Being in the moment.  What does that really mean?  I’m sure that if we ask a 1000 people, we’d get some very similar answers.  You thought I was going to say a 1000 different answers didn’t you.  Well, I think most people can understand what being in the moment is about.  Actually I think it’s a lot of things that are rolled into one.

First let me just say that I think the majority of people today tend to take life too fast.  Or maybe they let it pass them by without taking advantage of the good things all around.  We live life in a fast paced world.  Mom’s and Dad’s are rushing to work driving liking mad to get there, barely avoiding tickets or sometimes an accident with another car, feeling the wrath of the driver behind them on the back of their neck.  Blazing through a very long work day only to come home, grab the kids and rush them to soccer, dance class, piano class, or some other sort of event and stopping along the way to grab a “Fast Food” meal at the local burger joint on the corner.

When was the last time you really sat down and relaxed with your family or friends, not worrying about the world around you?  Or when was the last time that you looked at life and decided to live each day to the fullest by filling that day with good things shared by your closest love, family or friends?

Sometimes we need to leave the hassle and stress behind and enjoy those around us.  Actually I’ll restate that by saying lets enjoy those around us ALL the time.  Recently while walking my Husky in the neighborhood I found a small gathering of adults and kids off to the side of a field.  Curiosity getting the better of me, Sam and I walked over to see what was going on.  To my surprise, there nestled among all the kids sitting on the grass and adults standing around was this deer.  Surprisingly it was curled up in the grass, allowing the kids to pet it like our trusted cats and dogs.  Reflecting on this as I watched the deer remain calm and relaxed, enjoying the comfort of the kids and the carrot snacks it was munching on from it’s new found friends I took notice of all the happy faces around.  The adults with not only a look of awe, but of quite pleasure at something that just doesn’t happen in a lifetime.  The kids beaming brightly and smiling with a part of wildlife that has chosen to sit with them for a spell and share in each other’s comfort.  The deer to his credit, was relaxed, jaws working back and forth on the carrots, accepting the rubbing on its back from the kids.  Maybe even knowing that a new found relationship was in the making.

Even Samson my Husky was unnaturally mellowed out and accepting of the deer’s presence. Oh the deer knew he was there alright, even as close as 6 feet at times.  Wow, what a time of enjoyment for everyone, living in the moment, finding happiness with all those around in a situation that not normally happens.  But finding these moments and others may not seem as hard as you may think.  So getting rid of all the distractions and busyness and making an effort to say to yourself I’m going to live in the moment, live each day fully and enjoy life with my love, or my family or my friends should be something we do more of than the other.

The end of this moment found the children delighted and happy with having befriended this deer.  The Adults, tucked this moment away in their hearts to recall time and time again as they live life.  The deer, well whose to say that it wasn’t an Angel in disguise bringing happiness and joy to those around.  If not, then I’m sure the deer walked off in to the night, with a full belly and a warm heart being in the presence of those who normally have other intentions and a new insight of these two legged animals.

As for me, well, I too was awestruck and happy at having experienced this.  Living each day to the fullest has taken on new meaning for me lately in the most wonderful of ways.  But this story I will save for another time, because it deserves the limelight all it’s own.

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Life is a puzzle some times, …is it not?  We just can’t quite figure out how to take the next step.  We know that we want more or need to have something else in our lives, but just don’t quite know how to get there.  Or we keep that thing in our lives that continue to holds us back from taking the next step.

Now all of you know that I’m about fitness, nutrition, goal setting and at times,  here to offer my experiences in life, ….about life,… to you.  I hope that you will find something that you can take away to encourage you to take the next step.  But dog gone it, sometimes life is a riddle, or a puzzle that has many moving parts.  Where do I start to figure this puzzle out is a common question.  And…really…the first step is the hardest right?  Or just trying to know where to start.  So my encouragement to you about that step is…….. stop sitting on your butt and do something.  Anything!  Make a move to figure this thing out, even if it’s an uncertain move.  No move at all is inaction and unless you’re some sort of brainiac that can figure it all out in your itty bitty head before hand, then I really need for you to be writing this article.

But even as puzzling as life is, we tend to make it harder.  So, take the first step and then, maybe, just maybe the next one will present itself to you and help steer you along.  So you’re asking yourself, what the heck is he talking about…. Well, I’m glad you asked.  This puzzle could be how to figure out what you need to do in starting that exercise routine you’ve put off for 30 years, or finding out how to start eating right after a lifetime if dining under the golden arch’s.  Or it could be that next move in life at work, at home, in that relationship or frankly how to get that dang dog from peeing in the house.  But until you are willing to take the first step, you’ll never see the second one.

So, I’ll finish here by talking about this little video.  A very few of you may know that I like to work with wood and build boxes.  Some of them are puzzling to say the least.  From taking a log in the woods, to planning a design, cutting and preparing the material and then working on the box itself trying not to make cuts out of sequence and ruining the whole project and then seeing it’s completion only to say ……..What the heck, I don’t even know how to open this darn thing I just made………  well not really, but you see life is that way some times.  We make of it what we want of it.  I’m all for setting a new course direction, especially when I love where it’s headed.  It’s a puzzle no doubt…….but I’m taking the first step.  How about you?

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What makes some people so successful in their career or life’s pursuits where it seems that everything they touch turns to gold?  On the flip side, how come a lot of other people we know seem to struggle and toil over the same issues time and time again?

Let me propose to you that the first person knows something or has something that the second person does not.  Would you agree with that?  I think most of you would.  So what is it?  That’s the million dollar question.  If you could just find out what that thing is and how you can get it, that would be the real solution to all your struggles in life.

I’ll pose a few scenarios to you;  And since this site is really about fitness, the first one will be about that …Why is it some people never manage the time to stay in shape, while others run a few miles each day even though their lives are just as busy?  They have the Slight Edge!  It’s there in your life whether you know it or not.  It’s either working for you or against you.  Your health is the most prized possession you have.  Yet many people don’t give their prized possession the attention it deserves. You wouldn’t expect to eat a double cheeseburger for lunch and then keel over with heart attack from it.  Not today and not tomorrow.  But a lifetime of that type of eating will certainly put you on that path.  So it’s not the 1 junk food meal, it’s the thousands over a lifetime.  Eating fresh fruit, complex carbs, lean protein and such will give your body what it needs. It’s easy to eat right and it’s easy to not eat right.  Both are easy, but in the long run they have dramatically different outcomes.

The same is true for exercise.  Not doing a bit of exercise for a week or so, won’t put your body in sad shape, but a lifetime of no exercise will certainly put the pounds on. A few workouts a week, twenty minutes here doing a fast walk or run, doing some resistance exercises here and there, all add up to what your body needs.  Both of these examples show the slight edge in our life.  A little bit each day will either reward us, or put us on the wrong path.  Yet the day we do it, just that one day in time doesn’t have much of an effect.  The days add up and the slight edge has worked for us.

The second example is finances.  It’s the same story a lot of you have heard.  Two people age 24 talk about retirement and how to invest to make a million bucks by age 65.  One takes steps, small as they are and invest 2,000 dollars a year for 6 years.  The other just meanders through life not giving much thought to retirement and then meets his friend again at year 7.  He asks his friend how he’s doing and how are his investment plans going.  His friend says ‘I’m all done!”  At age 65 by the magic of TIME his friend will have a million dollars even though he doesn’t have to invest 2 cents more here at age 31.  So the friend who didn’t start investing wants to be in the same shape and starts his trek towards the million dollars at age 65.  The only difference is, he now has to invest 2000 dollars a year until he’s 62 to reach that mark.  His procrastination cost him 33 years!

So the slight edge in life can have a profound effect.  But it’s never to late to start.  It’s not simply “Will Power” that will get you there.  All it is is TIME.  Do a little each day, regardless of the goal and you will achieve it.

So get off your (you know what) and get on the “Slight Edge” of life and succeed!

If you enjoyed this post and hopefully found it useful, please take a moment and click “SHARE” below and give it a little Tweet up top.  Thanks!

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Motivational Monday’s

I came across this book and it’s leadership techniques when I was out in California at our annual Coach’s Summit.  Our team are so motivated to help people reach their fitness and nutrition goals AND to help other coach’s along their path to fitness, fun and financial freedom that we focus a lot on leadership and development.

The principles found in this “must read” book 212 Degrees by S.L. Parker and Mac Anderson are designed to help get you on the right track to success.  You can apply these thoughts and principals to just about any area of your life and that’s why I wanted to share this quick video with you.  Should you care to get a copy of this book, please visit their site at “Walkthetalk“.  I’m not an affiliate and I receive NO financial benefit from this referral.  My ONLY goal is to help you reach what ever goal you set for yourself.  And if that means I do it for free and you succeed, I count that as a win in my book!

Also, if you need a few other resources to help you, check out an earlier post, “Self Help Books To Get You There“.

Enjoy!  (And don’t forget to click on “SHARE” at the bottom and then a little “Tweet” up top).

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Hi There!

No Push-ups, No Sit-ups, No Lunges, No Cardio ….No Sweat!

Just letting you have a peak into my typical weekend morning waking up with Sam!

Well, I just wanted to bring you into my “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” so to speak, so I got my camera out this morning, whistled for my loyal buddy Samson, leash in hand and off we went.  Just a quick walk out the door to the dock and a view of my neighborhood that I wake up to every morning.  Well usually I’m out the door at O’Dark thirty, but you get the drift as I see it on weekends.

I’m still a little sleepy as I describe the view, but I hope you enjoy seeing the water, hear th birds and see what beauty is all around us, even my very furry friend “Samson”.  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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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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Motivational Monday’s

Second Chances

Have you ever gone to the dentist for a routine cleaning and come away feeling refreshed and new and like the slate has been wiped clean? (no pun intended) Well the other day I had my regularly scheduled visit and I felt just that way upon leaving the dentist office. It wasn’t that I had a bad report or anything, on the contrary everything was great.

But later that night I had the time to reflect a bit on my teeth being cleaned and how great they felt right at that moment. Now I regularly brush, do the oral hygiene bit and all, but I could be better at some of the things that go the extra mile. Like using the water pick every day. My decision that night was to take this second chance since my teeth were primed and ready to receive the royal treatment each and every day. So I feel good about having a second chance.

What about eating right or exercising? I always know in my mind that if I don’t succeed one day with eating healthy foods or doing that exercise, then I have a brand new day the next day. My second chance. Life is great that way. We can wake up and know that today is a new day, starting out fresh to make things happen right.

How about at work? You’ve struggled with that co-worker over the week, or put off doing that project or task. Again, today is your second chance. Meet that someone at work and before any work related business happens, tell them “Good Morning, How are you today?” Start the day off right with genuine concern and cheerfulness towards others. Eat that frog of a task. You know the one. It’s been lying on your desk for weeks. Go ahead, take a big bite and like the comedian says “get’er done”.

So what’s your second chance today? Write and comment below and let me and others know what it is. When we share our life struggle, they don’t seem as hard to take, so share away!

Decide, Commit, Succeed!

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I recently met a new friend, Kim, who was walking by and noticed that I was reading a motivational book.  Asking what I was reading, I responded that I was reading “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy.  This led to some good conversation about inspirational and motivational books to help you.  I truly believe from that encounter that Kim is going to become a good friend.  You can look at person and tell very quickly that they have a heart that cares for others, a drive that moves them forward in life and a DNA, or “Determined Natural Ambition” that sets them apart from others.

We met again and enjoyed some great conversation and also talked a bit more about books that help us to grow.  I was trying to recall some that I had recently read, but I’ve read so many and started and stopped others only to pick up another one, that I could only name a few at that time.  Inspired by our conversation, I came home and looked on my bookshelf.  I have over 50 at a quick glance.  I decided that I would grab a few of my favorites off the shelf and just put them here as a recommendation for you to read at some point in your life.  They’re all great and I’ll add to this list at a later time, but for now here’s a few to get you started…

• EAT THAT FROG by Brian Tracy – His sub title of “21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time” truly fits what’s inside the cover.  From planning your day to focusing on results to motivating yourself into action are just a few of the topics covered.
• SPARK by John Ratey – is a great book to read about how the mind and the body interact to help keep us healthy and strong.  Our brains are much like muscles that can grow with use or wither from inactivity.
• FAILING FORWARD by John C Maxwell – What makes achievers excel?  Why do some people skyrocket while others plummet?  These are just some openers that John speaks to in this book.
• WHO MOVED MY CHEESE by Spencer Johnson – How we deal with change in our lives so that we can enjoy less stress and more success in our work and our life.
• THE MAGIC LAMP by Keith Ellis – “Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals”.  This book was originally recommended to me by my good friend joey Petri and I’ve found that this book is very helpful for me in gaining momentum.  there is a process to the madness called “L.A.M.P”, but I’ll save that for you to find out what it means.
• GO FOR NO by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz – OKay, in a nutshell “Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, but “No” Can Never Hurt Me”
• MADE TO STICK by Chip Heath and Dan Heath – My friend Tony Horton (author of the famous workout P90X) recommended this book to me.  Why do some ideas thrive while others die?  And how do we improve the chances of our worthy ideas?  This book is AWESOME!  Thanks Tony!
• TRIBES by Seth Godin – Do you want to be a leader or a follower?  Tribes are all the rage these days, but someone has to lead.  Surprisingly that could be YOU!
• THE SLIGHT EDGE by Jeff Olson – My good friend Judy Zavislak has shared this book with me and I must say it’s one that has really made a huge impact on my life.  The slight edge over time will make me into a person that I cannot even fathom today.  Doing the right thing albeit ever so small, each and every day will help me to succeed in those dreams.
• THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON by George S Clason – Take a journey back in time to learn economic tips and tools for financial success that are still applicable today.

All of these titles can be found quickly by clicking on my Recc Books.  But if you are anyone like me, you might already own these treasures.  Just dust them off and give them a read.  Please check back here after you do and share with me and others your comments on these books…or others.

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