Category: news

Greg Johnson – Personal Update 201612

by Greg Johnson, posted in Health, news

20100104tu-gregory-johnson-by-makur-jain-IMG_1164-198x198-square

Personal Update 201612 | 03 December 2016 | Saturday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Wellness

Over the past month I’ve been settling into a good workout program of walking, biking, strength training, and elliptical workouts. I’m using an Apple Watch now to track my workouts which is a great tool since it has GPS mapping for tracking routes, and monitors heart rate to determine the intensity of workouts. Each morning, I lift 7,700 pounds (calculated by totaling reps and sets).

Thanksgiving

Although Thanksgiving was a few days ago, I wanted to share this message I posted to Facebook about gratitude, along with the photo I posted with it.

Thanksgiving is a National Day of Gratitude, yet comes at a time when the skies are gray, the days are short, the weather is cold, the flowers are gone, the fields are dry, and the warmth and light of the sun are hidden. Most of us don’t have a big year-end harvest to appreciate. It’s easy to give thanks on a bright sunny warm summer day, but what about now? Perhaps it’s a good thing that Thanksgiving comes at this time of year. We need to grow our gratitude and give thanks even when the things we’re thankful for aren’t easy to see ‘low hanging fruit’ but the fruit of much labor and those things that are hidden from our sight. Most of the ‘things’ we’re thankful for aren’t things at all: family, friends, health, education, career, love, forgiveness, a positive outlook on life. I’m grateful to have a day set aside to reflect on all we have to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones.

20161124th-thankgiving-message-photo

Photography Secret

If you’ve been following my posts on Facebook, then you’ve seen some of my recent photography. Here’s a post I shared a few days ago about my nature photography.

People ask me about my photography – What’s my secret… what special camera do I use, what lenses, filters, software, tripods, etc. You might be surprised to learn that the quality and beauty of my nature photography has nothing to do with me or the equipment I use. Most of my photos are taken using a smartphone in auto mode. Sometimes I’ll add a lux effect. However, what really makes these photos possible is the following… In Iowa City and the surrounding area communities, there’s a commitment to preserving natural habitats, neighborhood parks, green spaces, trails, wetlands, prairies, parks, lakes, reservoirs, streams, rivers and many other spaces for wildlife and people to enjoy. Without a commitment to natural preservation, there’s no camera or photographer in the world who could capture these images because they wouldn’t exist. Think about that for a moment. Want to contribute to my photography? Donate to an organization that preserves natural habitats.

Writing

This month I shared a little bit about how having a personal blog has influenced my writing style. You might find that article interesting.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

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Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 16 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Greg Johnson – Personal Update 201611

by Greg Johnson, posted in Career, Health, news

20100104tu-gregory-johnson-by-makur-jain-IMG_1164-198x198-square

Personal Update 201611 | 6 November 2016 | Sunday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update. As you’ll notice, this month’s newsletter is going out at the beginning of the month rather than the end of the month.

Website Redesign

I recently changed the theme of my website from Twenty Fourteen to Karuna which is a more modern yet simplistic theme.

On the home page, I now have three big buttons for the primary reasons people are contacting me: tech support, website design, and tiny houses. That way, when people land on my site they can quickly get to what they are wanting.

I really like the Karuna theme because it allows for full-width pages without a right column or left column with widgets. The entire page can be filled with the content of an article, photos, or embedded videos. With the Twenty Fourteen theme, and others, the content of a page is typically limited to a relatively narrow column of text, even when the right and left columns are removed. I like the clean presentation that allows a reader to focus on the writing without distractions.

No More Weekends, Just ‘Weekly Beginnings’

The idea of the weekend is embedded in our culture and is particularly significant for those working a normal Monday through Friday work week. The rationale is that we put in our work efforts during the week, and get a brief respite on Saturday and Sunday to unwind. Although for many people, the weekends are a time to catch up on everything at home you didn’t get done during the week.

Years ago, I embraced the idea of Saturday being the first day of the week rather than the last. That may seem like an inconsequential shift, but given the day’s significance in many religions and cultures, it can actually be a big change. According to some traditions, Saturday is a very significant day of rest. The world is said to have been created in 6 days, “and on the seventh day G-d rested.” There’s a lesson in that. Get your work done, and then rest.

So, in contrast to what popular culture would tell us, I began to think of the weekend as a day of restful preparation for the week ahead. Instead of collapsing on the weekend, and trying to decompress from a busy week, I began to think of Saturday morning as a brand new beginning of a new week.

The calendar on my computer shows the week beginning with Saturday and Sunday. My iPhone, iPad, and other devices also have the week beginning with Saturday as the first day.

This change in thinking is important to me because I like the idea of being forward thinking and beginning from a place of peace and rest before working. This isn’t a matter of putting rest before work, but of putting thought and reflection before work — creating a time of renewal and planning. It’s like starting the day with meditation and exercise, before trying to take on any big projects.

What happens when you make this mind shift is that you plan your weekend as a time of preparation for the week to come, rather than cleanup from the week that just was. You begin to think of things you can do, preventative and proactive things, for the week ahead. This is part of the reason for me wanting to send my newsletter out at the beginning of the month rather than the end of the month.

This mindset is part of a broader philosophy of living for one’s ‘future self.’

Don’t Live in the Past, Don’t Live in the Present, Live in the Future

A popular theme in self realization books is to emphasize the importance of living in the present. People regret the past, yet there’s nothing they can do to change it. They fear for the future, yet it’s a fear of things that haven’t happened. So, if we live in the present moment, which is all we really have, then, presumably we can be at peace and not miss the good things in our life.

Here’s the problem with that kind of thinking. Taken too far, it causes people not to give sufficient planning to the future. It causes people not to reflect on the past, and think about what they could do differently to improve the future.

In reality, we really should live simultaneously in the past, present, and future. Yet, the most important of these is the future.

Think about it. If you focus most of your thoughts and actions around what you can do right now, to make your life better in the future, then you will perpetually be walking into a tomorrow that is better than it might otherwise have been because you prepared for it today.

Here are some examples:

  • Exercise. Some exercise is enjoyable in the moment, but sometimes we’re just doing it because we know we should. During those times when it’s uninteresting, it’s an example of choosing to sacrifice in the moment so your future self can be more healthy.
  • Food. Have you even denied yourself some culinary treat because of the calories? That’s a decision to forgo some delicious experience in the moment, so your future self isn’t growing in size at an alarming rate.
  • Savings. Have you ever decided not to buy something you wanted, so you could save up for a rainy day? That’s telling your present self to give up something for your future self.
  • Time. There are a lot of ways we can spend time that serves no purpose in the present, but serves a future need. Setting out clothes at night for the next day is an example. If you take vitamins, consider having those ready to go the night before.

Imagine going through a day with a full-time assistant helping you out. Someone who would have everything prepared for you ahead of time before you need it. You can be your own assistant by doing things ahead of time that are helpful when you need them. That’s the principle behind living in the future.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

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Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 16 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Greg Johnson – Personal Update 201610

by Greg Johnson, posted in Career, Health, news

20100104tu-gregory-johnson-by-makur-jain-IMG_1164-198x198-square

Personal Update 201610 | 31 October 2016 | Monday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Wellness

I’m getting closer to reaching my various wellness goals. This month I lifted over 93,000 pounds cumulatively and walked over 228,000 steps climbing 451 floors. Today my blood sugar was at 100, and my blood pressure remains at about 120/80 while resting. I’ve been spending more time on my bike and enjoying nature hikes with Makur. So, the benefits are showing.

Photography

We recently upgraded our phones from the 2-year-old iPhone 6 Plus to the iPhone 7 Plus. With the new camera features in the iPhone 7 Plus, I’m getting a renewed interest in taking photos and sharing them. Mostly I share them through Instagram and Facebook, but I hope to return to sharing my ‘photos of the week’ as I did in the past.

I wrote an article about buying the right camera where you can see some of my recent photos with explanations about which camera was used to take the picture and why. Be sure to check that out.

Activism

I’m continuing with my pursuit of public interest work and service projects. One area of interest is architecture and urban planning. In that regard, I’ve been producing regular podcast audio conversations with City Councilman Rockne Cole of Iowa City through my IowaCityArchitecture.com organization. You can find the podcasts at SoundCloud.com/IowaCityArchitecture.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 16 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Greg Johnson – Personal Update 201609

by Greg Johnson, posted in Career, Health, news

20100104tu-gregory-johnson-by-makur-jain-IMG_1164-198x198-square

Personal Update 201609 | 29 September 2016 | Thursday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Career

My consulting business continues to expand. I’m gaining new clients and still working with some who I’ve served for decades. These days I’m mostly providing tech support and also offering website development consulting and services. Over the past two weeks I’ve been working on two fairly large website redesign projects that I’m excited about. I continue to enjoy working as an authorized Apple repair technician part time.

Wellness

As we head into fall, the weather is more conducive to enjoyable bike riding and walking so I’m enjoying getting out more as well as continuing with my strength training program at the gym. For years I’ve been using a spreadsheet in my iPhone to track my weight lifting. It helps me keep track of my progress. I use the Apple Numbers program, along with the integrated form feature for data entry and drop-down options. This makes it easy to quickly enter strength exercises.

This past month, I’ve lifted over 94,000 pounds, and since I started going back to the gym regularly in April, I’ve lifted over 1 million pounds. This total is calculated by adding up each weight lifted by the number of times it was lifted. I’m looking forward to increasing how much I lift each month.

Here’s an example of what the entry system looks like.

20160929th2054-strength-training-spreadsheet

Here’s a quick review of how it works:

  • Entry. Touch Entry to see the above screen that lets you enter information using a form-like presentation.
  • Sheet. Touch Sheet to view a spreadsheet presentation of the data.
  • Total Entries. The number above ‘815 of 815’ is a count of the total entries in the database.
  • Date / Time. The full date and time are shown above. To enter this information each time, you simply touch the time and press the ‘Now’ button to enter the current date and time, or enter any other date and time you wish.
  • Activity. This is a drop-down menu of the type of exercise you’re doing. You can easily add items to this list in the Sheet view, by selecting the column, choosing format, and selecting the Drop-Down option. This saves a lot of time because you don’t need to type each activity repeatedly.
  • Weight. This is the amount of weight lifted.
  • Reps. This is how many times you’ve lifted the weight.
  • Sets. This number represents how many times, if any, that  you repeat this activity in a given workout session.
  • Total. This number is the total amount lifted which is equal to (weight) x (reps) x (sets).
  • Location. This is the gym or location where you did the exercise. This can be relevant if one gym has a different weight machine that requires a slightly different adjustment for the weight. For example, a chest press machine at one gym may be set at 200 pounds but to get the same resistance at another gym you might set it to 180. It depends on how the belts and pulleys are configured. Knowing the location and weight from last time can help determine what weight you should lift the next time.
  • Notes. This is a field for entering additional notes.

I’m using similar spreadsheets for tracking my weight, car mileage, and other data. What I like about the system is that it’s easy to setup and customize depending on the need, and it’s built on Apple’s own Numbers spreadsheet software that works on all iPhone, iPad, iPod, and desktop computers, as well as on the web at iCloud.com using their cloud apps. The form entry feature only works in the iOS version.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 16 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Greg Johnson – Personal Update 201608

by Greg Johnson, posted in news

20100104tu-gregory-johnson-by-makur-jain-IMG_1164-198x198-square

Personal Update 201608 | 31 August 2016 | Wednesday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Career

This summer I studied to become certified with Apple as a qualified repair technician. So, I’m now officially certified by Apple — which is an exciting accomplishment. I’m  one of two authorized repair technicians at the University of Iowa supporting thousands of Apple users. Since Apple computers are so reliable, the job is only part time, so the rest of the time, I continue staying quite busy with my consulting business. One of the highlights of the University work is having an opportunity to work in one of the best repair centers in our region under one of the best operations managers and business leaders I know.

Wellness

As mentioned previously, my primary focus these days is losing weight and maintaining optimal health. Over the past month I’ve been eating a high protein and low carb diet, and combine bicycle riding with weight lifting for a good overall workout. This month, I added elliptical and more walking in addition to bicycling and strength training.

Small Houses

This month I gave another talk on tiny house living, this time at the Marion Public Library. There was a good turnout. This is the fourth talk I’ve given in our area recently about small houses.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 16 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Greg Johnson – Personal Update 201607

by Greg Johnson, posted in news

20100104tu-gregory-johnson-by-makur-jain-IMG_1164-198x198-square

Personal Update 201607 | 31 July 2016 | Sunday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Technology Consulting

My consulting business continues to keep me  busy. This past week I had an interview with our local Fox News affiliate regarding email security. In the past my media interviews have been mostly related to the small house movement, so it’s nice to get more requests for technical commentary.

Wellness Focus

My primary focus these days is on losing weight and maintaining optimal health. Over the past month I’ve been eating a high protein and low carb diet, and combine bicycle riding with weight lifting for a good overall workout. I created a YouTube video that explains my strength training workout.

Small Houses

This month I gave a talk about tiny houses at the Cedar Rapids Public Library. We had a lot of people come out for the event. It was my first visit to the new library, which is an absolutely beautiful building with wonderful resources and a coffee shop inside. When leaving, I was able to take a photo at sunset of the building. Because of the lighting, the photo ended up looking sort of fake (in a nice way) – like one of those artists architectural renderings. Here’s the photo (click for a larger view).

20160719-cedar-rapids-public-library

 

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 16 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Greg Johnson – Personal Update 201606

by Greg Johnson, posted in news

20100104tu-gregory-johnson-by-makur-jain-IMG_1164-198x198-square

Personal Update 201606 | 30 June 2016 | Thursday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Bicycle Riding

At the start of June, we had a trailer hitch put on our car to accommodate a bicycle rack. So, now I’ve been driving around with my bicycle on the back of the car. With so many trails around the Iowa City area, I’m able to get in a short bike ride between appointments or after my workout at the gym. Having the bicycle rack on the car allows me to visit trails in the Iowa City area that I might not otherwise get to. I’m able to enjoy more riding.  I created a YouTube video about the Küat bicycle rack.

Wellness Focus

I’m continuing my focus on exercise, fitness, and wellness. Over the past month I’ve been eating a high protein and low carb diet, and combined bicycle riding and weight lifting for a good overall workout. I created a YouTube video that explains my strength training workout.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Greg Johnson – Personal Update 201605

by Greg Johnson, posted in news

20100104tu-gregory-johnson-by-makur-jain-IMG_1164-198x198-square

Personal Update 201605 | 31 May 2016 | Tuesday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Wellness Focus

About a month ago, I started going to the gym daily. I returned to the weight lifting and strength training program that I had been following about 12 years ago. I’m really feeling the benefits of that. I’ve also continued with walking and hiking.

Digital Sandcastles

An article I wrote recently addresses the topic of how to have ongoing access to older achieved data files. There’s a problem when the software or online services we rely on are no longer supported. If you’re interested in the topic, you can read the article, “Sandcastles: Online Digital and Social Media Equity Continuously Eroded.”

Small House Workshop

I’ll be giving a presentation about the small house movement on June 14 at Prairiewoods. Attend if you’re interested and please share. [Read More]

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Greg Johnson – Personal Update 201604

by Greg Johnson, posted in news

20100104tu-gregory-johnson-by-makur-jain-IMG_1164-198x198-square

Personal Update 201604 | 30 April 2016 | Saturday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Wellness

I’ve started going to the gym again, which I’m really thankful to be doing. As the weather improves, I hope to return to my morning walks which usually includes some picture taking.

Career News

For the past three months I’ve been keeping very busy with my consulting business providing technology services and developing websites for individuals, organizations, and businesses. I want to start writing and blogging more about the work I’m doing. We’ll see how that goes in the months ahead.

Audio Podcast

Several years ago I created the IowaCityArchitecture.com website to showcase development projects and urban planning news in the Iowa City area. This week, I produced a second audio podcast in what hopefully will be an ongoing series of shows with guests discussing area issues and topics of interest.

Time With Greg

I’ve been using an online scheduling system which makes it much easier for people to schedule time with me. The web address is TimeWithGreg.com and that forwards to the service I’m using.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Greg Johnson – Personal Update 201603

by Greg Johnson, posted in news

20100104tu-gregory-johnson-by-makur-jain-IMG_1164-198x198-square

Personal Update 201603 | 31 March 2016 | Thursday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Career News

For the past three months I’ve been keeping very busy with my consulting business providing technology services and developing websites for individuals, organizations, and businesses. In December, Bevel & Co. asked me to do some work for them. So, I’d been busy with that for the past few months. For more details, you can read my update about working for Bevel and Company.

Websites Launched

Here are a few of the websites I’ve been working on recently:

  • CoinSalesUSA.com – This is a site I’m excited to launch. It’s an information site as well as a sales portal to eBay. Next week is the Grand Opening, at which point the eBay sales will begin showing up on the site. You can see the basic site right now. It’s a good template for other similar sites.
  • CombinedEfforts.org – The website for Combined Efforts recently underwent a major renovation that I was able to assist with. Mary Vasey envisioned much of the visual design and layout of the new site, and I provided some technical expertise to make that all happen.
  • CommunityVisionHealing.com – This is a site that I helped launch a little while back, but I’d not mentioned it yet. It’s the website of Jamila Tharp, a minister who supports individuals, families, and communities through various services.
  • FriedmanAssociates.net – This is a consulting group that helps non-profit organizations get the funding they need to improve our communities. I worked with Jason Friedman to create a site that explains their group and services.
  • PetersenIronMetalRecycling.com – This is a recycling center in our area that partners with other local materials recycling centers. I enjoyed working with their office staff to develop a site that would convey more about what they offer.

With most of the websites I help create, it’s really a co-labor endeavor. I typically train people to design and manage their own website. I like this approach because each site is uniquely designed with creative input from the site owner. My online web design portfolio has some of my other recent work.

Time With Greg

I’ve started using an online scheduling system which makes it much easier for people to schedule time with me. The web address is TimeWithGreg.com and that forwards to the service I’m using.

The Apple iPad Pro

This month’s update was written using the Apple iPad Pro. I’ve been doing more of my work on the iPad Pro since it’s the only laptop/desktop replacement from Apple with a Touch Screen. Also, the iOS apps are often more efficient than the desktop or web equivalents.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.