Life's a Party!

“Greatness is the courage to overcome obstacles.”

~ Dr. David Hawkins

It is said that life is a party.

If in fact that is so, I believe that it is one that I surely don't want to miss.

And if I plan to show up to the party, I think it would behoove me to do so properly attired.

Sweats and a hoodie are hardly what one would consider as putting your best foot forward.

With that in mind, I spent some time last night going through my closet in preparation for the cooler weather that is coming this way.

After putting away some summertime gear, I found that I have 5 nice sweaters that are perfect for this time of the year.

I do have a collection of hoodies ,however I think I am looking to up my game a bit.

I pulled out a half dozen pairs of slacks, none of which I fit into at this point.

Yes, I have not discussed my weight lately and yes again,it has become an issue.

(We'll get back to these slacks in a minute).

I also found a pair of jeans that I can add to my wardrobe.

They are the same size as the pair of jeans that I have been wearing since mid August.

I decided to try them on and guess what.

Yep...no way!

In the past, this would have been devastating to me.

This is no longer the case.

Because I weigh myself every morning,I know exactly how much I have gained.

I had already made the decision that after celebrating my birthday on Sunday at dinner with my family that I would go on a 21 day version of our 40 day cycle.

If I started on my birthday,it would end the Monday before Thanksgiving.

So,my current goal is to be able to wear those jeans on Thanksgiving day.

Sounds like a doable plan to me.

As for the other slacks,they are neatly folded and stored in a plastic bin next to my bed.

One mountain to climb at a time!

Who knows....Christmas is not all that far away!

The Perfect Birthday!

“There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.”

~ Zig Ziglar

Somehow I lost a couple of days.

I last wrote to you on Saturday and now here we are and it's Tuesday.

Where did those 2 days go?

That's a damn good question!

They were partially consumed by a flurry of activities generated by my birthday.

Yes , yesterday was my birthday.

I turned 64 (okay stop singing the Beatles song!)

Sunday disappeared between driving the bus, a long overdue lunch date with an old friend and then dinner with my family. I left for the gym at 6:30 in the morning and did not get back home until after 8:30 at night.

Yesterday,on my birthday, I again left the house early in the morning and did not get back to my desk until well after 7 p.m.

Upon opening my emails, I found a number, a big number, of birthday greetings waiting for me.

It was wonderful!

The problem that this created for me is that a number of years ago , I decided that if someone reached out to me on my birthday ,it only seemed right to respond individually rather than in a Facebook post that says "thanks everyone for the birthday wishes".

As I read each "Happy Birthday" message, I responded to it.

I spent over 3 1/2 hours last night doing that.

I finally finished after putting in another hour this morning doing the same thing.

What a blessing!

I could not have had a better birthday than that!

Making Progress!

 "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

~ Harry S Truman

Today was supposed to be my Day of Doing Nothing day. Sweat pants and a hoodie and me and my computer.

That was going to be my agenda. Some writing then some course work, then some lunch and then back to my studies.

It's almost noon now and I am just getting around to writing.

On top of everything else,out of the blue, I got a phone call from a dear high school buddy who is traveling through the area so I will jump out in a few minutes to grab a cup of coffee and catch up with him a bit.

Max and I will do lunch (some left overs in the fridge) and then swap out the light bulbs in the family room (we did the kitchen and dining area yesterday) when I get back.

Amazing what some new lighting can do to a room!

My new plan is to be able to spend the latter part of my afternoon at my desk listening to my course on coaching. If I have time, I will also listen to a bit more of my course on Mindfulness.

It s becoming painfully obvious to me that I have yet to get a handle on my time management. Or more precisely my ME management in regards to that particular resource.

I am getting better at it.

In the past, losing the morning as I did today would have led to me abandoning any hopes of accomplishing what I had set out to do in the first place.

Today,it just means making adjustments to the amount of free time that I have left and just how much I can hope to get done in it.

That's a far cry from throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water.

It's called progress!

More importantly,it's a win for the home team!

Shabbat Shalom!

Caoching

"The key to happiness is inner peace.

The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear and suspicion, while love and compassion and a sense of universal responsibility are the sources of peace and happiness."

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

In the Spring of 2010, I attended a one evening program called STRETCH. It was a free event geared at people who were transitioning in life and who might have an interest in what was then a relatively new and blossoming field called life coaching.

In the Fall of 2011 I enrolled in IPEC,The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching.,a program designed for those who wanted to become a life coach.

From the moment I registered I was committed to the notion that I had no desire to be a life coach.

Why would anyone pay some one to coach their own lives?

It sounded ridiculous.

If you needed professional help , there are a plethora of psychiatrists,psychologists,social workers,clergy,head hunters and business developers out there , all with degrees from accredited institutions of higher learning.

When you walk into their offices the first thing you see on the walls is the affirmations given to them by these revered organizations verifying on sheepskin that in fact these people are certified experts in their chosen fields.

To me , the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, and for that matter the entire field of coaching, was akin to the "learn how to become an artist "ads that I used to see at the back of my comic books when I was a kid.

So why was I spending my 2 most valuable resources (time and money) on this?

My reason was a simple one.

While I loved my Dad, I knew that I did not want to be the same angry curmudgeon that he often was.

Barking at people,scowling at people and grousing about this that and the other thing was not how I wanted to live.

I was at the time quickly becoming that person.

I felt as if life had kicked me around quite a bit and quite frankly, maybe it was just in my D.N.A. to continue down this path.

I wanted to get over that stuff and be a better me.

Lo and behold, I found out a number of things at IPEC.

#1 is that coaching is a very real thing.

#2 is that I was really , I mean really good at it.

I still had no desire to become a professional life coach, but I loved doing it.

BTW...........Did I mention how good I was at it?

Over the next 7 years, there were times when I thought it might really be helpful to engage a coach to help me along my Journey.

Financially that always seemed imprudent, and my "I can do this myself" mentality certainly did not help.

(I'm such a chauvinist!)

While on our mini vacation in August, all of this changed.

I had a plan to share my skills and life experiences with others. I also knew that with out a coach,I could never get this done.

In a very uncharacteristic move, I reached out to a coaching colleague who I hold in the highest regard and explained my situation.

I had a plan and I needed help.

That's when a funny thing happened.

I asked and she responded with an "okay lets go".

Huh?

That simple?

Well not 100%.

Seems that she saw some value in my skill sets and experience.

She saw not just my potential,but also an opportunity to add to her vast pool and ever growing community of really talented individuals.

With her help, I have moved this new endeavor down the road and with any luck , no with continued perseverance, I will eventually be offering my services in a professional setting.

7 years of denying who I am and just how good (read powerful, ,empathetic,talented,insightful and significant) I really am and just how much of an impact I can have on others.

Declaration:

I am a Life Coach.

(and a really good one!)

Never mind the sheepskins on the wall, I have the lines on my face and the scars on my being that attest to my expertise!
BTW...while any one can learn to draw by signing up with the ads in the comic books, only those with real talent become artists.

Shabbat Shalom!

More on G.S.D.

“The strangest secret in the world is that you become what you think about.”

~ Earl Nightingale

Since listening to my mentor Darren Hardy's message regarding working at Sparks Speed and Getting S#!t Done, I have been fairly diligent about this.
Diligent and maybe a bit aggressive, or maybe very proactive.
In either case, this positive energetic approach has been a welcome change to the way I have been handling things for the last few months.

It is also yielding some immediate results,again all positive.

Up until last week, my life was like playing wack-a-mole blindfolded.

Not very effective!

It's much easier when you can see the game in front of you.

Every one of the last few days has been productive.

Nothing has been overwhelming and stuff is getting handled daily.

Maybe, just maybe ,I have found a clearing in the wilderness that is my Journey.

I have no idea if this is a temporary condition or a real shift in the landscape.

That doesn't matter.
For now, I'll continue moving forward and enjoying the wide open spaces!

Well excuse me!

"Never give up on the most important goals in your life. Never give up on your life purpose. Never give up on your core values."

Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I was expecting some push back when I wrote about my daughter Becca's new form of transportation.

I expected to hear things like "you should be more supportive","She's a grown up,she knows what she's doing" "Let her do what she wants".

while all of these are valid points, my message was supportive. I am just strikingly aware of the consequences of the choices we each make and I hope all of my kids are as well.

I did get one admonish though and I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge it, share it with you and correct the egregious error I committed.

It was actually from Becca who pointed out that her ride is not 3.5 miles but actually 6.5 miles each way.

Correction noted and acknowledged!

Let's think about this for a second...........

“I am what I am because early in life I decided that I would please at least myself in all things.”

~ Edmond Rostand

My daughter Becca has taken to riding a bicycle to work.

The 3.5 miles from her place to the shop can be traveled almost exclusively on the County Park's bike trail.

There are many positives to her new form of transportation.

The exercise is good for her physically.

Fresh air in the morning and getting your heart going to start the day is always a plus.

Not to mention that a bicycle is more eco-friendly than her Ford Escape.

There is a down side however.

In the last 2 weeks she has fallen off of her bike twice, each time banging up the same knee.

While neither fall has caused any major damage, one has to wonder what could have happened.

Becca owns and runs a business that requires a good deal of physical activity.

She is on her feet all day.

She has to stand as she bathes and dries dogs.

She also walks dogs and has the responsibility of handling each one when they come into the shop and when they leave the shop.

Imagine if she had sprained,twisted or broken an ankle or leg or who knows what?

None of us are kids anymore.

There are consequences to our actions and choices.

When taking on new activities like bike riding , we have to be careful.

We have to proceed with caution learning the do's and don'ts.

I am not advocating going through life afraid to try anything new.

We just have to be careful.

We have jobs and responsibilities.

We have people who depend on us , whether we are the boss, owner or employee.

It's different if the activities you engage in have been part of your routine for a long period of time.

But when we are taking on new adventures,proceeding with caution is probably a good idea.

I am proud of my daughter's choice to add this to her routine.

I support her 100% in trying new things , especially when they have a huge upside to them.

2 falls i 2 weeks.

Like I said no major injury. No harm, no foul.

However ,she may want to rethink her plans to go skiing for the first time in her life for a while!