I promised I would put this up here. Zig Ziglar promotes "self-talk". The fact is that we all talk to ourselves, but too often we're lying to ourselves. I believe that what you speak can be prophetic. Not for any mystical reason, but if you are speaking positively, you are in the correct frame of mind to see new opportunities. If you are speaking negatively, it puts you in the position to where you expect problems. Do you ever notice how negative people seem to attract trouble? Part of it is perception, as well. When you're in a positive mindset, problems seem small and the good things are overwhelming. I read the following every morning and every evening, out loud, to give myself a "positive talking to". Anyway, feel free to take this and adapt it for your own use:
I am an honest, intelligent, organized, responsible,
committed, teachable person who is sober, loyal and clearly understands that
regardless of where my paycheck comes from I am self-employed. I am an
optimistic, punctual, enthusiastic, goal-setting, smart-working self-starter who
is a disciplined, focused, dependable, persistent, positive thinker. I am
an energetic team player who appreciates the opportunities God offers me.
I take honest pride in my competence and appearance and am motivated to be and
do my best so that my healthy self-image will remain on solid ground.
These are the qualities which enable me to manage myself and help give me
employment security in a no-job-security world.
I am a compassionate, respectful encourager who is a considerate, generous,
gentle, patient, caring, sensitive, personable, attentive and fun-loving
person. I am a supportive, giving and forgiving, clean, kind, unselfish,
affectionate, loving, family-oriented human being and I am a sincere and
open-minded listener and a good-finder who is trustworthy. These are
the qualities which enable me to build good relationships with my associates,
neighbors, friends and family.
I am a person of integrity, with the faith and wisdom to know what I should do and the courage and convictions to follow through. I have the vision to manage myself and to lead others. I am authoritative, confident, and humbly grateful for all
the graciousness of God. I am fair, flexible, resourceful, creative, knowledgeable, decisive and an extra-miler with a servant's attitude who communicates well with others. I am a consistent, pragmatic teacher with character and a finely-tuned sense of humor. I am an honorable person and am balanced in my personal, family and business life, having a passion for being, doing and learning more today so I can be and do more tomorrow.
I am a healthy individual who is physically fit and mentally sound. I eat proper quantities of nutritious food to fuel my body and to give me an abundance of energy to complete my daily tasks. I regularly take time to exercise my body, nourish my soul, and sharpen my mind.
At Night
These are the qualities of the winner I was born to be and I am fully committed to developing these marvelous qualities with which I have been entrusted. Tonight I'm going to sleep wonderfully well. I will dream powerful, positive dreams. I will
awaken energized and refreshed. Tomorrow's going to be magnificent and my
future is unlimited. Recognizing, claiming and developing these qualities, which I already have, gives me a legitimate chance to be happier, healthier, more prosperous, more secure, have more friends, greater peace of mind, better family relationships and authentic hope that the future will be even better.
In the Morning
These are the qualities of the winner I was born to be and I will develop and use these qualities to achieve my worthy objectives. Today is a brand new day and it's mine to use in a marvelously productive way.
I guess I should start blogging everyday. This past month has been great. I've had energy like I haven't had in 3 years. I'm finally down to where my scale will give me a number, not just an "E" for error. I had to wait until my physical exam 2 weeks ago to find out that I weighed 389. The scale this morning read 379. Beautiful. I've been doing quite a bit of walking at night and at lunchtime. I also purchased a used weight bench and weight set off of craigslist, and that's kept me sore all week! That's about it for now.
I'll try to get better at updating more frequently.
Cheers.
I'll try to get better at updating more frequently.
Cheers.
Things have been going pretty well. I've been eating much better and in better portions. I started off the first few days above my 3,000 calorie ceiling, but I've kept it between 2,800 and 3,000 since then. If you're nosy like me and want to see what I've been eating, you can check it out at www.fitday.com and put in username "natethenorsk" and password "poiuyt". After you do, please go get a life.
Anyway, I've been walking lots more, too. My goal is 30 minutes a day 6 days a week. It's been more like 3 days a week so far, but I'm improving. Tonight the dog and I went to Memorial Park to walk around Prospect Lake. It's about a mile around, so it's perfect for an evening walk. It's been years since I've been there, and I was struck by how diverse the park visitors are. I felt like I had walked onto Sesame Street. There were hispanics, asians, blacks, whites, young, old, disabled, fully-mobile, dogs, bikes, boats, jet-skis, wind-surfboards, and roller blades. People were fishing, swimming, playing basketball, engaging each other in chess, working out, playing frisbee and lots of other activities. I thought Gordon and Maria were going to walk out from behind a tree with Big Bird and Elmo. It was a bit surreal. But things are going well.
Anyway, I've been walking lots more, too. My goal is 30 minutes a day 6 days a week. It's been more like 3 days a week so far, but I'm improving. Tonight the dog and I went to Memorial Park to walk around Prospect Lake. It's about a mile around, so it's perfect for an evening walk. It's been years since I've been there, and I was struck by how diverse the park visitors are. I felt like I had walked onto Sesame Street. There were hispanics, asians, blacks, whites, young, old, disabled, fully-mobile, dogs, bikes, boats, jet-skis, wind-surfboards, and roller blades. People were fishing, swimming, playing basketball, engaging each other in chess, working out, playing frisbee and lots of other activities. I thought Gordon and Maria were going to walk out from behind a tree with Big Bird and Elmo. It was a bit surreal. But things are going well.
The new plan for getting healthy (that's the real goal, weight loss is only a part of it) has several facets:
- Develop pathways for good spiritual, mental, and emotional nutrition. I believe this is more key than developing physical nutrition. My friend and mentor, Vaso Bjegovich, has developed a program called Healthy ID, that encourages people to first search out what their identity (ID) is wrapped around, to deconstruct their false identity, and to build a healthy ID. When you have a healthy ID, you treat your body right because you want to, and you'll naturally become physically healthier as you treat your physical person with respect. Healthy ID isn't about appearance or performance. The program is currently not available as Vaso waits for the right time to take it mainstream, but if you are interested in the concept, let me know and I can get some more information, or even the Healthy ID package (audio CDs and journal) to you. I'd love to have even more company as I embark on this journey. Anyway, I'll be using Healthy ID as a foundation, and I will read my Bible more. I'll also read my Zig Ziglar "self-talk" sheet everyday. We all talk to ourselves, usually it's silent, but we believe what we tell ourselves. Our subconscious can't tell the difference between the truth and fiction. By telling yourself everyday, day in and day out, that you are a fantastic friend, for example, you will become an even better friend. You can't help it! I'll be reading to myself out loud, telling myself that I already am the things that I want to be. I'll post Zig's "self-talk" here soon.
- Being aware of what I consume. I've started tracking my food intake on www.fitday.com. For the next two weeks I'm going to limit my calories to 2800-3000 per day. From mid-July to August, I will consume 2600-2800 per day, and I will keep reducing that amount by 200 calories every two weeks until I'm consistently eating 2200-2400 per day. I will also be sure to eat 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit everyday.
- Walking 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. The dog loves it, I need it. Humans were made to walk, and I'm tied to my cubicle desk everyday. The body was designed for walking. Walking outside helps maintain a healthy emotional well-being, and it also helps "reset" your body's natural weight set point. Frankly, walking is about all I can physically handle right now.
Looking back at this post from January, I thought I'd bring you up to speed:
Ouch. January doesn't seem like that long ago, but here it is, the end of June. I'm not 50 pounds lighter, I'm probably about 30 pounds heavier. I'm not sure. My scale caps out at 380 pounds. Since my "plan" hasn't been going so well in regards to weight loss and fitness, I've enlisted the help of my folks. We've outlined a plan for me to lose 50 pounds by the end of the year, and I know I can do it. More on how I'm going to do that in a later post.
As for the debt, I'm on track or not far off. Of course, I'm not looking at the hard numbers to make that assertion, but I've been paying down the debt quite steadily over the past 6 months. Several small bills have been paid and I am making significant progress on the larger ones. I haven't sat down to recalculate balances and numbers of outstanding debts, but I will do that by week's end.
So what's been going on with these goals?
I've also set two important goals for the year. They're not resolutions, they are goals. They are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and have a completion date attached:
1. Lose 100 pounds by December 31, 2008. This year, I'm going to limit myself to two meals out per week. I'm going to walk at least 10 minutes continuously a day, and do other exercise for at least 20 minutes for 4 days per week. I will eat at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day. I will drink at least eight glasses of water a day. I will consume no more than 4 servings of dairy (excluding eggs) per week. I will enter my food daily onto fitday.com as best as I can remember until I have lost 50 pounds. I will take at least one cycle of hCG this year.
2. Pay off half of my debt (excluding auto and home). I will negotiate balances and payoffs with all of the creditors I can and will be current with every creditor by year's end. My list of creditors will be reduced by two thirds.
Ouch. January doesn't seem like that long ago, but here it is, the end of June. I'm not 50 pounds lighter, I'm probably about 30 pounds heavier. I'm not sure. My scale caps out at 380 pounds. Since my "plan" hasn't been going so well in regards to weight loss and fitness, I've enlisted the help of my folks. We've outlined a plan for me to lose 50 pounds by the end of the year, and I know I can do it. More on how I'm going to do that in a later post.
As for the debt, I'm on track or not far off. Of course, I'm not looking at the hard numbers to make that assertion, but I've been paying down the debt quite steadily over the past 6 months. Several small bills have been paid and I am making significant progress on the larger ones. I haven't sat down to recalculate balances and numbers of outstanding debts, but I will do that by week's end.
So what's been going on with these goals?
27.1.08
more goals
I said that I would post the rest of my goals in the categories of fitness, mental/educational, spiritual, relational, and domestic here.
Fitness: I will be able to run one mile in under 9 minutes before the year is through. I will be able to climb the Manitou incline in under 60 minutes before October 31. My first time up the incline, I finished in 48 minutes. My goal that day was to make it halfway. My best time up the incline was 34 minutes, and I made the whole trip (up the incline, down Barr trail) in under 60 minutes.
Ummm, you can probably figure this one out by seeing my lack of progress on my first goal. It's ok, my new fitness goal is to walk for 30 minutes continuously 6 days a week. I'll be kicking the incline's butt in due time.
Ok, so I haven't met my goal of reading 2 books per month, but I have been reading with greater frequency. Progress in this area, at least.
Convicted again. Reading the Word is part of my revised plan to get healthy. I need to remember to ask my folks to keep me accountable in this area, too. I haven't been to church, either. I have been in a guys' accountability-type group through Pulpit Rock Church, called Real Men of Genius, but I haven't started attending PRC or any other church.
This one is coming together.
March 31 has passed and the baseboards are in the same sad shape. The house is cleaner and I keep a running list of what to clean each day to maintain the organization of my home. I also would like to refinish the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and add hardware to them this year.
And I'll do my best to do it more often than every six months.
Mental/Educational: I will read one fiction or non-fiction book (I prefer non-fiction anyway, frankly) per month. No more 7 or 8 months without reading, then reading 5 or 6 books all at once. At least 6 books this year will be about sales or the health insurance industry (not including my monthly HIU [Health Insurance Underwiter] trade magazine). I will also begin my first RHU (Registered Health Underwriter) or REBC (Registered Employee Benefits Consultant) class through The American College. Which track I take depends on if I will continue to specialize more and more in group health insurance or individual market insurance at work.
Ok, so I haven't met my goal of reading 2 books per month, but I have been reading with greater frequency. Progress in this area, at least.
Spritual: To read through the Bible by year's end. I've read through it completely only once, and that's not nearly enough for a believer of over 21 years. This will take 4 and a half chapters per day. I'll also begin church "shopping" in February, and I'll get plugged in before Spring.
Convicted again. Reading the Word is part of my revised plan to get healthy. I need to remember to ask my folks to keep me accountable in this area, too. I haven't been to church, either. I have been in a guys' accountability-type group through Pulpit Rock Church, called Real Men of Genius, but I haven't started attending PRC or any other church.
Relational: This goes hand in hand with being at a new church. I'll gain at least one new friend this year.
This one is coming together.
Domestic: This may sound like a stupid category for you, but I think it's appropriate. I will thoroughly clean my bathroom and kitchen, vacuum, wash my sheets, and do two loads of laundry once a week. I will dust the house once every two weeks. I will also finish my 3 year old baseboard project by touching up with paint and caulking. I will replace the kitchen and bathroom linoleum and install new baseboards. The baseboards will be completed by March 31 and the new flooring will be installed by December 31.
March 31 has passed and the baseboards are in the same sad shape. The house is cleaner and I keep a running list of what to clean each day to maintain the organization of my home. I also would like to refinish the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and add hardware to them this year.
I'll keep you updated on the progress of these goals here.
And I'll do my best to do it more often than every six months.
i don't know why, but i always gain lots of satisfaction from making iced tea.
the full pitcher of freshly cooled, tea and herb-infused water.
the pale color.
the heaviness of the container.
the sound of the ice knocking around inside the glass as i pour.
the anticipation of a tasty, refreshing, and healthy beverage.
I'm glad the warmer weather is here! It's great to be able to sit outside on the balcony in the evening and read or bring the laptop out and surf the net. It's not silent out here, I can hear the rush of traffic a half mile away on Fountain Blvd, the hum of the a/c units, and the giggles and gleeful cheers of newly-liberated school aged children playing nearby. There's something so peaceful, though, about watching the sun set and stars appear, even as the noise and busyness of the day draws to a slow close. Even when the rest of the world is moving, God brings me into this strangely still place.
Last year I hardly sat on my deck. I holed up in the cool air of the climate controlled bedroom most of the summer. I wasn't as happy. I didn't have purpose in what I was doing, and I wasn't adequately supporting myself. I know I shouldn't derive my happiness from my job, my income, or my employer, but I let those things become a major factor in determining my happiness.
This year my life is 180 degrees from what it was last year, success-wise. I am one of three salespeople that, along with sharp new management, has helped to take an off-track health insurance agency that had a third party fulfillment service that was upsetting prospective clients and losing existing policyholders like the Plague had just swept over town to the number one producing new broker in the state for many of our contracted carriers. Aside from a generous compensation and benefits package, my new employer values my opinion. VPs and managers have regularly asked for my opinion on important decisions, and in many cases have actually taken my advice as they've acted on those decisions. Our partners currently market our products to 700,000 salespeople in their field force, and with the partners who've just signed on with us, that number will increase fivefold within the year. It's finally all good on the work front, but I'm learning that with the success comes responsibility.
David said to his son, Solomon:
As I was just writing, I thought of Luke 12:48: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." I guess I should be expecting to have more expected of me in the future.
Last year I hardly sat on my deck. I holed up in the cool air of the climate controlled bedroom most of the summer. I wasn't as happy. I didn't have purpose in what I was doing, and I wasn't adequately supporting myself. I know I shouldn't derive my happiness from my job, my income, or my employer, but I let those things become a major factor in determining my happiness.
This year my life is 180 degrees from what it was last year, success-wise. I am one of three salespeople that, along with sharp new management, has helped to take an off-track health insurance agency that had a third party fulfillment service that was upsetting prospective clients and losing existing policyholders like the Plague had just swept over town to the number one producing new broker in the state for many of our contracted carriers. Aside from a generous compensation and benefits package, my new employer values my opinion. VPs and managers have regularly asked for my opinion on important decisions, and in many cases have actually taken my advice as they've acted on those decisions. Our partners currently market our products to 700,000 salespeople in their field force, and with the partners who've just signed on with us, that number will increase fivefold within the year. It's finally all good on the work front, but I'm learning that with the success comes responsibility.
David said to his son, Solomon:
11 "Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. 12 May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. 13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.I'm learning that I have much more responsibility than ever before. It comes with the territory, but I never realized it. I have a responsibility to everyone who calls in for a quote. As ridiculous as some caller's requests seem (the lady on 5 psychotropic medications who demanded guaranteed approval coverage NOW that would pay for her $800 a month pharmacy bill, the mom who inquired if any of our dental plans would cover a root canal her son had LAST WEEK, or the young dad who wanted health insurance coverage for his family for LESS than $30 a month), they are all important. More importantly, I have a responsibility to my applicants. They lay one of the most important financial decisions they will make on an annual basis at my feet. Not only that, but I've got to find the best coverage with the carrier that will give them the best coverage for their conditions at the best possible price. It's not always an easy task, but it's an important one.
As I was just writing, I thought of Luke 12:48: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." I guess I should be expecting to have more expected of me in the future.
Whew. A lot's happened in the past month or so. I've been working hard, of course. April is so far a record month for sales with 29 written health applications, with 3 business days left. I'm hoping to hit 32 by month's end. Only 16 issued, though, and 12 individual cases and one small group case in underwriting. March and April have been the months of declines by the insurance carriers. The economy, perhaps?
I went to L.A. last week for my first out-of-state business trip, which was extremely interesting. 18,000 Primerica reps filled the L.A. sports arena for their West Coast Convention. We manned our PFI Benefits booth, promoting our health insurance products and free prescription drug discount card. I made some good contacts and have written two policies so far this week on contacts from the convention. Some other good news--our company was the number one independent broker for United Healthcare's Golden Rule in Q1. Can you say "cash bonus"?!
I went to L.A. last week for my first out-of-state business trip, which was extremely interesting. 18,000 Primerica reps filled the L.A. sports arena for their West Coast Convention. We manned our PFI Benefits booth, promoting our health insurance products and free prescription drug discount card. I made some good contacts and have written two policies so far this week on contacts from the convention. Some other good news--our company was the number one independent broker for United Healthcare's Golden Rule in Q1. Can you say "cash bonus"?!
Wow. Seems like I posted just last week. Life gets busy, I guess. I've been following the weight watchers plan and I'm down about 3 pounds. Nothing to write home about, but slow and steady wins the race, right?
Last Sunday my parents and I took a day trip to the Celestial Seasonings factory in Boulder, CO. It was a nice, relaxing day to get away from the ordinary and do something new with the family. I've been drinking tea like there's no tomorrow at work as a result of the trip. My normal 5-6 daily cups of coffee is down to 0-2 (sorry, Pat) as I've been drinking all sorts of tea. I've forgotten how much I enjoy it and how much it soothes my still-sore throat.
Things have been going slower at work, too, until this week. Our company has gained some interest at PrePaid Legal Services and Primerica conventions last weekend, so there's been a lot of follow up with reps who need health insurance. Also on the good news front, another network marketing company with 50,000 active reps and 300,000 total reps will be likely signing on with us next week. That will increase our market to over 1,000,000 people. Also looking to sign on with us in the next couple of months is the fastest growing skin care product company in the world. Primerica will also likely allow their licensed reps to earn fees for referring their clients to us for health insurance. Very exciting stuff as we will likely triple our already healthy sales volume by year's end.
Elling, my beagle, is also going to go to his second obedience training lesson this Saturday. This week we've been working on having him give me his full attention when his name is called, sitting, and not jumping up on people. He's a good little trooper and is learning quickly.
I guess that's about it for now. Happy Easter, everybody!
Last Sunday my parents and I took a day trip to the Celestial Seasonings factory in Boulder, CO. It was a nice, relaxing day to get away from the ordinary and do something new with the family. I've been drinking tea like there's no tomorrow at work as a result of the trip. My normal 5-6 daily cups of coffee is down to 0-2 (sorry, Pat) as I've been drinking all sorts of tea. I've forgotten how much I enjoy it and how much it soothes my still-sore throat.
Things have been going slower at work, too, until this week. Our company has gained some interest at PrePaid Legal Services and Primerica conventions last weekend, so there's been a lot of follow up with reps who need health insurance. Also on the good news front, another network marketing company with 50,000 active reps and 300,000 total reps will be likely signing on with us next week. That will increase our market to over 1,000,000 people. Also looking to sign on with us in the next couple of months is the fastest growing skin care product company in the world. Primerica will also likely allow their licensed reps to earn fees for referring their clients to us for health insurance. Very exciting stuff as we will likely triple our already healthy sales volume by year's end.
Elling, my beagle, is also going to go to his second obedience training lesson this Saturday. This week we've been working on having him give me his full attention when his name is called, sitting, and not jumping up on people. He's a good little trooper and is learning quickly.
I guess that's about it for now. Happy Easter, everybody!
The flight and hotel reservations are booked. I'm heading to L.A. in April, and I'm really looking forward to it. It won't be anything uber-exciting, I'll be there for 28 hours or so for Primerica's West Coast Convention manning our booth and promoting our health insurance products for Primerica's field force, but just the fact that I've never been on a business trip that required flight and hotel reservations before makes it cool. And I haven't flown since 2 months before 9/11, so the new rules for air travel will be interesting.
Anyone want to dog-sit for 2 days in April?
Anyone want to dog-sit for 2 days in April?
I'm online again! My power adapter was on the fritz and I had to buy a new one to power the laptop to post to my blog! So, $89 later, here I am.
I've been eating pretty well, and walking a lot. My friend Allison convinced me to join Weight Watchers with her. I thought having a partner would help, and so far it has. We keep our food and activity trackers open on our monitors at work, and we can IM each other periodically to see how things are going.
More later.
I've been eating pretty well, and walking a lot. My friend Allison convinced me to join Weight Watchers with her. I thought having a partner would help, and so far it has. We keep our food and activity trackers open on our monitors at work, and we can IM each other periodically to see how things are going.
More later.
I've been eating well this week (not perfectly, but well). I'm trying to follow the 90% rule for eating, so I eat well for 18 or 19 meals a week. The other 2 or 3 won't be the healthiest, but that's ok. I will never achieve perfection for a long period of time in this area, so it's better to just do the best I can 90% of the time rather than to eat perfectly for a few weeks and then eat like crap for another few. I've also been taking long, regular walks with the dog. My goal here again will not be to do this everyday, but to do it 5 or 6 days a week. Now that my work schedule is changing, I will be able to take morning walks every other week, and take evening walks on the alternate week. (I'm working 8am to 4:30pm one week and 9am to 5:30pm the next).
The scale today said: 342.
The scale today said: 342.
Happy Valentine's Day, everybody. It's just another ordinary day to me--the only action I might get would be due to Elling, my beagle, taking advantage of my leg. He's prone to do that every other week or so.
Just got back from a 30 minute walk in the park with the dog. He's happy, and I got my exercise in. There's something so nice about not being in front of a computer monitor or a tv or listening to the radio for a few minutes and just being out in the stillness of that little patch of God's creation.
A few goal updates:
Health: I've been walking the dog a bit more. I need to work up to walking for at least 30 minutes a day of continuous walking. Walking is not only good exercise, it also resets the body's weight set point and cures depression. I also weighed myself on Sunday--348. Ugh. Well, at least it's better than 365 like in early fall of last year. I've also been eating better. I bought a blender to keep at work and I have a supply of soy milk, frozen fruit, and meal replacement powder to make smoothies for lunch. All I have to do then is bring some fruit and veggies. I stocked up on high-protein Balance Bars. They're 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein, and only about 45% tasty, but they were 50% off at Walgreens. Add those up and you get 195%. My ultimate goal weight is 195. Coincidence?
Spiritual: I will check out a church this weekend. I promise.
Social: A coworker walked up to me after work today and said "I want to talk to you about something. I don't have many friends. Do you wanna hang out sometime?" That's an exact quote. She's pretty cool and we get along great at work, so I'm sure we'll be compatible on that friend level. No, Mom, she's engaged.
I'm off to read for a couple hours before bed (one of my Educational goals). I heard authors Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins talk about their book on Hugh Hewitt's talk show on the way home from work today and stopped by Borders on the way home to pick up a copy of The Nuclear Jihadist: The True Story of the Man Who Sold the World's Most Dangerous Secrets...And How We Could Have Stopped Him. Click here to see Hugh's February 12 blog entry about the book. I'll let you know how it was later.
One more plug...Check out my dad's new blog, Condensed Wisdom.
A few goal updates:
Health: I've been walking the dog a bit more. I need to work up to walking for at least 30 minutes a day of continuous walking. Walking is not only good exercise, it also resets the body's weight set point and cures depression. I also weighed myself on Sunday--348. Ugh. Well, at least it's better than 365 like in early fall of last year. I've also been eating better. I bought a blender to keep at work and I have a supply of soy milk, frozen fruit, and meal replacement powder to make smoothies for lunch. All I have to do then is bring some fruit and veggies. I stocked up on high-protein Balance Bars. They're 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein, and only about 45% tasty, but they were 50% off at Walgreens. Add those up and you get 195%. My ultimate goal weight is 195. Coincidence?
Spiritual: I will check out a church this weekend. I promise.
Social: A coworker walked up to me after work today and said "I want to talk to you about something. I don't have many friends. Do you wanna hang out sometime?" That's an exact quote. She's pretty cool and we get along great at work, so I'm sure we'll be compatible on that friend level. No, Mom, she's engaged.
I'm off to read for a couple hours before bed (one of my Educational goals). I heard authors Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins talk about their book on Hugh Hewitt's talk show on the way home from work today and stopped by Borders on the way home to pick up a copy of The Nuclear Jihadist: The True Story of the Man Who Sold the World's Most Dangerous Secrets...And How We Could Have Stopped Him. Click here to see Hugh's February 12 blog entry about the book. I'll let you know how it was later.
One more plug...Check out my dad's new blog, Condensed Wisdom.
Had (still have) a sore throat today. My voice is weak and I sound like I'm on my death bed. I'm really only feeling a bit lethargic, but I'm not sure if that has more to do with the sore throat or that I ended up not doing much of anything today. Now that my livelihood requires me to be able to communicate clearly over the phone, I'm hoping I'll be better by Monday morning. I've been drinking lots of tea with honey and lemon, resting quite a bit, and mainlining Cold Eeze zinc lozenges.
And let it be recorded here: Pats 27, Giants 13.
And let it be recorded here: Pats 27, Giants 13.
Sometimes it's the little things that crack me up. I was at Walgreens the other day and I happened upon this product. It's not the best cell phone camera photo, but I loved how happy the elderly guy in the corner looks.
And who could
resist "Bubba Cola"?
I said that I would post the rest of my goals in the categories of fitness, mental/educational, spiritual, relational, and domestic here.
Fitness: I will be able to run one mile in under 9 minutes before the year is through. I will be able to climb the Manitou incline in under 60 minutes before October 31. My first time up the incline, I finished in 48 minutes. My goal that day was to make it halfway. My best time up the incline was 34 minutes, and I made the whole trip (up the incline, down Barr trail) in under 60 minutes.
Mental/Educational: I will read one fiction or non-fiction book (I prefer non-fiction anyway, frankly) per month. No more 7 or 8 months without reading, then reading 5 or 6 books all at once. At least 6 books this year will be about sales or the health insurance industry (not including my monthly HIU [Health Insurance Underwiter] trade magazine). I will also begin my first RHU (Registered Health Underwriter) or REBC (Registered Employee Benefits Consultant) class through The American College. Which track I take depends on if I will continue to specialize more and more in group health insurance or individual market insurance at work.
Spritual: To read through the Bible by year's end. I've read through it completely only once, and that's not nearly enough for a believer of over 21 years. This will take 4 and a half chapters per day. I'll also begin church "shopping" in February, and I'll get plugged in before Spring.
Relational: This goes hand in hand with being at a new church. I'll gain at least one new friend this year.
Domestic: This may sound like a stupid category for you, but I think it's appropriate. I will thoroughly clean my bathroom and kitchen, vacuum, wash my sheets, and do two loads of laundry once a week. I will dust the house once every two weeks. I will also finish my 3 year old baseboard project by touching up with paint and caulking. I will replace the kitchen and bathroom linoleum and install new baseboards. The baseboards will be completed by March 31 and the new flooring will be installed by December 31.
I'll keep you updated on the progress of these goals here.
Fitness: I will be able to run one mile in under 9 minutes before the year is through. I will be able to climb the Manitou incline in under 60 minutes before October 31. My first time up the incline, I finished in 48 minutes. My goal that day was to make it halfway. My best time up the incline was 34 minutes, and I made the whole trip (up the incline, down Barr trail) in under 60 minutes.
Mental/Educational: I will read one fiction or non-fiction book (I prefer non-fiction anyway, frankly) per month. No more 7 or 8 months without reading, then reading 5 or 6 books all at once. At least 6 books this year will be about sales or the health insurance industry (not including my monthly HIU [Health Insurance Underwiter] trade magazine). I will also begin my first RHU (Registered Health Underwriter) or REBC (Registered Employee Benefits Consultant) class through The American College. Which track I take depends on if I will continue to specialize more and more in group health insurance or individual market insurance at work.
Spritual: To read through the Bible by year's end. I've read through it completely only once, and that's not nearly enough for a believer of over 21 years. This will take 4 and a half chapters per day. I'll also begin church "shopping" in February, and I'll get plugged in before Spring.
Relational: This goes hand in hand with being at a new church. I'll gain at least one new friend this year.
Domestic: This may sound like a stupid category for you, but I think it's appropriate. I will thoroughly clean my bathroom and kitchen, vacuum, wash my sheets, and do two loads of laundry once a week. I will dust the house once every two weeks. I will also finish my 3 year old baseboard project by touching up with paint and caulking. I will replace the kitchen and bathroom linoleum and install new baseboards. The baseboards will be completed by March 31 and the new flooring will be installed by December 31.
I'll keep you updated on the progress of these goals here.
It's been a busy week. A busy month, really. I am loving my new job! I am so blessed to have this opportunity. I get salary plus commission (the salary isn't a draw), 16 days of vacation, health and dental insurance, casual dress (the VP of Operations wore slippers yesterday), and easy hours. It looks like I may have the opportunity to work from home later this year. Our CEO is a great guy, he values his employees' ideas and truly has puts our welfare as his top priority. Our break room fridge is well-stocked with fruit, beverages, and other snacks. The culture couldn't be better. Everyone respects each other, gets along well, and works as a team. There isn't one person who doesn't pull their own weight. The CEO empties our trash on a daily basis! Even Harrison, the office dog, is friendly. The coffee is literally the best I've ever had. Our VP of Ops owns her own coffee roasting business, and she brings in fresh roasted coffee beans for us a couple times a week. I can't tell you how nice it is to know that I will make more next month than I did this month. It's simple growth, not compound, but it's great. Sorry if you are feeling nauseated by my gushing after reading this, but I can't help it! My job situation has not been the greatest in the past year and a half, so this is a dream come true.
I've been appointed the small group specialist. I guess it's because I have the most experience with small group health insurance. It's a stretch to say experience, I hadn't actually sold a small group case until last week, but I have quoted a couple of small groups when I was at MetLife and when I was independent. Last week I secured a small group of 12 people in Florida, and this week I've started on 4 more small groups. Two groups of 3 people each, one with 5 people, and one of 33! The group of 33 account's monthly commissions would amount to the equivalent of an 18% raise. Better than a sharp stick in the eye, for sure.
I still have to work on setting the other goals. I'll get that done before the weekend's through.
I've been appointed the small group specialist. I guess it's because I have the most experience with small group health insurance. It's a stretch to say experience, I hadn't actually sold a small group case until last week, but I have quoted a couple of small groups when I was at MetLife and when I was independent. Last week I secured a small group of 12 people in Florida, and this week I've started on 4 more small groups. Two groups of 3 people each, one with 5 people, and one of 33! The group of 33 account's monthly commissions would amount to the equivalent of an 18% raise. Better than a sharp stick in the eye, for sure.
I still have to work on setting the other goals. I'll get that done before the weekend's through.
I was without web access for a couple days, so I wasn't able to post. Brian and I resolved everything, just in time for my birthday. I don't think it was the best idea to eat so much cake so soon after a fast. There was a birthday cake for me at work, a cake at the Behm's, and my mom baked a cake. I went grocery shopping this weekend and bought food for lunches. It's been two years since I've packed my own lunch for work, but it will be good to eat healthier everyday, as well as save a ton on lunches out!
It was a relaxing and productive weekend. I'm so full of hope for this year, and I've felt that everyday since it began. It's kept me inspired to get things done, including the mundane. Aside from relaxing with friends and family this weekend, and seeing a couple of movies, I organized my walk-in closet and got a better handle on where I am financially after a rough year last year. I tallied my debts and was a little surprised (but not totally shocked) at the figure. I'm going to check into finding some work I can do for a few hours a week (10 or so).
I've also set two important goals for the year. They're not resolutions, they are goals. They are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and have a completion date attached:
1. Lose 100 pounds by December 31, 2008. This year, I'm going to limit myself to two meals out per week. I'm going to walk at least 10 minutes continuously a day, and do other exercise for at least 20 minutes for 4 days per week. I will eat at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day. I will drink at least eight glasses of water a day. I will consume no more than 4 servings of dairy (excluding eggs) per week. I will enter my food daily onto fitday.com as best as I can remember until I have lost 50 pounds. I will take at least one cycle of hCG this year.
2. Pay off half of my debt (excluding auto and home). I will negotiate balances and payoffs with all of the creditors I can and will be current with every creditor by year's end. My list of creditors will be reduced by two thirds.
In the next day or two I'm going to establish some other goals (fitness, mental/educational, spiritual, relational, and domestic) and post them here.
It was a relaxing and productive weekend. I'm so full of hope for this year, and I've felt that everyday since it began. It's kept me inspired to get things done, including the mundane. Aside from relaxing with friends and family this weekend, and seeing a couple of movies, I organized my walk-in closet and got a better handle on where I am financially after a rough year last year. I tallied my debts and was a little surprised (but not totally shocked) at the figure. I'm going to check into finding some work I can do for a few hours a week (10 or so).
I've also set two important goals for the year. They're not resolutions, they are goals. They are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and have a completion date attached:
1. Lose 100 pounds by December 31, 2008. This year, I'm going to limit myself to two meals out per week. I'm going to walk at least 10 minutes continuously a day, and do other exercise for at least 20 minutes for 4 days per week. I will eat at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day. I will drink at least eight glasses of water a day. I will consume no more than 4 servings of dairy (excluding eggs) per week. I will enter my food daily onto fitday.com as best as I can remember until I have lost 50 pounds. I will take at least one cycle of hCG this year.
2. Pay off half of my debt (excluding auto and home). I will negotiate balances and payoffs with all of the creditors I can and will be current with every creditor by year's end. My list of creditors will be reduced by two thirds.
In the next day or two I'm going to establish some other goals (fitness, mental/educational, spiritual, relational, and domestic) and post them here.
Well, not "THE END", the end. Just the end of the fast, and the start of a new me. Again.
I was planning on posting the anticlimactic end of the fast yesterday. The fast broke on Wednesday morning, with the aptly named meal, breakfast. Let me back up a little. I wasn't quite sure of the exact issues I would need to deal with, spiritually, when I started the fast. I also really didn't want to publish what I have been learning in detail, at least not yet. I really don't want to, but I feel I have to to defend myself for comments made publicly by my friend, Brian, and I don't think I should wait any longer, lest I appear guilty (for lack of a better word). He did not actually use my name in his posts, but it's clear that if you know both him and me, that it is me. Public enough. You can read his comments for his side of the story, here, although it's not my intention to pit myself against him. We're friends, and we'll get through this, like he says in his blog. I did hang up on him after our very brief interaction. The first thing he said was "Give me one good reason I shouldn't think you're a loser," and after I angrily replied "I don't care what the hell you think, I wasn't fasting for you." We didn't start out on the right foot. He was upset, I think mostly about feeling alone now in his fast, and probably a bit irritable after not eating for 20 days or so. I was angry that he was angry and I didn't quite understand why, and I was expecting an angry phone call after I heard from someone close to him that he was "hacked off" that I "quit" the fast. He was on the offensive, and angry, and I was on the defensive, and angry. Nothing good would have come from that conversation. Hanging up on him, I now realize, only exacerbated an already tense situation. Brian, I'm sorry for my harsh response and for hanging up on you. You deserved a more thoughtful, respectful answer. I hope what you (hopefully) read here will satisfy you.
Anyway, back to the beginning of the fast. I wasn't sure what to read in the Word, or what to read outside the Word for encouragement. My dad gave me a book by Og Mandino for Christmas, which I've mentioned here before. It's called The Greatest Miracle in the World. The night of December 31 (really the wee hours of January 1), I started reading it before bed. I also started reading the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7. I memorized that passage in high school, but only because it was required. I never put much thought into it. But that's all I've read during my fast, 3 chapters in Matthew and a 100 page paperback, other than my daily Oswald Chambers devotional. That's all I wanted to read because I wanted to dwell on them. Zig Ziglar says that a person will learn something new every time he or she reads a passage or hears a talk until after the sixteenth time reading or listening. This is obviously not a hard and fast rule, but it is amazing how something new popped out at me every time I read the same passage for 16 nights in a row. God had one main topic on his lesson plan for this fast--to make me learn the depth of his love for me and that I should live up to be the man he created me to be. I've been wallowing in self-pity for the past 18 months. You'd think that brimming with self-confidence and thinking you're so unique and special is selfish. It's not. Being absorbed in self-pity is selfish. When you're sitting in the pit of self-pity you can't climb out and help anyone else in need. You can't do anything but sit there in the dirt and feel sorry for yourself. You are in so deep that you can barely see the light of day. Being self-confident and proclaiming your rarity put you in the position you need to be in to live up to your potential. I've needed to re-recognize my potential and change my mindset to believe that I can get there.
That's where the sermon on the mount and the last chapter of Greatest Miracle come in. This is part of what I read in the chapter titled "The God Memorandum" very early in the morning on January 1:
Then I cried after reading that! Those were the exact words I needed to read. Jesus words in Matthew 6:25-33 were also what I needed:
Like I told Brian in my IM, and you, reader, in an earlier post, fasting is a deeply personal experience, and one should question only his or her own motives for fasting or reasons for breaking a fast. It's between God and his child alone. The second part of 1 Samuel 16:7 says "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I don't fault Brian for examining and speculating on my motives. It's a very human thing to do. I've speculated on his. But that doesn't matter one bit. Let me be perfectly clear: This fast was a success. Not a partial success, and certainly not a failure. A complete success.
Brian, please understand that this fast had very little to do with changing my eating habits or losing weight. If that's a significant part of what it's about for you, that's great. More power to you, you've done very well! I know that you are genuinely concerned about my weight and want me to be a healthier person. I do, too. That's the next project. The first project was this, and it turned out to be God's, not mine, and that's to be confident in the skin I'm in. And I am, now more than ever. And you're not an asshole. You just act like one sometimes. ;-)
And I still won't be Too Easily Pleased.
I was planning on posting the anticlimactic end of the fast yesterday. The fast broke on Wednesday morning, with the aptly named meal, breakfast. Let me back up a little. I wasn't quite sure of the exact issues I would need to deal with, spiritually, when I started the fast. I also really didn't want to publish what I have been learning in detail, at least not yet. I really don't want to, but I feel I have to to defend myself for comments made publicly by my friend, Brian, and I don't think I should wait any longer, lest I appear guilty (for lack of a better word). He did not actually use my name in his posts, but it's clear that if you know both him and me, that it is me. Public enough. You can read his comments for his side of the story, here, although it's not my intention to pit myself against him. We're friends, and we'll get through this, like he says in his blog. I did hang up on him after our very brief interaction. The first thing he said was "Give me one good reason I shouldn't think you're a loser," and after I angrily replied "I don't care what the hell you think, I wasn't fasting for you." We didn't start out on the right foot. He was upset, I think mostly about feeling alone now in his fast, and probably a bit irritable after not eating for 20 days or so. I was angry that he was angry and I didn't quite understand why, and I was expecting an angry phone call after I heard from someone close to him that he was "hacked off" that I "quit" the fast. He was on the offensive, and angry, and I was on the defensive, and angry. Nothing good would have come from that conversation. Hanging up on him, I now realize, only exacerbated an already tense situation. Brian, I'm sorry for my harsh response and for hanging up on you. You deserved a more thoughtful, respectful answer. I hope what you (hopefully) read here will satisfy you.
Anyway, back to the beginning of the fast. I wasn't sure what to read in the Word, or what to read outside the Word for encouragement. My dad gave me a book by Og Mandino for Christmas, which I've mentioned here before. It's called The Greatest Miracle in the World. The night of December 31 (really the wee hours of January 1), I started reading it before bed. I also started reading the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7. I memorized that passage in high school, but only because it was required. I never put much thought into it. But that's all I've read during my fast, 3 chapters in Matthew and a 100 page paperback, other than my daily Oswald Chambers devotional. That's all I wanted to read because I wanted to dwell on them. Zig Ziglar says that a person will learn something new every time he or she reads a passage or hears a talk until after the sixteenth time reading or listening. This is obviously not a hard and fast rule, but it is amazing how something new popped out at me every time I read the same passage for 16 nights in a row. God had one main topic on his lesson plan for this fast--to make me learn the depth of his love for me and that I should live up to be the man he created me to be. I've been wallowing in self-pity for the past 18 months. You'd think that brimming with self-confidence and thinking you're so unique and special is selfish. It's not. Being absorbed in self-pity is selfish. When you're sitting in the pit of self-pity you can't climb out and help anyone else in need. You can't do anything but sit there in the dirt and feel sorry for yourself. You are in so deep that you can barely see the light of day. Being self-confident and proclaiming your rarity put you in the position you need to be in to live up to your potential. I've needed to re-recognize my potential and change my mindset to believe that I can get there.
That's where the sermon on the mount and the last chapter of Greatest Miracle come in. This is part of what I read in the chapter titled "The God Memorandum" very early in the morning on January 1:
I am with you, and this moment is the dividing line of your life. All that has gone before is like unto no more that the time you slept within your mother's womb. What is past is dead. Let the dead bury the dead . . . Attend to my wisdom. Let me share with you, again, the secret you heard at your birth and forgot. You are my greatest miracle. You are the greatest miracle in the world. Those were the first words you ever heard. Then you cried. They all cry.
Then I cried after reading that! Those were the exact words I needed to read. Jesus words in Matthew 6:25-33 were also what I needed:
25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
I've been meditating on these words and praying about them. I believe that I've learned what I've needed to learn on a spiritual level; I feel fresh, reborn, and sated. I woke up on the morning of the 16th feeling spiritually satiated, and physically hungry. I knew it was time to end the fast, and it seemed like a natural thing to do. It wasn't a moment of weakness, it didn't feel like giving into an urge like how I felt the night I ordered the pizza and canceled it minutes later. Sure, my upcoming birthday was in the back of my mind, but ending the fast had nothing to do with that. I have learned a measure of self-control, too. I know 16 days isn't the same as 40, but I never committed to 40 days either. Being in the "40 Day Club" isn't on my priority list.
Like I told Brian in my IM, and you, reader, in an earlier post, fasting is a deeply personal experience, and one should question only his or her own motives for fasting or reasons for breaking a fast. It's between God and his child alone. The second part of 1 Samuel 16:7 says "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I don't fault Brian for examining and speculating on my motives. It's a very human thing to do. I've speculated on his. But that doesn't matter one bit. Let me be perfectly clear: This fast was a success. Not a partial success, and certainly not a failure. A complete success.
Brian, please understand that this fast had very little to do with changing my eating habits or losing weight. If that's a significant part of what it's about for you, that's great. More power to you, you've done very well! I know that you are genuinely concerned about my weight and want me to be a healthier person. I do, too. That's the next project. The first project was this, and it turned out to be God's, not mine, and that's to be confident in the skin I'm in. And I am, now more than ever. And you're not an asshole. You just act like one sometimes. ;-)
And I still won't be Too Easily Pleased.
Each day this week seemed to race by, but last weekend seemed like a month ago. A lot has happened this week, so I suppose that made it seem longer than it was. I ended the first week of selling at work with 3 applications written, not bad for the first week. When selling over the phone, the lead time between quoting a prospect and writing a health insurance application is about 10 days, so it's nice to have 3 apps completed already. I have about 30 people to follow up with next week, 5 small groups to quote, and another 15 people to get in contact with when a specific health plan becomes available to us in the next week or two. In lay terms, this job is a health insurance guy's dream!
Back to the fast and what I've been learning. It's been so busy that the fast has been a breeze, really. It almost seems normal now to not eat. I've gone long enough without food that it seems almost strange for people to eat 3 times a day. When someone says, "I'm hungry" it doesn't quite make sense to me. How can you be hungry after 5 or 6 hours of fasting, when I've gone 11 days? I've thought about people in the third world who are fortunate to eat one balanced meal a day. It seems so unjust that Americans have a meal option on every street corner when a rural African child goes days without a morsel. And when life isn't quite going our way, we whine and flounder in self-pity. We have an abundance of all things, save one. Zig Ziglar calls it "the healthiest of all human emotions"--gratitude.
And to reclaim our self worth, as discussed in the last post, that's what Og Mandino suggests we start with--taking inventory of our blessings. We have warm homes, food to eat, and hands to earn a living with. Our eyes were designed with a hundred million receptors that enable us to enjoy the magic of a leaf, a snowflake, a pond, a star, a rose, a rainbow, and a look of love. We have 24,000 fibers in each of our ears that vibrate to the sound of a child at play, wind in the trees, an opera, tide crashing on rocks, and the words "I love you." We can speak. We're the only creatures on earth that can calm the angry, warm the lonely, praise the worthy, encourage the defeated, and say "I love you." We can move. We have 500 muscles 200 bones and 7 miles of nerve fibers that allow us to run, dance, play and work. We can think. Our brain has 13 billion nerve cells within its 3 pounds, letting us store every perception, sound, taste, smell and action we've experienced since the day of our birth, only awaiting our recall.
The second thing we need to do is to proclaim our rarity. Mandino says to consider a violin by Stradivarius, a bronze by Degas, or a play by Shakespeare. They are valuable for two reasons: their creators were masters and the works are few in number. But there is only one of each of us. Never in the 70 billion people that have walked on this planet has there been anyone like any of us. From only one of our fathers' 400 million sperm, through 23 chromosomes and hundreds of genes governing every possible physical characteristic about us, God could have created 300,000,000,000,000 possible humans (that's the population of 50,000 earths), but he chose each one of us, each different from another. We are special. We are not mediocre, so why act or perform like we are?
The third is to go another mile. The best law of success is found in the sermon on the mount. Whatever our task is, the only thing that will bring us success is to give more and better service than is asked of us. We shouldn't feel cheated if we deliver more than we receive, because life's pendulum, if it doesn't swing back today, will swing back tomorrow, tenfold. The mediocre man never goes another mile so that he doesn't cheat himself. But we aren't mediocre.
We have the power to choose. We have the power to think, love, laugh, grow, create, pray, act, and give. We also have the power to hate, cry, rot, destroy, curse, procrastinate, and steal. We must "use wisely our power of choice."
The 4 Laws of Happiness and Success:
Count Your Blessings
Proclaim Your Rarity
Go Another Mile
Choose Wisely
And one more law, to fulfill the other 4: Do all things with love. Love for our Creator, love for others, and love for ourselves.
Yawn. What a busy two days it's been. I'm wiped. Our little call center is off the ground and we've been flooded with calls. I was on the phone from 8:30am until 5pm yesterday with a 20 minute break for lunch. After a slow drive home through the snowstorm, I spent the entire evening preparing health insurance proposals. It's a nice problem to have for an insurance guy. Most insurance agents spend an hour or two drumming up business on the phone with people who'd rather not talk to you, a couple hours a day out of the office running appointments, and a couple hours of customer service and paperwork. I now spend all day taking calls from friendly people who called me to buy health insurance. Next Monday our customer service/client liaison starts her job. This means no more paperwork or customer service calls, only 8 hours of pure selling time. Beautiful. With all of the busyness, I've had hardly a moment to think about food. It's made the fast easy the past couple of days.
I'm reading a short book by Og Mandino called The Greatest Miracle in the World. The last chapter I reread every night for the next hundred days or so. I'd highly recommend the book and reading that chapter every night just before bed. When you read the book, you'll understand why. Mandino asserts that humans do not live up to our full potential. We are God's greatest miracles, yet most of us wallow in mediocrity. This passage particularly struck me last night:
It sounds depressing to think that humans operate that way, but I believe we do. Fortunately, there's much we can do to turn it around. This passage just seemed to resonate perfectly with how I've been thinking and feeling during the past week. We're Too Easily Pleased with mediocrity. I don't believe that God called us to mediocrity. I'll post more later about what Mandino suggests we do to be more than human beings, to be human "becomings".
I'm reading a short book by Og Mandino called The Greatest Miracle in the World. The last chapter I reread every night for the next hundred days or so. I'd highly recommend the book and reading that chapter every night just before bed. When you read the book, you'll understand why. Mandino asserts that humans do not live up to our full potential. We are God's greatest miracles, yet most of us wallow in mediocrity. This passage particularly struck me last night:
Maslow once wrote that either people do things which are fine and good, and thus respect themselves, or they do contemptible things and feel despicable, worthless, and unlovable. To my way of thinking, Maslow did not go far enough. I believe that humans feel despicable, worthless, and unlovable without doing contemptible things. Just being sloppy in their work, or not caring about their appearance or not studying or working a little harder to improve their position in life, or taking that unnecessary drink, or doing a thousand other stupid, small acts that tarnish an already bruised self-image is enough to increase their self-hatred.
It sounds depressing to think that humans operate that way, but I believe we do. Fortunately, there's much we can do to turn it around. This passage just seemed to resonate perfectly with how I've been thinking and feeling during the past week. We're Too Easily Pleased with mediocrity. I don't believe that God called us to mediocrity. I'll post more later about what Mandino suggests we do to be more than human beings, to be human "becomings".
This weekend has been relatively uneventful, fast-wise. A little wooziness here and there, but no strong hunger pangs. I suppose they've passed. Tonight I went into the Sinclair gas station to prepay for my fuel and the cashier had a whole pizza, box top open lying on the counter. I must have been staring at it because she asked me if I wanted a slice. I haven't been telling strangers or people I don't know well that I'm fasting, but I thought it would be rude if I didn't give a reason for refusing.
"No thanks, I'm fasting," I said.
She nodded knowingly. "For the Lord?" she inquired, her voice raised on the last word. I smiled, nodded, waved, and walked out to fill up my tank. It felt good to refuse the food when the temptation was strong. Although, I don't think I would normally even seriously consider accepting food from a stranger in a situation like that.
Brian and I were commiserating with each other Saturday at the movies about not being able to eat in social situations. His wife, Angela, and another girl that was at the movies with us, Alex, had run over to Chipotle for dinner between films in our discount theater mini movie marathon. We stayed behind at the theater while they ate. Food is not just sustenance when in a social situation, it's something people gather around. It's also something to do. When I'm by myself, I can read, or blog, or take the dog for a walk. Around others, though, it feels like I'm missing out on something if I'm not partaking.
I also realized that the Super Bowl lies within the fast period. Last year I hosted a Super Bowl party that had a 18"x24" New York style pizza from the best pizzeria in town, 100 chicken wings in 4 flavors, a giant bowl of candy, and 6 different microbrews. I even featured a different chip and dip or salsa every quarter. And a veggie tray. Maybe this year I should have a custom juice and smoothie bar and 6 different flavors of Vitamin Water.
"No thanks, I'm fasting," I said.
She nodded knowingly. "For the Lord?" she inquired, her voice raised on the last word. I smiled, nodded, waved, and walked out to fill up my tank. It felt good to refuse the food when the temptation was strong. Although, I don't think I would normally even seriously consider accepting food from a stranger in a situation like that.
Brian and I were commiserating with each other Saturday at the movies about not being able to eat in social situations. His wife, Angela, and another girl that was at the movies with us, Alex, had run over to Chipotle for dinner between films in our discount theater mini movie marathon. We stayed behind at the theater while they ate. Food is not just sustenance when in a social situation, it's something people gather around. It's also something to do. When I'm by myself, I can read, or blog, or take the dog for a walk. Around others, though, it feels like I'm missing out on something if I'm not partaking.
I also realized that the Super Bowl lies within the fast period. Last year I hosted a Super Bowl party that had a 18"x24" New York style pizza from the best pizzeria in town, 100 chicken wings in 4 flavors, a giant bowl of candy, and 6 different microbrews. I even featured a different chip and dip or salsa every quarter. And a veggie tray. Maybe this year I should have a custom juice and smoothie bar and 6 different flavors of Vitamin Water.
Forgive me, I've been remiss in posting. It's been a long Thursday and Friday at work. I work at a health insurance brokerage that's used a third-party call center broker to write its business. We have partnerships with different associations and companies that drive business to us. The third-party broker gets the call, sells the policy, and earns a percentage of the commission. It's not been working out so well for my company as this other broker has allegedly been reporting bogus numbers to our partner associations and to us. There's a strong chance that they are writing most of the policies under their broker number and writing a minimum amount of business under ours. Because of all of this, our relationship with this broker has been terminated and we're starting up our own call center. I use the term call center loosely, there's only 3 of us staffing it at first. There's been a lot to do, though: setting up the phone system, setting up the computers and workstations, and familiarizing and training ourselves on the contact manager/agency manager software. We've also been dealing with insurance carriers to get appointed to sell their products and training ourselves on those products. This has been particularly difficult as we will be writing business in all 50 states, and each state has its own laws. That means that each product varies from state to state. It also means that just because we're appointed with, say, Assurant Health to sell their products, it doesn't mean that we can sell Assurant products in all the states they offer their products in until the state tells Assurant, who then tells us, that we can. It's an arduous process. We're finally going live on Monday, and I'm excited about that.
***The next section discusses some bodily functions/processes that you may find unsavory. Read with caution!***
Anyway, back to the fast. It's been relatively uneventful physically. I thought I would be irritable, and I haven't been at all. Thursday night I did get ravenously hungry and I ordered a Papa Johns pizza online. A couple minutes after placing the order I called and canceled it. I have had mild hunger pangs since then, but they pass quickly. I thought that I wouldn't have any past day 3. I continue to take psyllium husk, whatever that is, to keep me regular. It takes terrible and when mixed with water the lumpy texture almost makes me gag when it slides down my throat. It's better than constipation, though. It is strange to have a bowel movement that's smaller than my 35 lb beagle. In my reading before the fast, I was surprised to learn that I would still have bowel movements on a juice fast. Apparently the body takes the small amount of fiber and wastes from the digested juice and combines them with bile and bilirubin, which is made up from dead red blood cells. Exciting, I know.
More tonight or tomorrow.
***The next section discusses some bodily functions/processes that you may find unsavory. Read with caution!***
Anyway, back to the fast. It's been relatively uneventful physically. I thought I would be irritable, and I haven't been at all. Thursday night I did get ravenously hungry and I ordered a Papa Johns pizza online. A couple minutes after placing the order I called and canceled it. I have had mild hunger pangs since then, but they pass quickly. I thought that I wouldn't have any past day 3. I continue to take psyllium husk, whatever that is, to keep me regular. It takes terrible and when mixed with water the lumpy texture almost makes me gag when it slides down my throat. It's better than constipation, though. It is strange to have a bowel movement that's smaller than my 35 lb beagle. In my reading before the fast, I was surprised to learn that I would still have bowel movements on a juice fast. Apparently the body takes the small amount of fiber and wastes from the digested juice and combines them with bile and bilirubin, which is made up from dead red blood cells. Exciting, I know.
More tonight or tomorrow.
I just finished drinking my carrot, apple, kale, and blackberry juice. It actually tasted kind of good. It was mostly nice just to ingest something thicker than water. The hunger is there, but I don't feel ravenous.
I'm continually annoyed by well-meaning people trying to talk me out of fasting. My friend Brian warned me about this. Why should anyone care whether I do it or not? No one's ever tried to talk me out of scarfing down a greasy cheeseburger, so now that I'm detoxifying my body, seeking a greater spiritual connection with my Creator, and undergoing a trial of self-discipline, that's a problem? What the hell?! Another reason to be as vague as possible about the fast to people who are only acquaintances.
At lunch I wandered over to the Monument Starbucks to get a cup of (decaf) red tea and sit and have a quiet time. I brought with me my Bible and Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest. I read the devotional for today, January 2. It never ceases to amaze me how God always gives me the message I need exactly when I need it, whether I read it in scripture or hear it in a sermon:
I'm continually annoyed by well-meaning people trying to talk me out of fasting. My friend Brian warned me about this. Why should anyone care whether I do it or not? No one's ever tried to talk me out of scarfing down a greasy cheeseburger, so now that I'm detoxifying my body, seeking a greater spiritual connection with my Creator, and undergoing a trial of self-discipline, that's a problem? What the hell?! Another reason to be as vague as possible about the fast to people who are only acquaintances.
At lunch I wandered over to the Monument Starbucks to get a cup of (decaf) red tea and sit and have a quiet time. I brought with me my Bible and Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest. I read the devotional for today, January 2. It never ceases to amaze me how God always gives me the message I need exactly when I need it, whether I read it in scripture or hear it in a sermon:
*****
Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are willing to "go out" in every area of your life, trusting in God entirely. It is this attitude that keeps you in constant wonder, because you don’t know what God is going to do next. Each morning as you wake, there is a new opportunity to "go out," building your confidence in God.Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do— He reveals to you who He is. Do you believe in a miracle-working God, and will you "go out" in complete surrender to Him until you are not surprised one iota by anything He does?
Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him. Then think how unnecessary and disrespectful worry is! Let the attitude of your life be a continual willingness to "go out" in dependence upon God, and your life will have a sacred and inexpressible charm about it that is very satisfying to Jesus. You must learn to "go out" through your convictions, creeds, or experiences until you come to the point in your faith where there is nothing between yourself and God. (emphasis mine).
*****
As I contemplated some changes I need to make within myself and some addictions I need to break, I decided to start a 40 day juice fast. At this point, this fast is very personal and I don't feel like writing too specifically on some of the facets of the fast. I will say, though, that a few other guys from the Real Men of Genius group I go to at Pulpit Rock Church are also starting today, so I'm not going it alone, and I'm able to share my experience discreetly with them.
My friend Brian started the fast a couple days ago and it's been helpful watching what he's dealing with and getting some advice from someone a couple steps ahead. He's on day 6 and is fully over any hunger pangs.
I woke up at 10am after going to bed late from New Years Eve. I ate well last night, but I didn't eat too much. Probably too much for starting a 40 day fast the next morning, though. I woke up with a sinus headache that persisted until late afternoon. As a result, I really didn't do much other than read, pray, and surf the web until around 4. I did drink water throughout the day and when I got some mild hunger pangs in the afternoon I gulped a couple tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar to get rid of them. Big mistake. Almost immediately the vinegar came back up, and the dry heaves aggravated my headache for a couple hours. If I take any tomorrow, I'll be sure to mix it in some water and I'll add honey.
In the evening I went to Sam's Club for Vitamin Water and Wild Oats to buy some fruits and vegetables to juice. Sam's was closed, but I was able to get some grapefruit, apples, kiwis, kale, a big 15 pound bag of carrots, and a couple of store-brand vitamin waters. Hopefully I'll have time to swing by Sam's tomorrow to pick up a case.
Brian warned me that it was tough for him to fall asleep the first two or three nights. As I write I'm drinking some Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea (my favorite tea they make) so I can minimize my time thinking about food in the dark. It's time to sign off and start reading the Word.
My friend Brian started the fast a couple days ago and it's been helpful watching what he's dealing with and getting some advice from someone a couple steps ahead. He's on day 6 and is fully over any hunger pangs.
I woke up at 10am after going to bed late from New Years Eve. I ate well last night, but I didn't eat too much. Probably too much for starting a 40 day fast the next morning, though. I woke up with a sinus headache that persisted until late afternoon. As a result, I really didn't do much other than read, pray, and surf the web until around 4. I did drink water throughout the day and when I got some mild hunger pangs in the afternoon I gulped a couple tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar to get rid of them. Big mistake. Almost immediately the vinegar came back up, and the dry heaves aggravated my headache for a couple hours. If I take any tomorrow, I'll be sure to mix it in some water and I'll add honey.
In the evening I went to Sam's Club for Vitamin Water and Wild Oats to buy some fruits and vegetables to juice. Sam's was closed, but I was able to get some grapefruit, apples, kiwis, kale, a big 15 pound bag of carrots, and a couple of store-brand vitamin waters. Hopefully I'll have time to swing by Sam's tomorrow to pick up a case.
Brian warned me that it was tough for him to fall asleep the first two or three nights. As I write I'm drinking some Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea (my favorite tea they make) so I can minimize my time thinking about food in the dark. It's time to sign off and start reading the Word.
My favorite quote of all time is by C.S. Lewis:
"If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
As a child I was a dreamer. While other boys wanted to be astronauts and firemen and cops, I wanted to be a business owner and a missionary. Not just an owner of one business, but of a conglomeration of businesses. And not just a missionary to some third world country, but an individual through whom God could impact millions and millions of people. Sort of a Warren Buffett/Billy Graham hybrid. I've never really lost sight of those dreams, but I've definitely sidetracked myself. At times I've become too easily pleased with where I was at spiritually, job-wise, or otherwise. That's not to say I'm not grateful for the blessings God has given me, but I'm keenly aware that he doesn't want me to be too comfortable, too long. I want a holiday at the sea, and on my journey there, I plan on jotting some thoughts down here.
"If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
As a child I was a dreamer. While other boys wanted to be astronauts and firemen and cops, I wanted to be a business owner and a missionary. Not just an owner of one business, but of a conglomeration of businesses. And not just a missionary to some third world country, but an individual through whom God could impact millions and millions of people. Sort of a Warren Buffett/Billy Graham hybrid. I've never really lost sight of those dreams, but I've definitely sidetracked myself. At times I've become too easily pleased with where I was at spiritually, job-wise, or otherwise. That's not to say I'm not grateful for the blessings God has given me, but I'm keenly aware that he doesn't want me to be too comfortable, too long. I want a holiday at the sea, and on my journey there, I plan on jotting some thoughts down here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)