Friday, January 28, 2011

Thanks so much for following my blog. Close to 1,000 views in only a week! New blog videos coming Sunday!

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Got a little Captain in ya? I hope so if you're reading this blog.

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Whose yo Captain?






It's about 2am, I'm listening to my friend Danny B "Spin Records" on the radio and I'm relaxing in a kick ass chair I bought off the internet (yep, you can save money on everything haha).  Tonight is such a perfect night to reflect on the choices I've made and where I'm going. I wake up now realizing that there are infinite possibilities each and every day. Anything can happen and it's up to me to "Chose my own adventure" if you will. Do you feel like you are steering your ship or are you allowing the ship to steer itself? Let me tell you it's not very easy to get where you want to go if the ship is sailing in any random direction.  It's time to Captain that ship and steer that thing full speed ahead! Now it's true there might be storms along the way that try and blow you off course, these are circumstances beyond our control. What we can control however is the decision on whether or not to continue sailing towards our destination after the storm hits us.  Maybe it appears that the storm has completely destroyed your ship. Now I guess there's no way to get there now huh? Of course there is! Swim there, borrow a boat, ride a dolphin, start dating a mermaid, I don't care. Don't let anything get in your way.




Regardless of your religious/spiritual beliefs, why should you ever feel like you can't have or be something in your life? Where did this belief come from? Do you think that "God" doesn't want you to live up to your full potential? There is a quote from the bible that says "With god all things are possible." I don't claim to be a Christian or a religious person, but I do believe in god or a higher power. If all things are possible, what does that leave out? The answer my friends is .......NOTHING! You can have anything you want, you can be anyone you want to be, and you can inspire others to do the same. Don't allow weak minded negative people to tell you otherwise. It doesn't concern anyone except for you, your heart, and your soul. Never be afraid of the passion and desire that lives inside of you. Those feelings are there  for a reason aren't they? If they're not, that would be a really sick joke ;)




Bless you all and thank you for reading.




"Live Your Dreams Today"






-Johnny

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Coming soon...guest blog from famous Chef, Author, and Speaker Chef Mark Garcia






First let me just say how honored and excited I am to have such a high caliber guest on my blog. I have been watching some of Chef Mark Garcia's online recipe videos as he is also doing the Slow Carb Diet from the 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss. Not only are his videos entertaining and high quality, but they are also very informative as well. Chef Mark has found a way to make a normally pretty bland diet seem like fine dining cuisine. I would like to thank him in advance for agreeing to be a guest blogger.






If you'd like to learn more about Chef Mark Garcia, here is a great article:



Sunday, January 23, 2011

If you're interested in "The 4-hour body" before to watch the Dr. Oz show tomorrow at 3pm EST. Author Tim Ferris will be on explaining the diet!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The 4-hour Body 10 day results!

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The 4-Hour Body: 10 day results


The 4-Hour Body: Slow Carb Diet 10 day results from Johnny Flynn on Vimeo.

Today is my 10th day of the 4-hour body slow carb diet. So far this program has been far easier and more manageable than I expected. For the past nine days I have not done any working out of any kind. Today I have decided to start incorporating cardio and weightlifting into my program. I started off easy with 75 reps of 2-handed Kettlebell swings as well as the "From geek to freak" recommended lifts of pull downs ( 7 reps, pace 5/5) and shoulder press (7 reps, 5/5 pace). Needless to say, that was definitely enough to trigger some soreness for tomorrow. I will be ice packing my body down tonight to increase fat burning as well.

As you may remember, I didn't take my measurements on my first day of the diet. I did however weigh-in and measured my bodyfat percentage.

Here are the results as of today 1/21/11

1/11/11-   weight: 224.7 lbs/ bodyfat: 32.3 %


1/18/11- body measurements: Biceps: 13.5 in, Waist: 41in, Hips: 40.5 in, Thighs: 24 in.

1/21/11- weight: 222lbs, body measurements: Biceps: 13.5 in, Waist 40.5 in, Hips 40 in, Thighs 24 in.


10 Day Results w/o exercise:

Total pounds lost 1/11-1/21:                         2.7lbs


3 Day Results w/o exercise:
Total inches lost from 1/18-1/21:                  1 inch

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

check out the "About me" blog to know how I ended up where I'm at.

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IN THE BEGINNING.....


I suppose before you embark on reading anymore of my rants and opinions, you should know a bit about me. I was raised in a loving middle class family in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. My parents didn't have college degrees, but both worked multiple jobs to provide for our family. My mother is half Chinese and my father was raised in southern Louisiana. Needless to say, I've had my fair share of experiencing different cultures since a very young age. In school I was nothing special. I failed many classes like math and science, but excelled in the arts. I loved sports, but was pretty much your run of the mill average athlete in everything I did. I was a very sweet and happy go lucky kid, but I was a day dreamer. It was also more important for me to be the "Class Clown" in school than it was to actually do well. Everyday to me was another day to try and entertain the masses. This is because I always found school so challenging and hard to follow. I didn't even read my first book until 7th grade. I had been very good at faking and pretending my way through it all.
As I later found out in my adult years, I have Adult ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). It went undiagnosed as a child because I wasn't hyperactive and my parents didn't and still don't believe in such a disorder. Although both would disagree with you if you asked them, I believe my sister and my father also have ADHD. I would like to state that I don't feel it is a disorder as much as it is a gift. Although it can be challenging in careers, finances, relationships, health, and many other things, I wouldn't change it for the world. I believe that my creativity, humor, intuition, response in crisis, and out of the box thinking all are attributed to my mind working differently. As a matter of fact, I have four close friends who are also ADHD and also in the entertainment industry. There are also some other friends who definitely show symptoms of ADD, but it is not my place to run around trying to diagnose others haha.
Oops, looks like I got a bit off topic (Damn ADD haha). So how did I end up here is probably what you need to know about me most. Well.....ever since I was young, the thing that brought me the most pleasure in life was entertaining others and making them smile. When I was sixteen, I was forced to take a Drama class in high school as part of the graduation requirements. Thank god I did because it brought out the best of me. At the time, I went by John Flynn, just your average hormone heavy, goofy sixteen year old kid. I always fantasized about becoming an actor as a youngster, but always felt too shy and unconfident to do so. My drama teacher was a working actress in Michigan named Lane Sabourin. I'm not sure what she saw in me, but she took me under her wing from day one. At the end of drama class, I had received three awards for best in the class. One was for best actor, one was for best comedic actor, and the last one was for best written scene. I had never felt that I was really good at anything until that day. That was a day I'll never forget!
Let's fast forward my story as I could go on forever about my transition. Needless to say I didn't pursue acting after high school (Although I desperately wanted to). I let others decide my path and ended up studying communications at Eastern Michigan University. I took a couple theater classes there, but nothing was quite satisfying enough for me. My lifelong friend Brian (who I've known from school and in an advanced acting class in high school) was my partner in crime. At the age of 18, we both auditioned for a couple indy films, didn't get roles, and our enthusiasm wore out quickly. In our early 20s, we spontaneously went to an open call to be extras in a movie with Ewan Mcgregor called "The Island." That lit a fire under both of us once again, but we soon lost enthusiasm once again. Brian and I were the dynamic duo of wanting to become actors in Michigan. The problem was, there was nothing being done in Michigan at the time. Sure we could've picked up and gone to hollywood, but at the time we lived in the "Real World."
Due to my college experience (and my undiagnosed ADD haha) I had job hopped at rapid rates, racked up high amounts of credit card debt, and partied way too hard. My friend Pawel got me a job working with him at a debt collection company with mutual friends of ours and many of us stayed for a good amount of time. After all, it's very hard to leave a job if they are compensating you very well for your job duties. Sad to say, but I had jumped many jobs from 2000-2010 and most were again debt collecting or negative pressure sales jobs. In mid 2010, I was terminated from a job I had taken with a "For Profit" university for not being able to scam enough low income people into signing up for an overpriced and lower quality education. This is the blessing in disguise! As it turned out, Michigan now had a film incentive and the films were coming in like rapid fire!


So there I was in the beginning of the summer with unlimited career paths, no job, and a lot of free time. I did a lot of soul searching and over and over again my soul would keep bringing acting back into my heart. In January of 2010, I had gotten back into the Acting scene by taking classes, learning improvisation, and performing shows. I still couldn't picture my dream coming true because I was too focused on my 9-5 job. A nice paycheck and a false sense of importance is an evil little trap. Luckily, I had done a couple days of work as a background extra on a movie called "Real Steel" with Hugh Jackman previous to getting terminated by the university. I remembered that they were stil looking for background extras for multiple days for the summer. With nothing to lose I picked up the phone to see if I could get on it. As it turns out, I got more than I bargained for. I worked on "Real Steel" for 28 days over the summer. I also worked on Detroit 187, LOL, and a few other projects being filmed in Detroit. By working on these film sets, directing my first film, and taking acting classes again in 2010, I had found my true calling in life.
So that brings us to where I am today. In february I'm going back to school for Film so I can direct/produce my own projects. This time there won't be any C's, D's, and F's on my report card, i'm aiming for a 4.0! ADD is a superpower in the world of entertainment :). I signed with three talent agencies and just shot my first paid commercial for the 2011 Ford Explorer. I have a wonderful girlfriend of four years who I love with all my heart and who supports me and my dreams. I have so many new friends from the acting business that have become some of my closest and best friends in a very short amount of time. I'm finally living my dreams! All this is possible because I was forced outside of the "Real World" box by getting fired. I could always see outside the box of the "Real World," but was never brave enough to step out of it. Thank you "Un-named for-profit University" haha.
Although I am currently living my dreams, there are other dreams I have for myself. This is my journey and my experimentation on this puzzle we call life. Please join me won't you? I know I've rambled on for a long time and if you made it all the way through, I hope you enjoyed what you read. My future blogs will be short and sweet. That my friends is a promise! If you believe in miracles, positive thinking, the law of attraction, the power of your mind, the power of god, destiny, or the spirit inside you, this blog is for you. Until then......

"Live Your Dreams Today"- Johnny

P.S. Video Blog coming tonight:
topics:
The 4-hour body (How I let myself go physically and how I'm changing that rapidly)
Making and Saving money online (If I can do it, you can too!)
The power of "not listening" (Why it's a must to live your dreams)

If you're an Amazon shopper, you get get a $20.00 Amazon gift card today only for $10.00

You'll also get $5.00 towards a future purchase on living social if you click my referral link.

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Monday, January 17, 2011

WHICH WORLD DO YOU LIVE IN?

WHICH WORLD DO YOU LIVE IN?

As the 2011 year begins, I am reminded of all my successes and failures in my life at the age of 28. 2010 was a year of life changing and eye opening events. Previous to last year, I had always feared what I wanted most, to "Live My Dreams!" I don't want to "Chase My Dreams" because that could mean I potentially could never catch them. Instead, I want to "Live My Dreams" each and every day. That's what this blog is about and why I decided to write it.

When we were young, it was okay to dream to be an Astronaut, a pro athlete, or a famous movie star. Why isn't it okay to still have those dreams? I know just the answer! I was told this answer many times in my life by others who just really aren't fulfilled in their lives. That answer you might have also heard is the "Real World." In the "Real World" dreams don't come true. You work as hard as you can and as much as you can to make the mighty dollar. It doesn't matter if you hate your job, spend less time with your family, and have health related stress because of it. It doesn't matter if your relationships suffer, you feel disconnected from friends, and are too busy to spend time with your children. In the "Real World" life is not about enjoyment. Life is about hard work so you can provide for your family, invest in your 401k, and retire at age 65. Now although I am not discrediting the importance of financial planning, making a steady income, and other "Real World" ideas. I am just stating these aren't as important as you were lead to believe they are. Maybe it's not worth it to sacrifice your health, your relationships, and your time. It's really up to you to decide.


A good amount of people who are close to me unfortunately live in the "Real World" which I alternatively call "Hell." When did you buy into this "Real World" mentality. Was this your life lesson from your parents? Teachers? Friends? Religious leaders? No matter what your answer, I can tell you that someone else put those ideas into your head. I've lived in the "Real World" for 27 years.

I can't tell you how good it is to escape Hell! Does this mean when you're out of the "Real World" that you are somehow careless, irresponsible, a pipe dreamer, or a lunatic? The answer my friends is no! Are there people out there that are completely delusional? Clearly! I don't consider myself to be delusional, but I've sure had my share of problems like anyone else. It's really just a matter of perspective of how you see the world. Which world do you want to live in? Either way, your perception creates your reality. If you are not happy in your life, I encourage you to reflect deep in your heart and ask yourself why you were put on this earth. When you receive the answer, do not fear it if it seems impossible. Use the fear to propel you forward!

If you are a believer in god (in some form) like I am, you might be familiar with the biblical verse "Through god all things are possible." If you believe this is true, what does that leave out? The answer my friends is NOTHING! Having faith and following the road less traveled is what believing in god is all about. Do you think god wants you to live to your full potential? Do you think the passion in your heart is from god or from evil? If your answer is that your gifts and passions are from god, the next question is why were they given to you?

I've rambled enough about this subject. If you're ready to give up living in the "Real World" and come join the rest of us in the "Through god all things are possible" world, please follow this blog. I will be discussing the mental struggles I face, the goals I have, the setbacks I've had, and how I'm learning to overcome them. I will be experimenting on my physical body, my health, my financial situation, the pursuit of my dream career, and everyday life fulfillment. Join me won't you? Let's experience this great journey of life together. God's biggest gift to us all is life itself. It is our own free will to decide what to do with it. God Bless you all each and every day. I will be back to blog tomorrow to tell you about myself and my life changing events that took place in 2010. Thank you very much for reading.


"Live Your Dreams Today" - Johnny Flynn