc. Many of us overlook our blessings and take things for granted. Don't make this mistake. There are many many less fortunate.

Now, as we approach the final weeks of 2009, it's imperative that we project our vision of what we want 2010 to look like. Will it be a year of accomplishments? I hope so. We'll talk more about goal setting and implementation later, but for now, you need to start thinking of the things you want to achieve in the new year.

Wow

2009-11-17T14:58:00.007-05:00

I saw this today and just had to share. I actually got teary-eyed watching this, as weird as that may sound. In today's self-centered society, where an 'every man for himself' attitude is dominant, it's unbelievable and incredibly inspiring to see how giving some people can be, even when they themselves don't have that much.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2009/11/16/cnnheroes.jewel.munoz.cnn

Behavioral Conditioning

2009-10-15T22:48:00.003-04:00

By the time we reach adulthood, we've all been conditioned to behave and think a certain way. We've been conditioned by our parents, our family, our friends, our teachers, the media, our environment - you name it; its had an influence on us.

While this conditioning has many positive benefits and has taught us many important lessons (for example don't cross the street without looking in both directions first), it also paradoxically has the detrimental effect of enforcing an invisible barrier to breaking outside the norm in regards to what is socially acceptable and achievable.

In a day where such a large proportion of people are working at jobs they don't find rewarding, it's sad to see their lives pass by because they believe "it's normal" to have a job to pay the bills. They don't look further or see the limitless possibilities because it's not normal to do so, or others tell them its too risky, or that they'll fail.

Here are two great examples of things that really struck me and made me think about how much all of us have been conditioned.

My daughter and I were in downtown DC. While walking along, she saw a man playing "drums" on plastic buckets mounted on a shopping cart. She noticed that every couple minutes, people walking by would give him money. There must have been a lightbulb turn on in her head that said "I can make money too!". She immediately jumped behind a nearby sidewalk hand railing, grabbed onto the railing as if it were a cage, and started growling and shouting "Come see the savage ferocious caged animal! Only $1!". I LMAO. She saw an opportunity and seized it without worrying about looking silly or failing. I was in awe. That same day she grabbed a flier from a person handing them out on the street and then persisted to try and give it to someone else passing by her, unrelenting in her efforts, not afraid to be rejected.

The second example that was a "whoa" moment for me was at a Carolina Hurricanes game. It was her first hockey game. She saw some of the other big chants and decided to start her own. She originally came up with "Hurricanes Rock!" but I said it sounded too much like "Hurricanes Suck!" and we'd probably get booed out of the stadium, so she went with "Let's go Hurricanes!"

She turned around facing everyone seated behind us and started chanting loudly and saying "Come on people! Cheer!" A few people cheered a couple times, but it quickly died out. As corny as it sounds, it was really inspiring though to see her unbridled enthusiasm and fearless attitude. She wasn't worried about failing or looking dumb. I also found it depressing at the same time, because I saw how us as adults have become so conditioned to not become excited or risk looking silly or stupid or standing out from the crowd.

Unfortunately, it is this exact same attitude that keeps us confined to our comfort zone today, even if we are unhappy or unsatisfied. We are afraid of taking a chance, and would rather remain ensconced in our mundane lives than risk looking foolish or failing. It's sad.

Hopefully some of us will retrace our steps and unlearn some of the limiting or self-defeating attitudes we have. And Heaven forbid we learn how to enjoy life again.

My advice? Hang out around kids - they have the right attitude and know how to have fun!

Very Inspiring!

2009-10-05T12:29:00.001-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/10/05/malawi.wind.boy/index.html

Here it is!

2009-10-05T12:24:00.003-04:00

Hey Guys -

The MuscleMag issue is on the stands now. It actually came out on my birthday which I thought was pretty cool.

The pics came out great and I'm surprised at how many they used - the feature is from page 100-128!

Thanks again to Dante and all the folks at MMI.

In MuscleMag next month!

2009-09-13T16:48:00.002-04:00

Hey guys -

You may have remembered me mentioning a photoshoot I did a couple months ago for MuscleMag. Well, it's finally coming out next month! It's a "Big & Ripped" type of Superfeature. I'm psyched to see how it turned out. This month's mag has a pic on the back page previewing next months issue. Here is the pic:

Whew!

2009-09-13T16:34:00.007-04:00

Things have been crazy around here (although I should be used to it by now I guess).

The rehab is going well and it's finally going on the market this week. It's been a great experience and I'm in the process of trying to get another one under contract. The market is slow but hopefully someone will be able to take advantage of the $8000 federal credit and close on it before it expires.

I've attached some before and afters for your enjoyment

Debt

2009-08-20T12:35:00.011-04:00

I've always hated debt.

When I was at Duke I put all my extra money into the mortgage on my townhouse in an effort to pay it off as quickly as possible. I'd only charge something on a credit card if I had the money to pay off the balance every month (I wish I could say this now). To me, debt has always felt like a weight on my shoulders. Now that I'm in DC and everything is more expensive (especially housing!) it's even worse. [This is one of the reasons we're trying to get back to NC]

As I started real estate investing, I met Steve Cook, whom many of you will remember me mentioning in the past. He has a similar view of debt and he really enlightened me on how controlling debt can be. As he's stated, the amount of debt we have impacts what job we take, where we work, and how much we work. It controls how much time we can take off for vacation and where we can go.

If you think about it, sadly, debt influences just about every aspect of our life.

I love these definitions from Steve:
"A mortgage is a commitment to work 30% of your waking hours for 30 years for a place to live now."

"Borrowing is exchanging your future time for the benefit of something today."

But it's not just the mortgage. It's credit card debt, car payments, etc. It all adds up to a minimum dollar amount that you must come up with every month, no matter what.

I personally feel trapped by debt and am actively pursing a way out. Many of you may feel the same way. I can tell you, as you dig your way out of debt, it will feel as though a weight has been lifted. You'll be able to enjoy time with your spouse, family and friends, be more generous, and start sleeping at night again.

The lesson here? GET OUT OF DEBT!

I know it's easier said than done, especially in today's economy, but every little step in the right direction counts. Stop charging things you can't afford because you think you're entitled to have them. Our culture promotes instant-gratification - we must avoid this way of thinking. The reality is, if you have to charge it, you can't afford it. Try and distinguish between want and need - comfort and necessity. Instead of getting a new car every 3 years, try and make it 5. You get the point.

Just like it probably took you some time to get into debt, it will take you some time to get out of it. Don't worry though - you WILL get there, and when you do, a whole new way of living will open up.

Atlantic States Posing Routine

2009-08-17T22:04:00.001-04:00

Expanding on the 'one wish' question

2009-08-14T09:32:00.002-04:00

What if you could only keep ONE material item you own? What would it be? Why?

The concept behind this question (again from Richard Flint) is similar to the 'one wish' question in regards that it indicates what you value and hold important in your life. I'm interested in your answers so feel free to post them here if you'd like.

If you could have one wish...

2009-08-14T09:21:00.003-04:00

What would it be? Although a lot of people would instantly blurt out "I want $100 million dollars!", I want you to think about this in more depth before answering. If after really pondering this question for some time, you still want 100 million dollars, that's fine. But then ask yourself WHY.

Is the money for yourself? What would you buy? Why do you want those things? Why are they important to you? How would having them make you feel? (you get the idea)

Would it be to donate? Where or to who would you donate it? Why? Etc...

What else could you do with the money?

If your wish was for something else other than money, what would it be for? Your health? A superpower? Would you wish that the world was somehow different? Or how about use the wish for someone else?

This question was recently posted by Richard Flint, a motivational speaker that has the uncanny ability to make you think about the direction of your life and what you value as important. How you answer this question says a lot about your priorities in life and speaks volumes to what you hold as valuable. Use your answer to help you raise your own self-awareness and to determine whether or not you're really on the life-track you want to be on.

Feel free to post your answers here if you'd like.

J

MuscleMag Photoshoot!

2009-08-05T15:45:00.003-04:00

It's me again! Then again...who else would it be writing on my blog? Hmmm...

Anyway - I have lots more news to share, but one thing at a time! LOL

This is pretty cool...

I don't think many of you know this, but I recently flew up to Toronto to do a photoshoot with MuscleMag International, a great magazine I'm sure most of you peruse. It was a last minute thing that Dante sent my way, so thanks to the big man for giving me a heads up!

It was a lot of fun and I'm excited to see how the pics came out. Paul Buceta, an extremely talented photographer, did the shooting. We did training and food pics and they'll be featured in an upcoming SuperFeature on getting big and ripped (I don't know the official title yet). They said it would be out in a couple months so keep your eyes peeled!

I'll tell you though - doing shoots is NOT easy. Those weights get extremely heavy very quickly when you're doing stops at several ranges of motion while the photographer snaps shots. I felt like a weakling! So if any of you see the shots and I'm doing girlie weights - cut me some slack! LOL.

Switching Sides!

2009-08-05T15:23:00.003-04:00

Hey guys I have something pretty cool to share - I'm going to start judging NPC shows. I test judged my first show last weekend. It was the Delaware State Championships, run by Todd Howe and Tracey Greenwood. It was a lot of fun and very interesting to see things from the other side of the table.

Here's some of my observations:

1. Color, skin clarity, and the correct amount of posing oil makes a big difference in your presentation.

2. How important a smile is - guys/gals that frown or look cocky are only hurting themselves.

3. (and this surprised me) How you can pretty much get a good idea of placings just based on the quarter turns. I found myself getting a rough idea of where people belonged based on the turns, then used the mandatory poses to sort out differences between people that were close. I'd look at conditioning (abs and glutes are good indicators), and I noticed legs and back were what set most people apart. LESSON = work on legs and back! Most bodybuilders seemed to have arms and a chest.

4. It's really not that easy to be a judge. It seems like someone (competitor or friend/family member) will always be unhappy with their placing and you could hear people in the auditorium making derogatory comments about the judging. These guys and gals really do the best they can to be fair so it kinda sucks to have people complaining. Also, I was surprised at how different people can look at the prejudging vs. night show - some looked better, some worse. This exacerbated some of the tension over placings, because most of the audience wasn't there at prejudging and didn't see what the judges saw.

I'm test judging the MD State this Saturday. It's going to be a larger show than the DE show so it will be more challenging, but I'm looking forward to it.

To get qualified as a judge, from what I gather you have to test judge at least 3 shows and score over 80% in comparison to the actual final placings. I don't know if this criteria is nation-wide or regional so don't ask. LOL.

Wish me luck!

The dust has settled...cough...cough! :)

2009-07-29T15:21:00.013-04:00

Well guys, it's all over...

As most of you probably know, I didn't place nearly as well as I had hoped. I was in the 3rd callout and I think I placed an unofficial 16th (based on my name being first after #15 on the MD site). Not that it really matters though. LOL

As I stood up there on the diagonals I was initially disappointed, but as I reflected, I honestly began to feel ok with my placement. I thought about it, and realized I put 100% into my prep and came in looking my best ever. How could I possibly complain or be upset? If there were guys better than me that day, then they deserved to place higher. I felt good knowing I did the absolute best I could and I was satisfied with my achievements, regardless of my placing.

Of course there's always at least one take-away lesson from every 'failure' we experience in life, and I think we can garner a few big ones here:

1. Allowing YOU to be the only judge of yourself is all that's important in determining whether you were successful in your endeavor of choice. Don't let others' opinions dictate whether you are/were successful.

2. Remember that even though you may not reach your goal, you can always learn something from your 'failure' and improve based on the knowledge you gained from your experience. Also remember that 'failure' is a verb and NOT a noun. Just because you didn't reach a goal doesn't mean you're a failure - it only means you have an opportunity to try again!

And 3., (on a bodybuilding-specific level): I need to be a heavyweight for my height to try and move up in placements, as I'm just too darn tall for the light-heavies. (Boy I never thought I'd be saying I'm too tall!!! LOL)

I have a lot more to say that I'll post in the future and all in all, the weekend was a blast - I'll write more in the next post about it!

In Vegas!

2009-07-24T08:41:00.003-04:00

Hey guys what's up?

We're in Vegas. We came out yesterday and I have two words - Murphy's Law. It all worked out in the end though. Here's how it went down:

Our first flight from DC to Chicago for our connection was canceled an hour before we got to the airport. After haggling with the United Air rep, they got us on an AA flight. Of course this meant we had to go to the back of the longest line in the entire airport and the departure time was approaching quickly. We barely made it onto that flight and were on our way to Chicago...

(Of course those dirty bastards confiscated my peanut butter when going through security though! Arrraaggghh!!!! Since when is peanut butter a liquid???)

We got to Chicago and had to haul arse across the airport back to the United terminal (at least I got some extra cardio right?!). Everything looked good until that point and we boarded the plane. Then we found out the pilots hadn't arrived yet but would be there in 20 minutes. No biggie. Well the 20 minutes turned into almost 2 hrs on the tarmac and then by the time they arrived we had to wait for thunderstorms and Air Force One was in the area so we had to wait for that too. Fun stuff!!!

Now of course all this wouldn't be that much of a big deal if weigh-in's weren't 6:30-8:00pm. We finally got airborne and arrived in Vegas at 6:30pm (close to 3 hrs later than expected). We got our luggage, hurried over to the rental car place (this part wasn't bad) and sped over to the hotel. We got there at 8:00pm, I ran in, and made weight at 197 lbs.

Whew!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a little flat and my water intake got a little screwed up on the trip but overall things look great and I think tonight will be a lot of fun. My good friend Shaun Crump will be in my class so that'll be a blast if we both make the same callout.

I'll keep y'all posted! Wish me luck!!!!!!!

Ready to Do Battle

2009-07-19T09:36:00.002-04:00

We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.

-- Winston Churchill

One Week Out from USAs!

2009-07-17T10:11:00.003-04:00

Well guys - we made it. It's been a long road but we're finally here...

I'm one week out from USAs.

We carb depleted all last week to strip off that last bit of fat and make sure I can make weight, and we're starting to throw the carbs back in gradually starting today. I'm so excited to be able to eat carbs again I feel like I'm already off my diet! LOL.

As you can see from the pics I'm extremely stringy and depleted, but I think once I get some food in me and fill out things will come together nicely. Without a doubt, this will be my best combination of size and conditioning ever.

You never know who's going to show up on contest day, but I feel ready to stand next to anyone. I've done the work and in my mind I've already achieved my goal - to be in my best shape ever. Now it's time to relax, have some fun, and get 'er done!!!

There's Another Wojciechowski!

2009-07-10T13:56:00.008-04:00

It's official...Rae and I got married!!! We did a small JP thing here in MD with my mom and my best buddy Steve and his wife Heather as witnesses.

It was really quick so we plan on doing a "real" ceremony for our friends and family Jan or Feb of next year in Mexico. We're still deciding on a location so if any of you have recommendations let me know. It'll probably be Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta or something along those lines.

She's even taking my last name! Crazy - I know! I told her I'd understand if she didn't want to since it's so long but she's all for it so what can I say? We have another Wojciechowski! She even had up a tank top made up that said "Mrs. Wojo" - it was hilarious!

Although it still feels and sounds weird to call her my wife, it's also a wonderful feeling knowing you've found someone who is honest, caring, supportive, and 100% behind you in whatever you do. I wish the same for all of you!

Rest in Peace...

2009-07-08T13:20:00.009-04:00

It's been a rough couple days in the Wojciechowski household. Our English bulldog Jackson had to be put down Tuesday. He had severe internal GI issues that we (along with the vet), felt even with extremely invasive treatment and surgery, gave him minimal chances of recovery. Considering his age and the poor prognosis, we didn't see the point in selfishly prolonging any potential suffering he may be experiencing (or would from the required procedures) and let him go.

Although he's in doggy heaven right now, let events like this remind all of us of the fragility of life. You truly never know when it will be your turn or when someone you love will be suddenly taken from you.

With this in mind, it's important to fully appreciate and make the most of the time you have with someone while they're still here. Make sure they know how much you care for them and treat every moment as if it could be your last. Live and love without regret and once the pain of a loss subsides, you'll eventually be able to look back and smile from all the great memories and experiences you shared together.

As Promised...

2009-07-04T20:23:00.004-04:00

As Jim Carrey would say...

"Smmoooooooookkkkkiiinnnnnnnnn'!"

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T09:52:00.006-04:00

What's up guys (and gals of course!)

I hope everyone is doing well today and enjoying their 4th of July - a day that represents the culmination of many hard-fought battles and subsequent victories our country has accomplished to eventually gain it's sovereignty.

While our country still has plenty of challenges to face both domestically and abroad, for not this day, none of us would be living in arguably the best country in the world.

It was a concerted effort by the people that lead to our independence. Soldiers, politicians, leaders, and people just like you and me all came together and united towards a common goal - freedom.

It is truly remarkable what can be accomplished when people align their interests and put aside their differences.

Please enjoy your day and take a moment to reflect on what this day means to you and the lessons it offers.

Until next time -

Stay strong, stay safe, and God bless -

Jason

Pictures part 3 of 3

2009-07-01T18:25:00.012-04:00

Pictures - Part 2 of 3

2009-07-01T18:22:00.004-04:00

Atlantic States/NYC Pictures - Part 1 of 3

2009-07-01T18:14:00.005-04:00

Here's a few pics from the Atlantic States and the tourist stuff we did while in NYC.

It was a sad day for women everywhere...

2009-06-25T18:19:00.003-04:00

Hey guys - it's been absolutely nuts over here in the Wojciechowski household. I have a big announcement -

My girlfriend (Rae for those of you who don't know) of 3 years and I got engaged last Sunday.

It was rumored that women everywhere were looking to the sky and crying things like "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?!?!?" and "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" and "AAAAHHHAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!"

(Picture that in slow motion for a greater, more dramatic effect)

Ok - maybe that was just my imagination working overtime...hahahaha :)

Anyway - yup - crazy huh!? I'm really excited about it. Rae's a great woman - strong, supportive, honest, caring...and pretty hot!!!!

WHICH by the way - and I'll be posting a pic soon- but she was recently featured in Oxygen Magazine in a Six Star Labs supplement ad. For those of you who don't know, Six Star Labs, Muscle Asylum, and MuscleTech are all owned by the same company. Congrats hun!!!

None of this is an excuse for not updating you earlier or being better about posting on my blog so I apologize.

Also, I have SEVERAL big things to share with you that I've been working on in the secret mountain underground laboratory that are ready to be announced soon so stay tuned!!!!!!!

So now what?

2009-06-13T19:15:00.004-04:00

USAs of course!

:)

I was originally debating on doing Southern States in 4 weeks, but after serious consideration, I've decided to focus my efforts on USAs.

As it stands, I basically have 6 weeks from this weekend to drop into the LHW class. Since I was 203 lbs at the Atlantic States, I have about 5 lbs to lose. We're going to try and drop the weight early so there are no surprises at the end and I feel pretty confident we can bring my best package ever into this show. The plan is to make the top of the class as full, hard, and vascular as possible and let the cards fall as they may.

As an added bonus, Rae's parents are coming down from Canada to see us. Her parents are really cool plus her dad is a contractor so I like to pick his brain whenever I get the chance. We'll get to hang out with them quite a bit and they've never been to a bodybuilding show so I'm sure they'll love it. It should be lots of fun.

Although I'm all traveled-out right now (I'm actually in CT as I write this for a rehabbing conference), I'm really looking forward to this show, in that it represents both the conclusion of my diet and the final road trip for (hopefully!) a while.

Atlantic States Results...

2009-06-12T18:01:00.007-04:00

Well guys, as most of you probably already know, the Atlantic States were this past weekend. When all was said and done, I ended up placing 4th in the heavyweight class. Although you might be surprised to hear this, I'm actually pretty happy with the results.

BTW - sorry it took so long to write this update - I've been SLAMMED with work all week. (yes even more than usual...if that's possible! LOL)

So here's how it all went down...

Thursday evening after work I drove down halfway to NC to pick up my daughter Arianna from her mom. She wanted to go to the contest and the trip was also going to serve as somewhat of a birthday celebration for her, as she was turning 9 that next Tuesday and had never been to NYC. Man she is getting big! :) We started painting with ProTan that night when I got back to MD and hit the sack around 1am.

Friday morning we put on a couple more coats of PT and I had to go into work for a bit. It's kind of funny to see how people look at you when you're all tan except for your head, which resembles a glowing lightbulb -lol. Surprisingly, no one said anything to me about it though, which I have to admit is somewhat strange. They must have been scared. hahaha. I got out of work early, ran over to the Long & Foster office to turn in some paperwork for the rehab I just closed on, then we packed up and hit the road around 3pm. NYC here we come!!!

We hit some heavy traffic driving up, which now that I think about it wasn't too surprising since it was Friday - and we got in around 10pm. My mom and sister were already at the hotel so that was really cool to see them. I feel so fortunate to have a supportive family. We put on a couple more coats of ProTan and a coat of Jan Tana that night and hit the sack, knowing Saturday would be a long day.

We were up early Saturday morning and put on a couple more coats of Jan Tana, then were out the door. Rae came with me to the venue while Ari, my mom, and my sister slept in at the hotel. Thank God Rae came with me, otherwise it would have been super boring sitting backstage alone all that time. There were a ton of competitors and I ended up weighing in at 203 lbs, which put me in the heavyweight class. Kevin and I decided ahead of time we weren't going to try and fool around with my weight and wherever I came in, I came in. We tried making weight at Nationals in 2007 and it turned out to be a disaster.

After quite a bit of waiting (one of the downsides of being in a higher weight class I guess!), we finally made it to the stage around 1pm and there were about 18 guys in my class. I'm not sure of the exact number. Man there were some big boys! I was psyched when I made the tail end of the first call out, and felt pretty good until they kept me out there for the second call out as well. I thought "Uttt Oh!!!" to myself, and anticipated that I was going to be in 6th or 7th place. I heard Ari, Rae, my mom, and sister cheering for me the whole time though - which was awesome.

After prejudging we hit an awesome pizza place (YUMMY!) and I had a couple slices, along with some some soda, Pop Tarts, and other assorted junk food. I couldn't help myself! Hahaha. Plus I figured I wasn't going to be fighting for the overall so it really didn't matter that much if I was off a few percent from my best at the night show.

That afternoon we walked around NYC and checked out Ground Zero as well as Battery Park. It was a lot of fun and enjoyed spending time with my family.

When it was about that time, we headed back to the theater for the night show, which actually ran pretty quickly considering the number of competitors. Jay, Dex, and Ronnie guest posed, so that was a blast. Bev and Steve really pulled out all the stops on this show.

It was finally our turn to do our individual routines and it's funny because once I was done, I started walking back to the dressing room because I didn't think I was in the top 5 but the expediter stopped me and told me I made the top 5. I was pleasantly shocked to say the least! When they called me out in 4th place I was psyched :)

After the show it was pretty late and not much was open for food. We wandered around NYC looking for a place to grub but couldn't find anything that wasn't super fancy so we ended up settling for a Dunkin Donuts. Hey I'm not picky! :)

Sunday morning my mom and sister flew out early and Ari, Rae, and I took the subway and saw the Empire State Building. It was awesome! What a view! Rae was a chicken (hahaha just kidding babe!) but Ari loved it. We picked up a few souvenirs on the way back to the hotel, packed up, and drove back to MD.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip and a lot of fun.

Now for what's next...

Segment 4 of Wojo's Wisdom is up! :)

2009-06-01T09:17:00.001-04:00

Retirement Woes

2009-05-26T21:54:00.006-04:00

I had a conversation the other day that got me thinking about retirement (not from bodybuilding lol - I'm talking about real-life retirement). Someone very close to me, over the course of the past year, has lost over 50% of their retirement account due to the current economic crisis. Now while that would hurt (a lot!) for someone my age, I can't even imagine what it must feel like for someone within 5 years of retirement. Think about that. You're getting ready to set sail for the Golden Years of your life, when all of a sudden, you no longer are be able to support yourself as initially intended. This means (1.) either you work for several more years to try and replenish your savings account to the best of your ability, or (2.) you severely cut back on your quality of living. Neither option really sounds very appealing to me.

I've already started a Roth IRA, but I really haven't put much thought into what I was going to do with it until now. Stocks, mutual funds, CDs...frankly I don't have much faith in any of them due to their volatility or they offer such pathetic returns it's not even worth considering. Well after quite a bit of research, I think I might have a better solution...

It's called a self-directed IRA. And I'm talking about TRULY self-directed IRAs - not these 'self-directed' IRAs that only allow certain investments. With these financial instruments you're able to invest in everything from real estate, tax liens, tax certificates, make loans (and therefore collect interest and points), and everything else a normal IRA can invest in.

My personal plan is to eventually use my Roth IRA to lend out money to real estate investors at 10-15% interest and charge points. I can secure my money by having a mortgage on the property so if something happens, at least I'm somewhat protected. Sure seems to be a better option than the stock market to me.

Do yourself a favor - look into it yourself and educate yourself as to your options. Most of you reading this still have plenty of time to plan for retirement. Don't put it off too long though! The company that I've been considering due to their reputation is Equity Trust (www.trustetc.com), however I know there are other good companies out there as well.

Go to their site - they have tons of free info. With Equity Trust there is a small set up fee ($50) and a yearly maintenance fee, so if you just plan on letting your money sit there it's probably not worth it. However, if you plan on actively investing (either on your own or with others), it's probably worth considering. The woman that I've been dealing with is Kari Robbins (k.robbins@trustetc.com). If any of you end up signing up she agreed to waive the $50 set up fee (I told her that we'd give them good PR :)

Best of luck - hope this info helps some of you in 20-30 years! LOL.

Jason

Wojo's Wisdom Part 3!

2009-05-24T08:13:00.002-04:00

I remembered to post this here this time and not just on YouTube! =)

Hope you guys enjoy it! I probably won't do too many more segments, at least for a while, as my contest dates approach.

5-24-09 progress pics

2009-05-24T08:06:00.003-04:00

Hey guys here's some pics we took this morning. I'm 2 weeks out from the Atlantic States (Bev and Steve's show in NY). I still have some tightening up to do, but I think I'll be ready. The show should be a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to it. My mom and sister are flying in to watch, which is great; and me, Rae, and my daughter Ari are all driving up together. It's also Ari's birthday that next week so we're gonna try and do some of the NY tourist stuff while we're there. I've never been in NY either so it should be fun! :)

My Secret Weapon...

2009-05-21T17:27:00.004-04:00

One of the most crucial people on my bodybuilding support team is a skilled chiro/ART/SASTM practitioner. This individual is priceless when faced with rehabilitating an acute or chronic injury or avoiding a potential future injury (and if you train hard and long enough, you will get injured).

I've had extensive work done on my rotator cuffs, forearms, low back, hamstrings, and chest in the past. Now I'm adding calves to the list.

Strangely, over the past several years the interior heads of both my calves have slowly atrophied. I haven't had any acute injury that I know of, yet they have significantly shrunken and become much weaker over time. I was truly at a loss of an explanation and was getting pretty depressed about it; my calves were a weak point already - now they were becoming non-existant!

Out of desperation I described the situation to Dr. Skopp (see my YouTube clip for more detail) of Alexandria VA (www.skoppchiro.com) and we started working on my calves a few weeks ago. He found tons of grizzly scar tissue and believe it or not, after several treatments my calves have already begun to see improvements. We theorized that the scar tissue was likely impeding the nerve signal to the muscle, resulting in a gradual atrophy.

I've started working them in the gym, but because my outer heads are so much stronger, I have to really concentrate to feel the inner heads working. It'll probably be a while, but we hope that in time, they will return to their normal state.

None of this would have been possible without Dr. Skopp so I really need to thank him for his expertise and skill. Without him I probably would be walking directly on my tibia and fibula in another year or two. LOL. Seriously though - he's been invaluable to my physique and training. Thanks Dr. Skopp if you ever read this! If any of you have the opportunity to work with him or someone else similarly skilled in the areas I mentioned, I highly recommend it - you can thank me later!!!

OOPS! Wojo's Wisdom Part II...a bit delayed

2009-05-21T17:24:00.003-04:00

Most of you may have already realized this, but I put up Wojo's Wisdom segment 2 on YouTube last Sunday. I totally forgot to post it here. My bad!!! Part 3 will be up this Sunday.

What is YOUR vision for your life?

2009-05-10T23:09:00.005-04:00

Those of you who have been following the blog for a bit may recall me mentioning Steve Cook, a truly outstanding individual who I think very highly of and respect immensely. I recently was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend an event with him in a small group intimate setting.

The purpose of the event was to establish and identify an 'action plan' towards achieving one's life goals (i.e."vision"). As I discovered, this is actually a lot more difficult than I originally imagined and it forced me to think about what I really want to achieve in life, what I want my life to look like on a day-to-day basis, and how I plan on getting there.

We can all dream, and that's fantastic because that's where it all starts, but how many of us achieve those dreams? If not, WHY? Furthermore, are those dreams even REALLY what you want? Are you sure a big house, a nice car, and a six-figure salary will bring you happiness? Really think about that. Ask yourself...what is important to YOU. I think you'll be surprised at the answers you discover. Also, are you living a life someone else thinks you should be living or are you pursuing your own destiny?

Only you can answer these questions, but please be honest with yourself because it truly is your life to live. Make sure you're living how you want to live and pursing your life vision, because in the end we're only here once and we all deserve to be happy and live fulfilling lives if we so choose.

Jason

Wojo's Wisdom Part I

2009-05-10T23:05:00.001-04:00

Here's Part I guys - hope you enjoy it! Keep the great questions coming by emailing me at jasonwojo@gmail.com or posting them online in the Doggpound at IntenseMuscle.com or in the General Discussion forum at MuscleMayhem.com.

Birds of a Feather...

2009-05-05T21:20:00.003-04:00

I want to talk about something really important that will profoundly impact your life - whether for better or worse. It's a principle you've all heard many times before and that is: "Birds of a Feather Flock Together". While this phrase has certainly become a cliche, do not let that undermine the weight of the statement. I cannot even begin to tell you how this principle has affected me throughout my life, both positively and negatively.

Simply stated, if you want to be successful at something (bodybuilding or whatever), you need to surround yourself with people that are successful in that endeavor. Doing so will greatly facilitate your own progress and development. If you surround yourself with positive, energetic, goal-orientated, upbeat people, you will feed off their energy and be more positive yourself. Similarly, "misery loves company" so if all your friends and associates are negative, you too will eventually succumb to those thought patterns and actions. The life and enthusiasm will be sucked out of you.

For example, I am part of a mastermind investing group comprised of like-minded, driven individuals that strive to succeed. Also, I have several close friends that are serious bodybuilders. The synergy of these interactions and groups helps everyone achieve a higher level of success.

The basic lesson you need to take away from all this is to hang out and associate with people that have the same goals as you, and avoid people that will drain your energy and spirit. This includes friends, family, co-workers, etc. - even though it's not as easy as it sounds.

Hope this wasn't too "preachy" but it's really an important principle that I've learned over the years.

'till next time...

J

SORRY!!!

2009-05-05T21:14:00.002-04:00

Hey guys I want to apologize for not getting the Wojo's Wisdom clips up yet. I have several recorded but haven't finished editing them yet.

I picked up an investment property to rehab and I've been absolutely slammed making the scope of work and materials list, screening contractors and getting bids, working with the lender, title company, etc. It's taking up a ton of time.

Of course all this is in addition to dieting, work, etc. LOL

Part I will be up by the end of the weekend at the LATEST. I've had a ton of questions come in and I think you'll enjoy the clips once they're up.

In addition to the clips I have another surprise for you guys that I'll unveil in the next month or so... :)

Hope everyone is well!!!

New Pics

2009-04-26T23:59:00.003-04:00

Ok guys - here are some new pics from this weekend. If I had to guess, I'd say I'm about 4 weeks from being ready to step on stage. I still have a decent amount of fat on my low back and butt, but I think a month is enough time to get rid of that. My quads and obliques aren't in yet either but I think those will be coming soon. My weight is about 207lbs now, first thing in the AM. Our goal is to come in right at the top of the LHW class.

Helping out...

2009-04-26T23:35:00.004-04:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was busy (as usual), but I got a lot done. We filmed the first few 'Wojo's Wisdom' segments and we'll be releasing the first one later this week once we get done the editing. I think you guys will really enjoy these. I've been getting a lot of great questions so we have plenty to discuss.

I also got the opportunity to help out in the community, which I really enjoyed. There's an annual event in Prince George's county called Christmas in April where they basically pick the house in most need of renovations that someone still lives in, and get together a bunch of donations and volunteers to fix it up in one day. This particular owner was wheelchair-bound and the house was not wheelchair accessible. We did tons of landscaping, built a deck with a ramp, made the bathrooms functional (there were no fully functional bathrooms in the house), painted, put down new carpet, you name it...

It was a lot of work but it was really inspiring to see people pull together for a common cause. Especially in today's world where it seems everyone is so wrapped up in their own life and issues and all we hear about on the news is doom and gloom. It reminded me that there are a lot of good people out there who genuinely care about helping their neighbor, even though they may have their own problems.

NC State Championships

2009-04-22T22:01:00.003-04:00

The NC State Bodybuilding Championships were this past weekend and I'd like to congratulate a couple of my friends for some great showings. Kevin (as in 'my diet guy' Kevin) won the HW open and masters (over 40) class, and Micah placed 3rd in a really tough light-heavy class. Nice job guys! Kevin was full and grainy hard and Micah was sliced to the bone (Kevin did his diet as well).

This show brings up a lot of memories for me. In 2003 I placed 3rd in the light-heavies to Van Anthony (now an IFBB pro) and Shaun Crump. Tough class! In 2005 I went on to win the overall, and to date, that has been the highlight of my 13+ year bodybuilding career. Up until that point I had never even won my class - let alone an overall - so you can imagine how I felt. At dinner afterwards I even started to tear up as it all set in; and while some people thought something was wrong, my buddy Steve just looked at me and nodded, knowing what was going on.

What I'd like you to take away from that story is that you should never give up on yourself. Ever. I competed for over a decade without a win. Think about that. But I kept coming back, and you can do the same - whether it's in bodybuilding or some other pursuit in your life. Hard work, discipline, and sacrifice will eventually pay off if you give it enough time.

One of my favorite quotes by Thomas Edison relates directly to this:

"Many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up".

Whew!!!

2009-04-15T17:30:00.002-04:00

Hey guys what's up-

It's been absolutely crazy around here lately so I haven't had the chance to post sooner. Sorry! As you all know, taxes returns were due today. I have several businesses and a bunch of last minute issues kept me pretty occupied over the past several days. I won't even tell you how much money I had to pay the IRS. One word....OUCH! If I wasn't officially poor before...I am now. lol.

Work has also been nuts recently because we have a demonstration this week highlighting some technology we've been developing. How the demonstration goes will largely determine whether or not funding for this project gets continued, so as you can imagine, it's been a bit stressful.

Despite all this, training is going well and I've increased cardio to 5x 45 and we've getting ready to start carb cycling. I don't think I'll have a chance to post progress pics this weekend because I'm heading down to NC to see a couple buddies compete in the state contest, but I'll post some soon.

Coming Soon!!!! Wojo's Wisdom!!!!!!

2009-04-08T21:44:00.004-04:00

I've got a really cool surprise for you guys I think you're going to absolutely love...

Next week, I'm going to start a weekly "Wojo's Wisdom" video clip or text column right here on the blog. This is going to be an ongoing question/answer type of interaction that will be updated every week. The concept is pretty simple - you email me questions, and I'll do my best to answer them. Feel free to ask me anything about bodybuilding, investing, or whatever - heck even science if you want! This is your chance to pick my brain - don't wait too long to ask though because I'm getting old and forgetting stuff daily. LOL.

Email questions to jasonwojo@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Started the Fat Burners!

2009-04-08T21:36:00.003-04:00

What's up everyone? Sorry for not updating this earlier - it's been (and will continue to be) a crazy week at work. We have a demo next week at a conference and we're trying to get all the assays, etc. taken care of.

This week I started the 'fat burners'. I'm using True Protein's BCAA Blast before my AM cardio and I take 1 500mg green tea extract per day. I actually alternate the green tea extract with real green tea every other day. On days I have the tea, I put 4 tea bags into a liter of water and drink that throughout the day. I should note I consider these to be mild fat burners, but effective nonetheless.

In the past I used to take ECA (25mg ephedrine, 200mg caffeine, and a baby aspirin) up to 3x a day as show time approached. NOTHING I've tried worked as good as this, both for fat burning, and for the stimulant effect that really helped get through the cardio and workouts. I'm not sure what I'm going to do now that ephedrine is off the shelves. (Which could be a huge rant in itself but I won't get into it).

Hopefully we'll see some progress this week. I still have a ton of fat in my back and arse to get rid of. Everything else usually comes in ok but those two areas for me are the most troublesome.

New Pics

2009-04-04T22:13:00.004-04:00

Ok guys - we have some new progress pics. Things are coming along pretty well. The first potential show is 8 weeks away so I think we'll have plenty of time to dial things in. I just sent these pics to Kevin so we'll see if he wants to change anything or keep what we're doing now for a bit longer.

My workouts have been surprisingly good lately, so I've been happy with that. I plan on video recording a few workouts in the near future. I'll post them here once they're done.

Diet/Cardio Update

2009-04-01T03:43:00.002-04:00

Ok we have another change to note. This past Sunday cardio was bumped up to 40' 5 days a week, and we've dropped another 300 calories from the diet. To be honest it's only been a couple days but I can already feel a difference. I think Kevin will be impressed with my progress come Saturday when I take new progress pics.

Also, although I have a treadmill in my basement, I've been going to the gym to do cardio 1st thing in the morning (around 6am) lately. It's just for a change of scenery and it's a little less boring that doing it at the house. I don't have a TV near the treadmill at home so I'm stuck reading magazines, etc., which can get old. At the gym it's more amusing and there's more energy because I see others going crazy on the cardio equipment. Plus I can usually convince Rae to do cardio with me so it's nice to have someone to talk to and make the time go by more quickly. :)

So why "Lifebuilding" as the Title of the Blog?

2009-04-01T03:12:00.001-04:00

This is actually pretty easy to explain if you already know me. To me, an important part of life is making the most of the gifts that you've been given by God. All of us have individual strengths and weaknesses in both our abilities and character, and I believe we should all strive to become the best person we can - not only for ourselves and those around us, but also as a sign of appreciation to God. I personally try to grow everyday, whether it's physically, mentally, or spiritually. For instance, in the past I've had issues with patience so I had to try and work on that and I think I'm better now. As an example, in the past if a 90 yr old pulled out in front of me on the street and drove along at 10mph I would have layed on the horn and started cussing up a storm. Now I just smile and pleasantly wave hello. LOL ok not quite but you get the idea! ☺ I also constantly try and learn new things by reading and listening to audio CDs while driving (the CDs - not the reading - that would be bad!). I've actually learned to enjoy learning new things and I think you will too if you give it a chance. Whatever you choose to work on though, over time I think you'll be surprised at the results if you're relatively consistent. (Same with bodybuilding right!? See the parallels?)

So What's My Diet and Cardio Like?

2009-03-27T21:44:00.001-04:00

I've received numerous questions about what I'm doing for diet and cardio right now so here's some info and a little history. I'm not completely sure I should be sharing this much detail, but screw it - I'd rather be honest with you guys and if you learn something new...great.

Week 1-4: Calories - 3900; Protein 366g; Carbs 449g; Fat 88g. During these weeks I was doing 30 min of cardio 3x a week first thing in the morning.

Week 5-6 (in week 6 now): Calories - 3500; Protein 360g; Carbs 355g; Fat 84g. For these weeks I've been doing 4x a week at 30-40 minutes.

The plan with the high calories at the start was to shock my body and get my metabolism rolling so that the diet would be more effective. If you start off with a slow metabolism you're screwed from the get-go. This is particularly a problem with people who pretty much diet and do a lot of cardio year round.

Recent Progress Pics

2009-03-22T11:18:00.003-04:00

Ok - these are tough for me to share but here they are. I really don't like people seeing me out of shape, but I better get used to it if I want a blog right!? LOL. Hopefully at the very least at the end of this we'll be able to look back at these pics and see a huge transformation. Please excuse the extremely tight competition posing trunks. I almost ripped them trying to get into those things LMAO! I couldn't find my bigger ones that I usually take progress pics in. Rae (my girlfriend) probably hid them!!!

Steve Cook Event

2009-03-21T18:34:00.002-04:00

For all you real estate investors out there, I just got back from the 2-day Steve Cook investing conference in Baltimore, MD. I wasn't happy that it was on a Thurs and Friday because I had to get out of work, but it was excellent and I learned a lot. The main focus of the event was on creative financing and variants thereof; an important topic in today's restricted lending market.

Steve is one of the most genuine individuals I've ever met. Not only is he an investing genius, even more important (to me at least), is that he makes every effort to live his life the way God intended. He's truly a role model and I encourage anyone to look into his teachings and philosophies. He focuses on incorporating investing as part of your life vision and encourages you to think about how you want to live your life and what's important to you. He also has an investing forum over at www.flippinghomes.com. Check it out - it's a nice community over there.

So when is my contest anyway?

2009-03-21T18:08:00.003-04:00

I can't give you a direct answer…yet. Let me explain…

This diet is quite different than anything I've ever done in the past. This past offseason, I took an extended cruise. During that time, some of you know I applied as a contestant for American Gladiators and cut my weight significantly in an effort to become more agile and have a better strength to weight ratio.

Around that time, I was thinking about how Kevin Levrone was famous for his ability to get leaner and bigger as he approached a contest, and I got the crazy idea to try something similar. Now I'd be lying if part of me didn't think this would also be great because I could slack off eating-wise and not stuff myself to gain size.

I talked with Kevin D (my diet guy) about it, and he thought it might work. Basically, our approach is to dramatically increase my calories with clean food, throw in some cardio, and see if I can gain some size and lose some fat at the same time. I'm 3 weeks into the diet now, and my calories have hovered around 3800-4000/day. I'll be honest - it's pretty tough to get in all my meals because I don't have a big appetite to being with. (That’s partially why I actually like dieting!). I'm pretty much within 5 lbs of where I was when I started (220 lbs) but have dramatically changed the way I look. I'll post some pics in the next couple days.

Anyway - back to the contest date…because we don't know how my body is going to respond, we haven't picked an exact show yet. Rather, we've chosen a range depending on my progress. I actually like this approach because I don’t feel stressed out about being ready and I can relax and just monitor my body. Right now the choices are Bev Frances' show in NY, Jr. Nats, Southern States, and USAs. All of them span about a month from June to late July. We're going to play it by ear at this point and monitor my progress. We'll know more as we get further into the diet. The first show is 11 weeks away. As soon as I know which show(s) I'm doing, you'll be the first to know ☺

HELLO!

2009-03-18T19:28:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone!

Here it is…my first official blog post. The original intent of this blog was to follow my contest prep diet for some upcoming bodybuilding shows, but after receiving some input, I've decided to make it more general and include aspects of my life, bodybuilding, investing, as well as my views on other select topics like family, friends, and what's important in life. I think you'll find this more enriching (and hopefully more entertaining), as I will share my thoughts, goals, inspirations, and frustrations rather than just list the foods I ate for the day and how much cardio I did. LOL.

The updates are going to be done weekly for the most part. It'll be a mixture of video and text. I'll try to keep the updates short, as most of us suffer from information overload these days as it is. Welcome aboard. I hope you enjoy our journey together.

Jason