92 days

The exam is in 92 days. The history that takes place everyday in the markets is a huge distraction. I work 11 hour days without a second thought these days, and do something social afterward for a few hours to feel better about this lifestyle. The 11 hour days are broken by the occassional 13-14 hour day with no social activities. When do I study? Weekends.

Money and possessions

Somehow John Mayer's "I'm Yours" is still #5 in the country though it must have been released as a single when I was still in college. In the song he says "There's no need to complicate." That line came up today while driving. I do a lot of thinking when I'm driving. Hearing this line on the road reminded me that money and possessions have the ability to complicate, moreso possessions; money is just the catalyst. As I've become immersed in my studies in the last week I feel like I've come into a feeling of clarity. With a huge test on the horizon and immense curriculum to learn, my responsibilities are fairly simple. Work, study, and take a break every now and then to not burn out. I don't have to sit around anymore wondering what to do, the clarity is there, I should be studying. Clarity brings focus. Clarity makes things simple.

Along those lines, during my drive today I thought a little about some advice I received yesterday to "Change the way you think." I think I need to simplify things where less is more (I acknowledge that in some instances less is, simply, less). One of these things is possessions. I have way too much crap. I own four pairs of jeans. There are only two days a week I even have the opportunity to wear jeans. I can think of lots of examples such as this where I have too much. It's a waste of time. I could expand more on this subject but I think this is sufficient. Less is more here. See what I did there?

The answer's in the question, I should have known that all along

The fact that I go one month without an entry and then follow up with entries on consecutive days transcends the inconsistency in my life. If life were a final exam you would see me constantly switching writing utensils while skipping all over the Scantron. Tie that off with the fact that there is an emerging "question" motif to the entry titles. I swear to you that was not planned, as you might deduce below, as these entries are not related.

I came to a bit of a realization this evening while driving in the car. I spend a lot of time searching for answers. Trying to find solutions. I think I've come to find this mindless toiling is wasted when a critical step is missed. As important as solving problems and finding answers is, it's critical to also be asking the right questions. So that's where I'm focused right now. I'm focused on making sure I am asking myself the right questions so that I work for the right answers and solutions. I need to work to answer the questions where the answer is clear, and there is no mystery, where it's all laid out for me and I just have to be willing to walk down that path.

Too emo? probably.

I question myself

At this point my lack of motivation makes me question myself. I ask myself how bad I want this. Because right now my actions have not shown that I am willing to make the sacrifices necessary to obtain the CFA Charter. Maybe in the last week I have become a bit more dedicated. And maybe I have been putting in a lot of time in the office. But flat out, successful people make time to achieve their goals, and they are cognizant of the limits of their bodies and the energy they have. It kind of sucks to say this but I have been having too much fun lately. Going out too much, hanging out too much, and wasting too much time. Too much time spent on Facebook and too many late nights in bars. I can't go completely into a shell to get the job done, but I need to be more selective about my outings. Bars do not align at all with my career or personal goals. Maybe I should plan my acceptable distractions:

LOG meetings
LOG select outings
Running/Fitness
Movies/Dinners

I know I want this. And I do not want to not pass this test. I know I will be a Charterholder someday, but I'd rather it sooner than later. Class starts this week. The time is now. Amen.

I cannot become complacent!!!

I am finding it difficult to really dive deeply into my studies. I've been hitting the material here and there, but this type of work ethic will ensure I fail Level II should I not step it up. Why is it so hard to get motivated? Is it because the test is so far away still? Is it because I am busy at work and I also enjoy my job? Part of the reason is that my social life is just so awesome right now. It's never been this fun before to be me. I hate to complain about that, but I really need to pull myself away from all my friends just a little bit so I can focus more. I have to stay focused on the big picture, and doing that means day by day dedicating myself to this exam. That is all.

upDate

whew that was a stretch without a blog.

looking at my last blog, everything came through, except the fight which is next week.

life is good. i am really enjoying life. i've never been happier.

the new kanye album is out. man i really love this album. i'm hanging on every word of every song telling myself me and kanye are so alike. talk to me personally if you'd like me to map out all the parallels.

got the spiderman dunk SBs.

i have officially started studying. feels good to be back in the mix of mean regression and time series analysis.

i have yet to take the studying to the next level. i am not immersed yet. let's work on that.

Things I wanna do soon

There's a lot to do. I am getting back to studying this month but there's a lot going on that I want to do.

November 15 UCC Park Day
November 21 Associate Team Building Activity in Anaheim
November 21 Benefit Concert
November 22 Fashion Island Tree Lighting Ceremony
November 23 Share the Harvest
Novemeber 27 Balster Thanksgiving at my house
December 6 Pacquiao Fight/Holiday Party

I also really want to go to the Getty. I've never been there and it sounds/looks awesome. I can't wait to deck the halls of my house for Christmas. I'm getting a tree before my Holiday Party.