You never know what’s going to happen as you place your feet on the floor in the morning and start your day.  Mine was typical until I got to work and started walking through the hallway to get some ice from the ice machine in the cafeteria.

I noticed in the hallway a large bird about the size of a pigeon hopping along one wall.  I could tell right away that the bird was weak.  I mean, if it wasn’t, then why wouldn’t it take off and fly away?  So it was there hopping away from me, and my heart really went out to this little bird.  I knew that it must have been in the building all weekend with no food or water or way out.  It looked dirty and afraid.  Now we do have pigeon problems and I’m not that much of a lover of these little fella’s when they leave their “mess” all over the place which is pretty hazardous.

But seeing this bird, out of its home environment, trapped with no food or water and literally close to dying, I couldn’t bear the thought.  I tried chasing the little guy down the hall towards and open dock door, but he wasn’t cooperating. And I felt bad that I was probably stressing him and scaring him more during the chase.  So I made the decision, leaped forward and swept him up in both hands.  I was expecting a few pecks and bites, but he didn’t struggle at all.  It’s as if he had given up or knew that he couldn’t get out on his own.

I walked over to the open dock door, leaned out and gently tossed him low to the ground near a patio.  There was water all over the ground from a dripping water spigot.  I eased back into the building, washed up and went to get my ice.

I decided to return and see what he was up to and as I peeked around the corner, the little bird was underneath the dripping water spigot.  I think he was getting a bath and drinking some badly needed water.  What an encouragement to me!  If I had left him in the building or he had been in an area where no one could have found him, he surely would have died.  It took someone intervening on his behalf,  someone to care about his predicament and take action.

I have someone who did that for me. He noticed my condition, saw that I would die and made the decision that He would save me.  I was scooped up so to speak, placed on a different path and set free.  He did it because He cared enough about my life and wanted me to live.  He didn’t have to do it, He wanted to do it!

So,… how are you going to go about your day today?  What or who will come into your life where you may be able to offer some help or receive it?  You just never know.

If you found this article interesting or it helped you in any way, please take a moment and forward it using the “Share” button below and then give it a little “Tweet”.  Have a super day!

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To all my friends out there I get a chance to share with you a short video on why I do what I do.  My inspiration came from a good friend of mine Dave Cook and his post yesterday about Bologna Juice.  Funny title right?  But a great post for any of you just entering into the business of “Doing business”.

Have a look and let me know what you think by commenting below and if you like what you heard, please “Share” it using the button below.  Enjoy!

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My Weight Loss Story

I’ve been wanting to write this for some time now but never really got around to it.  So, pen in hand…uh…keyboard at the ready, …here I go.

I can’t say that I was overweight, unless I go by the CDC center’s guidelines on obesity which says that my BMI greater than 30 I would be obese.  Well then, maybe a tad, but you never would have known it for the golf shirts.  The start of my weight loss journey found me in a hotel room in Atlanta, GA, lying on the bed, eating a doughnut while flipping through the TV after a hard day at work.  Feeling lethargic would be saying it mildly.  I came across the at home workout program, P90X infomercial.  I was amazed at what I saw.   Those guys on TV were moving, jumping, doing pull ups, push ups and things I never knew existed.  It looked hard, it looked like a killer workout but it looked like it got results!  Now this was truth TV.

I never knew you could get results by doing a workout at home.  I’ve never been one to workout at home with a DVD either.  Now I knew there was no magic pill to weight loss, but seeing this P90X workout made my mind say, “Here’s the magic pill”.  I picked up the phone, ordered it and haven’t looked back since.

The P90X workout came in the mail that week and I eagerly opened it and read all the material.  I set my workout journey to begin on the following Monday with doing my “fit test” on Sunday.  My wife watched while I was doing my fit test and laughed a few times.  How encouraging was that?  Actually it pushed me harder and helped to cement my resolve.  I threw the mental switch in my mind that I was going to do this, stick to it and get in shape, “the BEST shape of my life”!  Part of the fit test included doing pull ups.  Easy right?  Wrong!  Wide grip, overhand I did an amazing 1 and ¾.  Very embarrassing.

Monday morning 4 am came bright and early,…well not so bright, but early.  My at home workout with P90X started by popping in the DVD “Chest and Back”.  So what do you think I did?  Lots of push ups and lots of pull ups.  Well, lots of attempts anyway.  I logged all of my results on a P90X workout sheet .  All throughout the P90X workout, Tony Horton kept telling me to “do my best and forget the rest”.  That’s what I did, my best.  I couldn’t do near as many as everyone on the workouts, but I  felt a great accomplishment at having started the ball rolling and moved past the inertia keeping me in a life of unhealthy living with no exercise.  And guys, playing golf riding in a golf cart doesn’t count as exercise.

So I’m not going to go through all of the 12 DVD’s that come with P90X at home workout like Chest and Back, Plyometrics, Shoulders and Arms, Yoga, Legs and Back, Kenpo, Stretch, Core Synergistics, Chest shoulders and Triceps, Back and Biceps, Cardio and Ab Ripper but to tell you that it is a 90 day at home workout program that will absolutely change your life.  How did it change mine?  I’m glad you asked.

I went from weighing 187 lbs. to 162 lbs. in 90 days!  Now that’s true weight loss! You can see my before and after photo here.  Did I change or what?  Does it work or not?  Pictures don’t lie,…well if I photo-shopped them they would, but I’m NOT that smart.

I believed in this program so much that I clicked on one little button on my online website that Beachbody gave me when I ordered P90X and I became “A Coach”.  Now I get to encourage others to start their at home workout journey just like me and see success in weight loss, just like me.  And I get paid to do it.  Now that’s just icing on the cake… not that I’m eating it mind you

So there you have it.  Lots of sweat left on the floor, lots of fat burning and fat loss and I’m on my way to being in the best shape of my life.

If you think this article was helpful, please take a moment and “Share it” using the button below so some other “lethargic, doughnut eating, hard worker” can discover the same “magic pill” that I did.

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Motivational Monday’s

Patience, patience,….patience………….Come On Already!!!!!!

That’s how we are in life right?  It seems that we lack the one thing that will help us to lead healthier, calmer, less stressful lives.  Or am I the only one that finds himself looking at the traffic light waiting, counting the seconds until it turns green?  Then pushing that car in front of me off the white line with my mind?  Sheesh, you’d think they’d be ready for the green light just like me and hit the gas.

Then there’s driving on the highway.  Why can’t we be satisfied with being “behind” someone?  We want to get around, pull in front and be the leader, regardless if we’re speeding.

Or what about that phone call you’re waiting on?  You’ve planned for this all week, scheduled the call and as you wait for that clock to tick to the appointed time you pace back and forth trying to occupy your mind with anything other than watching the clock.

Take a look at my little Samson in the picture.  He’s patiently waiting on his master.  My wife actually.  She’s in the bathroom doing things that only women know about.  You know guys, the things that make them the most beautiful women in the world when she opens that door and asks “How do I look”?  Samson is waiting, and waiting and waiting.  He knows that when she comes out, the harness will go on and he’ll be able to walk around out in the world “reading his newspaper” enjoying that morning walk he looks for every day.  He doesn’t complain, or moan, or gripe, but when that door opens he springs to life all happy, wiggly and running in circles.

As I walk out the door this morning, I’m taking his example and making a point of slowing down, not rushing through life, enjoying what comes my way and basically letting some things just happen in the normal course of time.  why rush?  Life seems to pass by way to quick anyway.  Especially since I just hit #49 with the candles to prove it.  Maybe by doing this, I’ll have less stress today.  I’ll let ya know!

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Walking In A Fog

Have you ever had one of those days where you just seemed like you were in a fog? Or maybe instead of a fog, you just “felt” out of sorts? Well that’s happened to me, and recently I might add. It was just a weird day. The second one this week matter of fact!

I was doing most things like normal, waking, exercise, starting work and doing the normal daily grind. But I also had an appointment later on in the day to something that I had never done before. I was to have my picture taken by a professional photographer. Maybe this is what stress is? Not really experiencing true high intensity stress, but stress behind the scenes. I made my appointment and everything was OK. I was actually asked to pose certain ways trying to convey an attitude to the camera so it could actually capture more than just my picture. (Some would say I have enough attitude!) That was weird to say the least. For me anyway.

Waiting for the pictures to be downloaded and then make my way home, I still felt “out of sorts”. As I write this now, I’m feeling a bit better but you know, it has to have been that unseen stress in my life.

What’s that you are carrying around today that is making you feel this way? Can you identify it? Can you place a name on it, think it through then find something in your day to relieve that stress? I actually hit the gym at my house, worked out hard and focused on the movements, the weights, my breathing and just cleared my mind. It helped!

So what’s the point of my little rant here? Well…. just to let you know that you are not alone. (Or is it just me?) Seriously though, too many things come into our lives where we just feel like we are all alone, left out in the cold, no one to care about us and no one there to help. If you’re reading this, then I pledge my helping hand to you. If you need a shoulder, need a friend or just need to let loose on the keyboard, then here I am and this space is just for you!

Let the new wind blow through your life today, catch a breath of fresh air, close your eyes, breathe deeply and clear your thoughts……..you’ll find that the fog will be lifting once you open your eyes.

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Trim Kitchen Tuesday’s

Climbing Michi’s Ladder

Michi’s Ladder is really no ladder at all but a VERY helpful guide to get you on the fast track to weight loss, diet control and basically transforming your body into the one you want it to be by eating healthy foods.

Take the foods you eat and swap them for the ones listed on tier 1 or 2.  As you eat from lists 1 and 2 you’ll improve the chances of your losing weight.  How can you not?  Look at all those great foods!

The lower tiers also have some healthy foods but note that they are calorie dense or not as nutrient rich as the foods in tier 1 and 2.  So consider carefully how you can maximize your calories you consume each day.

Here’s a big note:  Frying foods actually drops into a different tier.  So if you fry foods in tier 1 or 2, they actually fall down into the lower tiers, so don’t do it!

Foods should be eaten, raw, steamed, poached, grilled, baked or broiled.

So take some time, read Michi’s Ladder and choose the healthy foods that your body will love you for it!

Click HERE to get Michi’s Ladder

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Motivational Monday’s

Do A Brain Dump

What gets you up in the morning? What things do you look forward to, or who do you have on your mind that you want to go see?

Waking up and getting started to a brand new fresh day is something we should all look forward to. I know that at times in our lives we all have some things that are troublesome, fearful or downright dreadful that we have to contend with each day. But for the most part, we generally have a day in front of us that we can make it what we want it to be.

I recently sat in front of Darren Hardy who at the ripe age of 18 was earning a 6 figure income and is now Publisher of Success Magazine. He brought many great and new insights into our conversation, encouraging me in ways that I have never thought possible. Just being around him made me feel like a new person. Drawing upon his strength, wisdom, knowledge and experience was truly a once in a life time occurrence. (unless I get a special invitation some time in the future to see him again).

One of the things that he said to me was an analogy of how our lives can be compared to a glass of dirty water. Picture a glass filled with the dirtiest, muckiest muddy water you can think of and then apply that to how our mind and brains are at times. We so fill our lives with stuff, junk and issues that are so unimportant, irrelevant and useless that our brains and mind are like this glass of dirty water. Good for nothing.

So how do we purge that crap from our minds? With the glass of dirty water we could just dump it out, wash it and refill it. But we can’t do that with our minds. But what we can do is take that glass of water, set it under a tap running with fresh clean water and let the glass be purged of the dirty water by the constant flow of fresh, clean, life giving water flowing into it.

That’s what we can do with our minds and our lives too. We can start introducing new things that help us rather than hurt or hinder our lives. For example, it’s been said that we are most like the 5 people that we surround ourselves with. Who are those people in your life right now, not contributing to a good healthy you? You might just need to consider making new friends who will help you succeed in life instead of those who are holding you back or keeping you trodden down. Examine all the things in your life this way, regardless if it’s friends, food, fitness or whatever. Do a little today, a little tomorrow and slowly purge that crap from your life and eventually you’ll look back and see that you’ve changed tracks and now are on the path to freedom, success and a more rewarding life.

So wake up today, grab a new handle on life, create new habits, meet new friends, eat a more healthy meal, exercise today and see if what I’m telling you won’t make an improvement in your life! Guaranteed!

Decide this today, Commit to it, and experience Success!

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