I didn’t create Just Keep The Change to help you be more successful with women, to help you get over your ex girlfriend, or to help you to be a better kisser; I created Just Keep The Change so that you could ultimately live a fuller and richer life – getting better with women would just be one part of it.

That is why I decided to do something a little different today. I want to show you some resources that might help you grow in all areas of your life – not only romantically, but also when it comes to your health, your spirituality, your personal relations and your social skills.

I believe that to really have success in one part of life, you must also have some part of your other ‘parts’ handled. Each time you improve your weakest link, it strengthens everything and makes room for everything else to grow.

Now, this is not absolutely absolute end of it all, as you can without a doubt have success in some parts of life without having it in others… Just think about the stereotypical geek in his basement coding and hacking: he may not have a lot of success with women, but his coding skills are top notch. But if he did get better with women (rising one of his weaknesses metaphorically speaking), he would most likely experience more success overall and gain a broader perspective on things.

It is also important to take note that the things you need to work on should not be created by anyone but you. Not your friends, not your mom and definitely not society. If you feel that you need to get better with women, or have a more solid career, do it! But if it’s not really you, but more of a demand put on you externally, you should seriously consider focusing on other things.

Anyway, enough of another one of my ramblings about life… Let’s get on with that list.

Oh, and by the way: the links to Amazon here are affiliate links, meaning that I’ll earn a dime or two if you buy the book or anything else while you’re there. So if you don’t want to help out a fellow financial crisis-hit man, please don’t click on the links ;-)

Websites:

T-Nation
THE best training, muscle and nutrition site on the web, bar none. If you’re serious about working out, this one should be a no-brainer. The forum is stuffed with useful information, too. (Not always safe for work, though…)

Scientific American
A great place to broaden your horizon and learn about a lot of really cool stuff. Their research is for the most part solid, and I feel like I get smarter each time I pay them a visit. For example, check out: Affairs of the Lips: Why We Kiss and The Orgasmic Mind: The Neurological Roots of Sexual Pleasure.

Seth Godin’s blog
Seth Godin knows his stuff about marketing, and his blog is always interested to read. If you have never heard of the guy, I’d suggest that you go read up on him. He might change your perspective on some things…

Scott Adams’ Dilbert blog
Scott Adams, “the creator of Dilbert, Wally, Catbert, the Pointy Haired Boss and all your favourite cubicle companions” always has something interesting to say, whether it’s informative, funny or provocative. Broaden your horizon a bit and take a peek. He’s a smart guy. And while you’re at it, read Dilbert the series too – it’s hilarious!

PostSecret
While there’s a good chance you know of PostSecret already, I thought it deserved a mention. Each Sunday, Frank Warren updates his blog with homemade postcards sent to him containing various secrets (hence the name). I could spend all day telling you about it, but instead I think that you should simply hop over and see what it’s all about. Personally, a lot of the secrets move me quite a bit, sometimes to tears, and I most definitely always feel ‘refreshed’ after reading them.

Books:

The Way of the Superior Man
by David Deida, a spiritual guide to mastering the challenges of women, work, and sexual desire.

A lot of great things has already been said about this book, but I’ll add to the pool: “The Way of the Superior Man” will teach you how to be the man you’ve always wanted to be. David Deida writes with passion and honesty about living with your heart open and vulnerable, about how you can satisfy your woman in the bedroom without being a jerk in the living room at the same time and about a lot of other modern challenges about being a man.

The superior man is what I would call the just keep the change man; the man we should all aspire and strive to be. I can’t give justice to the quality of this masterpiece with just a couple of paragraphs, so let me say this instead: if I were to recommend only a single item on this page to you, it would be this book.

How to Win Friends & Influence People
by Dale Carnegie, the first -and still the best- book of its kind to lead you to success.

For a man to be the best that he can absolutely be, I think that it’s crucial for him to be able to conduct one self in all kinds of social situations. It is not about being manipulative as the title could mislead, but more about having good manners, compassion and great listening abilities. It will teach you the art of handling people on a day to day basis, and even though it was written more than 70 years ago, the advice it contains is more crucial now than ever. Put into practice the principles outlined in the book, and I promise you, that you will be seeing more success in both your personal and professional life.

Atomic Dog
by TC Luoma, the testosterone principles.

Brutally honest, sometimes downright absurd and disturbing, and funny as hell… That’s the best way I can describe this book. If you’re not easily offended, read this book as a test. And if you are, take this as a challenge. But to rob yourself from this little gem would be a shame – TC writes like no other about the male hormone testosterone and all that it does to us men. And did I mention that you will be snorting at his one-liners? This is a gift to the uncircumcised man. Read, learn and enjoy.

All books written by Hemingway
A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Old Man and the Sea, Indian Camp…

Maybe cliché, but personally I have learned a lot about men, women and about myself by reading the books of Ernest Hemingway. In my opinion, one of the most educational and interesting books he has written is “The Sun Also Rises, written in 1926. Its main themes flow around suppressed emotions, desire and (missing) direction in life – important topics I think we should all explore more.

On a vacation, you don’t want to read something that’s too heavy, and Hemingway’s books fall under exactly that category – his books contain a perfect mix of entertainment and thought provokement; just right for a day at the beach or before falling asleep in your hotel room. His prose is often understated, leaving things for you to read between the lines and to figure out for yourself. To not have read a single book by Ernest Hemingway would be the same to literature as it would be to the movies to not have seen Star Wars …now, wait, you have seen Star Wars, right?

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
By Steven R. Covey

If you’re serious about self-development, this book should be a staple in your bookshelf. What Steven Covey writes about is for the most part common sense – but as you know, common sense is not so common after all. This is sensible, pragmatic advice about being effective at its best.

TV-Series

Lost

Since this list contains resources which can help you grow in character, among other things, the tv-series “Lost” absolutely had to be present. There are so many good things about this show that I almost don’t know where to begin, but let me tell you this: if you’re not made of stone, you’re gonna get emotionally involved with this show. And that’s a good thing!

The scene sets out with a plane crash; people are screaming, parts of the plane exploding, total chaos. We’re on a mystical island, and the show is basically about how the 40something people surviving the crash will survive on the island- and how they will get away.

Needless to say, there is a lot of stuff happening on the island. Intrigues, love affairs, heroes, fear, monsters and more… Lord of the flies, anyone? Anyway, I really think that you should check this series out to share some laughs with Hurley, eyeball Kate, learn Korean with Jin, and grow a redneck attitude with Sawyer. I have yet to meet someone who hasn’t at least enjoyed the first season!

Entourage

Entourage, meaning ‘followers’, is another highly entertaining TV-show, although maybe a bit more offensive than Lost. Entourage circles around the four men from Queens Vince, Johnny, Turtle and Eric. Vince is an A-list actor, Johnny is Vince’s older brother, Eric is Vince’s manager and Turtle is just the friend and chauffeur.

What is fascinating about the show is not so much the fast cars, the hot girls or the big houses, no, it’s the play, the fun and the banter between the characters. Vince’s agent, Ari, is also in many ways a good role model for a father, a friend and a husband. Under his tough agent shell, he’s a good guy with a massive heart and a big pair of balls. Vince’s cool, laid back behaviour is also quite inspirational at times.

Check this show out – I can almost guarantee you that you will like it.

Conclusion:

What runs through all these websites, books and series is that I like them – and of course, that is not a guarantee that you will, too. To truly grow in character and develop yourself, you have to follow your own path. Do what you love without shame and learn what you can in the process.

Let me sign out by saying this: living is learning. You learn from everything. But can you apply it? That is the real challenge.

So I challenge you to this: live a little extra the next week. Take a night just for yourself. Prepare a little. Eat a good home-made meal, have a glass of wine, take a hot bath, and watch a great movie. Really enjoy yourself.

One of the things about developing self-confidence is to learn to enjoy one own’s company. If you know that you can be happy by yourself, you really don’t need anyone else. Sure, a great girl can spice your life up, but she won’t be a necessity for your happiness.

Wouldn’t you also like a woman who “wants you, but don’t need you?”

Anyway-

Let me know in the comments about what kind of books and websites and all that stuff that you like and find really useful. That will be interesting to hear. I might even get a new gem for my collection.

I’ll post some of my favorite movies in a future article.

Till then; thanks for reading!
Alex

James Bond is cool. We all know that, but did you know these 12 things about the macho legend?

• Bond doesn’t necessarily drive in his famous Aston Martin; he has also driven a Russian tank, an oil tanker, and a double-decker bus!
• The original Aston Martin DB5 was sold in January 2006 at an auction in Arizona for $2,090,000, to a European James Bond collector.
• James Bond’s astrological sign is the Scorpio.
• As you probably know, James likes gin-martinis, preferably shaken, not stirred. But he is also very fond of vodka.
• James Bond likes watches; Sean Connery had a Rolex Submariner, Roger Moore a Seiko Quartz and Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig wore Omegas.
• James Bond is the second highest grossing film series ever at roughly 4.6 billion dollars. It is second only to the Star Wars series, which has earned about 6.6 billion dollars.
• M’s real name is almost revealed by Bond in “Casino Royale”. Bond says: “I thought M was a randomly assigned letter, I never knew it stood for…”
• “Licence to kill” was the least financially successful James Bond movie. Many critics felt this was because of the 15+ rating it received in England.
• “Goldfinger” is often called the best Bond movie ever.
• The armourer, who supplies Bond with all his gadgets, is referred to as Q. The Q stands for “Quartermaster”.
• In all the movies Sean Connery stares in, he wears a toupee.
• The famous Bond music was originally composed by Woody Allen, who wrote the music for a beer commercial. The beer company rejected the tune; the rest as they say is history!

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