I put in some serious work into my mind, body, and spirit.  I’ve always been a dreamer, but I needed to be inspired to live outside the box.  I’ve always been fit, but I needed to be in great shape, physically capable of doing any activity I wanted.  I’ve always been an optimist, but I wanted to be truly happy, I just needed to figure out how to do that.  And guess what… I’ve accomplished that.  It wasn’t easy… it took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to change the direction of my life, but it’s all working out.

In a few days, me and ol’ E.A. Horton are getting hitched.  It took me a long time to find this woman and she’s a real keeper.  Don’t believe me?  Check this out: She cooks, she has a good job, she can write, she cleans, she’s funny, she thinks I’m awesome, and she laughs at my farts jokes.  It’s a no-brainer!  Hell, you guys were with me when I met her!  Remember?!?   Since I met her we’ve been DOING STUFF, lots of stuff.

This week is going to be packed with friends, family, paint-balling my brother in the face, seeing some 2nd rate stripper’s titties with my best pals (and my dad), dinners out and drinks with the crew and one bad ass wedding with my woman and 50 of our most elite friends.

I’ll see you when I get back from our honeymoon spent road tripping through the Pacific Northwest, Redwood Country, and down to San Francisco.  Wish me luck!

Life is good… I’m going to live mine at all speeds to enjoy everything and miss a little as possible.

 Live fast – Die Last,

M7

I’m at the point where all I see is future memories waiting for me to experience them and a positive life filled with discovery, adventure, and exploration.

That’s what I’m most excited about.  If you’ve been reading M7 for awhile, you know I’ve gone out of my way to do stuff I’ve always wanted to do.  I’ve been able to test myself physically and mentally and at the same time experience something new.  Lately, I’ve been saying “Live Fast-Die Last” a lot… I got that phrase with the help of my brother after I told him “I want it all, I want it now, and I want it forever”.  It’s like when you’re having a really good time and then it ends and you’re like, “Man, that went by fast.”  I want to live my life with the ferocity of someone living on borrowed time and b

e a fearless explorer unafraid to pack my life with experiences and adventure easily missed by most others.

I’ve been a little quiet with the posts lately.  Mostly, because I’ve been planning a wedding, working my jobs, and doing my thing.  EA Horton and I have been doing lots of weekend camping trips and trips up to New Hampshire.  If you’ve never been camping, you should go, because going to a campground and pretending like you don’t have a house is pretty awesome.  I’ve been thinking of new challenges since I ran the 40 yard dash (inspiring old dudes everywhere).  Plus, I might have to have eye-surgery down the road to fix some glitch I’ve developed in one of the muscles in there (sweet, who doesn’t like a good eye surgery?).  I’m not sweating it though, I could lose an eye and still live a kick ass life… wearing an eye patch.  Maybe it’s from getting hit in the face while I was boxing, who knows!?

So, after slacking off and half-assing it at the gym for a little while and drinking too much of our homebrewed beer Pussy Brew, I’m back with a new intensity.  I’ve even gone back to jumping rope for cardio again that my tennis elbow is gone from all my previous rope work.  Right now I’m taking this stuff called Muscle Marinade.  It’s a great pre-workout supplement if you’re in the market for one.  Go see The Butcher at Good Health in Quincy, MA and tell him I sent you.  He’s there most days after 12:30pm.

I’m looking at starting an updated M7 blog, too, which should be up in the near future.  We’ll see.  Life was meant for living… and I plan on living mine fast (with an eye patch).

Comfort zones are for pillows,

Mike

My passport is renewed and I plan on using it.

We were running so fast, we were... that's right, we were haulin' ass!

Well, two weeks passed since I had attempted the 40 yard dash. I ran it in 4.9 seconds, unofficially (NFL players get timed by lasers and official gadgets). I felt like I could definitely improve my time. and with my kinda short attention span and complete lack of patience, I gave myself two weeks to do just that!

I was runnnnin'!

I’ve been in need of a new challenge for awhile now. I’ve been training like I always do, but I’ve definitely been in need of some motivation. And nothing motivates me like an established, fun goal. I’ve decided to try myself in the one physical ability test that most NFL coaches consider to be the most important at the NFL Combine. The 40 yard dash.

Why the 40?  Well, every football player in the world has to run it and with football credentials like mine it only makes sense that I run it, too.  What football credentials do I have, you ask?  Ahem!  Well… EA Horton and I’ve spent many nights (two) throwing dollar bills like missiles in a gentleman’s club with Roddy White of the Atlanta Falcons (because I am a gentleman, and that’s where gentlemen hang out).  I’ve  even traded a few text messages with Roddy… and once or twice he’s texted me back!  He ignored my invite to my backyard barbecue this summer, though, but that’s cool… he was probably busy.  Hmmm, what else?  I’ve met Bob Kraft a few times and each time I met him, he never remembered me from the time before.  However, he always gives me a firm handshake and says the same thing, “Hmmm, you look like you could play for us!”  He probably says that to anyone without a gut hanging over his belt, but who cares!!!  I roll around in that compliment like it’s a bed full of money!

So, basically, I’ve got football running through my veins!

I have never run the 40 yard dash for time. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever raced anyone in a legit 40 yard dash race.  The only football I’ve played was at the beach or with old friends during the holidays.  So, I knew I needed to prepare.  I educated myself on the mechanics of the 40 the best way I knew how… with YouTube videos.  I found two videos and watched them both twice.  I was totally ready!!!

I thought a lot of dudes would like to compete in a 40 yard dash challenge. So I tweeted the challenge to a bunch of people that I don’t know and a few friends. From the fat kid over at Barstool Sports, to Ochocino, to Pauly D, to Rhode Island Newsman Dan Jaehnig… alas, the only person to accept the challenge was former semi-pro football player and current bodybuilder Eric “The Butcher” Brown.

This is what happened (see video):

On my last attempt (and slowest) I heeded the advice from those YouTube videos a little too heavily. I forgot to breathe after 20 yards and when I hit the finish line, off camera, the world went black and I felt myself hit the ground. I came back to life right away and I was A-OK. Who passes out running the 40??? This guy does.

I was hoping for a time of 4.6 seconds, but I got 4.9.

Now comes the goal.  Run the 40 in 4.5 seconds in 2 weeks.

Can I? Hell yes. I can definitely improve on my sloppy start. I was like a baby deer walking for the first time coming off the start.

Training has already begun.  I’ll keep you posted.

Zoooooom!!!

Mike

A year ago, the beginning of a journey.

When I really kicked this blog into high gear over a your ago, my life was very very different.  This blog has changed my life in a lot of ways.

With the help of some of my friends, like Lil’ T and Ken the Realtor, I learned the power of positive thinking and perception.  Our lives are only as good or bad as we choose to view them.  I choose to see my life for everything it IS, not everything it’s not.  If you ever start to feel like life is getting hard or things just aren’t going your way, do this:  Think about everything you have in your life and be GRATEFUL for it.

To those of you that have read this blog for awhile, it’s been a fun ride so far.  I’ve trained for and competed in countless triathlons.  I got to train as a boxer, getting punched in the face and have my head split open (but I also learned how to light up a speed bag!!!).  I almost died doing Bikram Yoga.  A 19 year old student from China stayed at my house for a month (I even got to give her the “American” name, Nikki Ning!).  I ran a half-marathon (without any real training, after a night of tequila and a steak dinner, and I pumped out a time of 1:38).  I took an old mountain bike my neighbors were throwing in the garbage and restored it as a single speed.  I built a new garden and planted anything and everything I wanted to (it’s still going strong, eating tomatoes from it everyday, we even have a couple of pumpkins growing). We started our own homebrewing operation and named it Pussy Brew (we’ve got some Pale Ale fermenting in the basement that we’ll be bottling soon).  I got the family out into the woods for some fishing and tent camping.  I’ve even become a highly successful hand model as a side job (isn’t that completely ridiculous?!?).  I’m not saying I went and climbed Everest or anything, but I definitely wasn’t sitting on the couch.  Life can be a really amazing adventure, on whatever level you choose to play it.  It’s all up to you.

The best parts of the last year or so have probably been the people I’ve met.  For one, I met Dan O’Rourke of NRG BAR.  When I met him I was managing at a Whole Foods Market and he was doing a demo, sampling his bars to the masses.  I emailed him a link to this blog and today, I’m the VP of Sales at NRG BAR.  Dan and I compete together as part of Team NRG and with a few triathlon wins under our belt (we’re undefeated) we’re gearing up to take our team to compete in the New Balance Reach the Beach 200 mile relay road race in September.

But, the icing on the cake was when someone discovered this blog and decided to send me this email:

“I’ve literally been reading your blog for a day or two and am already inspired to “do stuff”.   You combine the perfect amount of humor and raw truth that people need to hear on a daily basis.  Thanks so much for writing, I enjoy reading. Best, Liz”.

Liz (E.A. Horton) has her own blog at mykitchenaffair.com.  We traded a few emails, I checked out her writing and that was that.  But, one night, I started to think about her.  She was GOOD LOOKING (thanks, Facebook), she could WRITE, she could COOK, she had a JOB, she was SMART. Man, this was the type of woman I needed to MEET!  So, I emailed her, we talked on the phone, and we met up a few days later.  That was last Fall.  I just proposed to her on August 2nd at the Red Sox game during the rain delay.

My new motto is Live Fast and Die Last.  I want it all and I want it forever.  I want to live adventurously and survive it all so I can enjoy whatever is next.  Never be afraid to take a chance.  Never hesit

ate to go on an adventure.  Never rely too heavily on the safe bet.  You never know who you might meet or what

you might experience.

Live Fast-Die Last,

Mike Paul

I’m enjoying a renaissance (a renewal of life, vigor, and interest) in the things that built the foundation of my life. A life I had slightly abandoned, as we all do, when life happens. I got sidetracked by “life”. Responsibilities, careers, relationships, some of us unknowingly stray from what makes us happy, what makes us “us”.  If you’ve ever gone to the mall because you could not think of anything better to do, well then… this applies to you.

Over the past year or so, I’ve been on a journey back to “me”.  Basically I’m going backward to go forward.

After years of forgetting what it was like to be an athlete, last year I trained myself back to a respectable level of athletic competition.  I competed in over a half dozen triathlons last year after preparing for the 1st in less than 30 days.  Last winter, I trained as a boxer with Jimmy Farrell Jr., never getting the fight I asked for but suffering enough injuries, completing enough rounds of sparring, and progressing enough fundamentally to feel more than accomplished. I took up Bikram Yoga momentarily and enjoyed the hot yoga butts it, as well. Basically, I took my fitness/health where it hadn’t been in over a dozen years.  And, it felt great. I forgot how good it felt to train/feel like an athlete. It’s good to be back, I plan on being here for the rest of my life.

I’m continuing to revisit/rekindle various areas of my past. Things I still identify myself with but had long since visited.

2 weeks ago, EA Horton and I decided to revisit one of my favorites.  Camping.  I spent countless days/weeks/months of my childhood camping.  Sure, we had a small motorhome, which some might not consider camping, but whatever.  EA Horton had NEVER been camping and Little C hadn’t been camping yet either.  Perfect.  I found a last minute steal of a campsite available through reserveamerica.com at Harold Parker State Forest and booked it.

We got geared up with tent, lanterns, stove, etc. and we spent the weekend catching and releasing the tiniest fish I’ve ever hooked, roasting marshmallows on a campfire, and making coffee in a percolator.  We got dirty, stinky, and EA was eaten alive by mosquitos… but it was nice to sleep under the stars, hear frogs all night and play the game, “EA Horton got sick and ralphed outside the tent last night.  What kind of animal do you think ate EA Horton’s ralph?”  My guess was deer.  We’re planning our next trip within the next few weeks, hopefully a beach camping spot with better fishing.

Honestly, the worst part of the trip was taking my dog, Snoop, to the Vet to get her Rabies shot (dog’s gotta have a current Rabies vaccination to visit a state or federal park/forest).  While I held Snoop, the vet attempted to get Snoop’s temperature… rectally.  We stopped after  Snoop  violently head-butted be in the mouth when the thermometer touched her delicates.

We came home and made a quick trip to a place we often donate to.  The Goodwill.  For what?  I needed a new book.  I hadn’t read an actual book since I moved to Boston over 5 years ago.  Like some people say they don’t have time for the gym, I used to same excuse for reading.  In the past, I’d read the canons of Bukowski, David Sedaris, Sam Shepard, Chuck Palahniuk and others.  I was never a HUGE reader, but if I liked an author, I’d read the shit out of him.  I finally started reading again recently.  I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy two weeks ago.  I read The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell on a round trip flight to Florida last week.  And after the weekend of camping, I was hungry for something new to read.

But, why the Goodwill for books?  Because it’s a little bit of an adventure.  Nothing is categorized, you have to hunt a little, and people tend to donate some good books.  I picked up a brand new copy of The Big Sky by Wallace Stegner.  It was written in 1947 and so far it’s pretty nasty/awesome.  Plus, at The Goodwill, paperbacks are $1 and hardcovers are 2 bucks.. if the book sucks, you’re not out $20.

Enjoying our lives often requires a little work and initiative.  But it’s well worth it.  I’m enjoying each discovery and experience along the way.

Have fun,

Mike Paul

A family camping trip with my bro and dad.

If there’s one thing I need/want to do this Summer and into the Fall, it’s camping. I am 100% in love with the outdoors, camping, recreation, and national/state parks. I love looking around in all directions and see only the seemingly unaltered landscape. There’s something about it that takes away any stress or problem I might be dealing with. I need either a popup camper or a motorhome. 2 problems, my funds are limited and… well, okay 1 problem. Time to start saving my pennies. Not that I need a camper to “camp” but it would be fun to have one. I’ll never understand those people who “can’t stand camping”. I just don’t understand that type of mentality. We’re animals… animals should play outside. If you haven’t seen the series Ken Burns did on the National Parks for PBS, you should.

When I was a kid, I was outside playing… all the time. If I wasn’t outside playing, I was climbing trees or at school at sports practice… I was like a lot of kids back then. I was active. I’ll always be active… I hope you will be, too.

Short and sweet,
Mike Paul

p.s. My dog went apeshit at 4am last night. Turns out my neighbors cars were being ransacked across the street by some gypsy thief. We know this, they were wearing some Nike Air Force shoes… they left tracks in the dirt! They must have come over to my cars too… but Snoop was on it with the barking. Good job, Snoop. You might shit your pants and hide in the bathtub at the sound of fireworks and thunder but you give a thief the business. That reminds me, I need to get my cat’s balls cut off.

Oh… and here’s two songs I’ve found recently… very different, but I like them both.

Is it easy?  Hell, no.  Easy is the job you have.  Easy is looking busy at a moment’s notice whenever the boss is around (he’s pretending to be busy, too).  If doing what you love was easy, then everyone would do it.  Doing what you love takes a few things: Passion for something, an idea, sacrifice, never looking back, and BALLS.  Balls are the most important.  Most people are too pussy to put themselves out there.  Too scared.  Too worried about embarrassing themselves.  So, balls should be #1 on this list. Lots of balls.  Big/fat/shiny BALLS.  Without them… you don’t stand a chance. They should drag behind you while you walk because they’re so heavy… you’ll have to set them on a skateboard or a wheelchair just to get around.

There are plenty of examples of seemingly regular people that took an idea/passion and turned it into something big.  Something successful.  Some are rich and some are going to be rich.  But the difference is that they’re more rich in pride/fulfillment/spirit than anything else.

Here are just 3 prime examples of enterprises/people based out of the Boston area that you’ve probably heard of… if not, here are 4 new heros to inspire you.

Travis Grillo of Grillo’s Pickles: Travis Grillo’s family made pickles.  It wasn’t a business, it was a family tradition.  But Travis took his love for those pickles and did something about it.  Travis started selling Grillo’s Pickles out of the back of his 1985 Cutlass Supreme in 2008.  He was selling pickles out of an Oldsmobile.  Who does that?  He did.  In 2009 he built a wooden cart and sold pickles out of it at Park Street Station on Boston Common.  By 2010, Grillo’s Pickles were in 48 Whole Foods Markets and sold in Fenway Park.  I met him last year at a Whole Foods and he was wearing a fucking pickle costume, standing on the street, waving at cars and passersby, just like he always has.  To sell pickles out of a car takes balls.  To wear a pickle suit and wave at strangers takes huge balls.  I was recently at the Park Street cart with E.A. Horton… we meet there on the regular and gladly pay $3 for a combo plate of pickles, pickled tomatoes and carrots.  Good shit.

The Jacobs Brothers: Two brothers, John and Bert made T-Shirts.  They sold these T-Shirts out of their Plymouth Voyager.  They sold their shirts to college students and made extra money as substitute teachers, ski instructors, and even delivering pizzas.  But they loved their T-Shirts and the lifestyle they lived as they put it, “We just wanted to have a good time, make some money and, it sounds corny, but spread good vibes.”  But, after 5 years, they had $78 in the bank.  John drew up what they thought symbolized their outlook on life, a little face wearing a beret and sunglasses with the words “Life is good.”  They put it on 48 shirts, took them to a street fair in Cambridge in 1994.  They sold them all in hours.  Today, their company is huge.  How huge?  They’re filthy rich… doing what they love.  Selling t-shirts out of a minivan?  Big balls.

Jim Koch: At the age of 35, Jim Koch busted out his old family beer recipe from the 1800′s and brewed it in his kitchen.  With the help of two friends from Harvard, he quit his job at a Boston based consulting firm and in April of 1985 he launched Samuel Adams, the Boston Beer Company.  If you’ve never had a Samuel Adams Boston Lager, you’re probably not living in the U.S., you definitely don’t live in Boston, or you drink white wine with your pinky sticking out while making a face like somebody just farted.  This guy Jim Koch had a job… but he had a love for beer passed down from his beer brewing bloodlines.  He decided to quit his job and do what he loved.  That takes balls… big drunken balls (and friends with money).

You’ve gotta love it when people chase a dream and do what they love.  But, without action, a dreamer is just a dreamer… and nobody likes a “dreamer”.  And, nothing is more boring or uninspiring than sitting in a cubicle, making cold calls, staring at a computer screen and pretending to work all week.  Personally, I can’t do that… so I don’t.

Everyone’s dreams have a price… what’s yours?  Take your giant balls and drag behind you as you set your own course… people will see the trail from your balls and say, “That trailblazer had some huge balls.”

Blaze your own trail and support others who do.

Mike Paul

p.s., My triathlon relay team (TEAM NRG), took 1st place at the Ashland Lions Olympic Distance Triathlon.  Great race.  I did the 1 mile swim leg and crazy run through the woods back to transition.  If you aren’t using your body and pushing it to the limit no and then, you’re missing out.  Try it, you’ll thank me later.

My hot chick legs in Capri tights.

Look, we all work hard, but life is about being happy.  Happy for me is living a long time, being fit enough to handle anything, and having a massive amount of fun.  Pretty simple.  I’m lucky in the fact that I don’t punch a clock anymore.  I get paid to put on clothes and make them look good.  Which means I have to stay fit, healthy and get my hair cut once in awhile.  I’m not rich, but I’m 100% grateful for the life I’ve created for myself.  This week I even wore a pair of capri running tights in front of strangers for a job, but  beats bangin’ nails for a living!

Do I have life all figured out?  Hell, no.  If I did, I’d be chillin’ out butt naked on an island, drinking an ice cold beer and eating a fish I caught with a spear… after cliff diving and showering under a waterfall.  But, in the 33+ years I’ve been alive, I’ve had some experiences and learned some simple truths everyone should hear:

-  “Imagine what your life would be like if nothing embarrassed you.”  My old neighbor, a great guy, highly overweight and a P.E. teacher, said to me, “I want to start working out with my students, running and what not, but I don’t want those little fuckers to laugh at me.”  Guess what, homeboy… they’re already laughing.  People can only embarrass you if you let them.

-  “Mike, a great couple is two people that are best friends… that like to fuck.”  My father said this to me when I was probably 12 or 13 years old.  I still can’t think of a better description.

-  “Don’t tell stories about what an amazing high school athlete you were.”  The older you get, the worse it looks.  It’s embarrassing, nobody cares and it doesn’t make you look any less fat and pathetic now.  You’re only as good as what you’re doing today.

- “Always have fun.”  We’re all guilty at some point of focusing on the shitty parts of our lives.  And I’m going to let you in on a little secret… generally, we all have the same problems.  Money issues/job issues/relationship issues.  That shit transcends class, race, gender… we all want more/better/bigger/nicer/etc.  Appreciate what’s good in your life and the rest will fall into place.  Allow yourself to have fun and enjoy the life in front of you.

-  “The way you do anything is the way you do everything.” (from the walls of the Crossfit gym at Reebok Int’l Headquarters in Canton, MA).  Think about this the next time you’re at work half-assing your job thinking you deserve a promotion and more money.

-  “Excuses are like rectal thermometers, they work best when shoved up your ass.”  I wrote this quote over a year ago and it still rings true.  You’re not fooling anybody when you use your shitty excuses to avoid doing what’s right.  There’s no excuse for not being an good person/parent/friend day in and day out.

-  “Life isn’t fair.”  Whoever told you life was fair lied to your ass.  We are NOT all created equal or born into equal circumstances.  Don’t waste your time and effort worrying about the next guy, it’s fruitless.

-  “Nobody likes a crybaby and nobody wants to hear you bitch.”  I was in New York a week ago and got interviewed by ESPN about how Jorge Posada threw a tantrum after being moved to 9th in the batting order.  Whether you make millions of dollars to “play games” or $8 an hour working at the mall, when faced with adversity you’d better handle it like an adult and make the most of the situation.  My daughter cries when she doesn’t get her way… she’s 4.  Even she’s realizing she needs to develop better tactics.

Is any of this ground breaking?  No, not really.  But, common sense isn’t so common and it’s always nice to be reminded that life is what you make of it.  Do something different this week… you’ll be glad you did.

I’ll leave you with this video…

Do stuff… have fun,

Mike Paul

Here is a list of cool shit I’ve been doing, am currently doing, or have in the works to be done.

1. STAYING IN SHAPE: I today I weighed 171 pounds.  6 months ago I was the same weight, and 6 months before that… yep, same weight.  I’m 33, I’m still hitting the gym 5-6 days a week, I get off on running random 10k’s at a moment’s notice, I run around with my daughter, and I only watch TV at the very end of the night… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Sound body, sound mind.

2. I GOT A BIKE: I told you how I rehabbed an old bike in an earlier post… well, it’s being put to good use.  E.A. Horton got one, too.  We ride them all over the place.  We both have cars, but the bike is our preferred mode of neighborhood transportation.  Sunday morning we rode them to Sam’s Restaurant at 8am and ate breakfast, the bill was only $16 bucks which is awesome.  Not so awesome was the old guy 5 feet away at the counter farting like he was at home.  He was probably 85 years old, though, an age where I hope I too can fart in my neighborhood diner like it’s my own home.

3.  I’M A FARMER: We built two small areas to grow our own food.  What?  You don’t think growing your own food is cool?  Well, you’d probably change your mind if someone invented a Doughnut Tree… or a French Fry Plant.  We’ve got onions, beefsteak/grape/cherry tomatoes, kale, parsley, sage, rosemary, corn, grapes, raspberries, dill, cilantro, garlic, peas and a bunch of other stuff.  Oh, and we’re also doing a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with Brookwood Community Farm in Canton, MA.  

4. I MAKE PUSSY BREW: E.A. Horton and I just bottled our first batch of Pussy Brew.  And we’ve already brewed batch #2, currently fermenting in the basement.  Some people still might not like the name of it… because they might hate cats, but we’re not talking ’bout cats here, people.  We’re having fun… what’s not to like?!

5. TRIATHLON TRAINING: I’m getting back into Triathlon training mode.  Swimming, Biking, Running.  I’ll be registering for a race soon.  You should think about a race of your own if you’ve never done one… try a 5k, a 10k, or maybe one of those adventure races where you drink beer afterwards.

Lastly (this is random but whatever), here in the Greater Boston area, it seems like the kids here have a new method of fundraising… basically they stand outside of grocery stores holding a can and ask if you want to donate to their team/group/school/whatever.  We have a name for this kind of fundraising and we call it “Begging” or “Panhandling”.  Teach your kids how to do this the right way.  Have a bake sale and sell brownies outside a Curves, hold a Car Wash, do SOMETHING.  It’s annoying to have to pretend not to see them standing there with their sad faces, holding their coffee tin wrapped in construction paper. Don’t let your kids beg for money… show them how to earn it.

Get busy,

Mike Paul