Blog Archives

Attitude + Action = Output

12/31/2014

Ok, folks this will be the last blog of 2014 and it is appropriate!!!
As the new year approaches there will be many of you who will create resolutions( def:The subsiding or termination of an abnormal condition). That is fantastic if you are willing to eliminate an abnormal condition. What if I told you your health was not an abnormal condition but just a condition that may not be working for you?And what if I said you GET To make a difference this year in your overall health?
Instead of a resolution- terminating and abnormal condition- how about just setting realistic goals to create a better health or better yet -a more effective you!
When people hear GET TO they tend to create an ATTITUDE of excitement and interest and are more willing to take an ACTION that produces an OUPUT that is much more likely to be effective and enjoyable. When people hear HAVE TO they tend to think of work or chores or things burdensome...these items tend to create "ho hum" attitudes which produces "ho hum" actions and "ho hum" outputs.
So start 2015 with an ATTITUDE that screams effectiveness- this will lead to dynamic
ACTIONS -which will promote OUTPUTS you will want to share with the world!
May your year be full of successful blessings! Remember...
YOU ARE THE DIFFERENCE!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
2015

Respect...

12/17/2014

What a powerful word ! What a powerful concept !
I found a couple of definitions I feel sum up respect-"A sense of worth of a person, a personal quality or ability". The one that really rings true for me- " proper acceptance or courtesy". It seems to me the level of respect people have has declined.
You hear words like "respect your elders", "respect the office", "respect others feelings", "respect your parents", "respect the flag", "respect others" ,"respect yourself"- Yet day in and day out we hear- on the internet or on television or the radio or in our own lives- about different events, actions, stories of total disrespect.
Has respect been watered down, lost or have we just forgotten how to?
It seems to me many events ( such as Ferguson and NYC and so many others) where people have died-many lives negatively affected, people abused, property destroyed-issues brought up tend to concern race and procedures- but what doesn't seem to be talked about much is the level of respect that was not achieved. People not respecting authority, or values, each other, themselves... life.
On so many levels - rights, how people live, where people are in there lives, personal property, authority, and even personal beliefs and values- were not and are not respected when all these situations arise. And when these situations do arise emotions run off the charts and when emotions run of the charts people do not think clearly and the cycle of disrespect continues.
Now is respect the only answer to all of the worlds problems,NO, but it is a huge step in the right direction.
As a people-the human race- if we can create a "proper acceptance and courtesy" for authority, values, beliefs, rights, and cultures of all we encounter then the beginning of the end of all the detrimental "crap" can happen! A LITTLE respect can go a LONG way!
Remember...

WE ARE THE DIFFERENCE!!!

Frustration...

12/12/2014

Ok,
raise your hand if you have ever been frustrated. Come on, there are a few of you not putting your hands up!!! I can see you...( this is a magic blog Santa gave me...I see who's naughty or nice and know if you've been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake!...;-) )
Seriously, we have all been frustrated now and again. I mean think about when you are in a hurry and your driving and all of a sudden you get behind "snail man"! That one person who believes the speed limit is overrated.You know you can run faster then they are driving and frustration starts rearing it's ugly head in a big way. And then all you want to do is find the nearest bazooka and blow that vehicle out of the way.
I know I've been there(once or twice....)! When we calm down we know (logically) they are not driving slow just to tick us off (actually God has put them in front of us to teach us patients-that is what I have come to believe) .
Classic case of frustration getting the best of us. I believe though frustration is truly an internal emotion. Yes, "snail man" is an external object but how we are feeling in that situation is creating the intensity of our frustration.That's internal.
It is expectation vs. result.
We know we have to be some where at some time (expectation) but because we made certain decisions earlier we are now in this situation( result). We don't like the result so we get frustrated. And the bigger the expectation, the bigger possibility for frustration if the desired result doesn't occur.
What I have learned, over time, is; If I take a breath and own all the choices I made earlier (before the "snail man" event)-taking a longer shower;enjoying the hot shower a little longer; hitting the snooze button(14 times); reading the sports page AND the comics-it allows me to take control of the situation instead of the situation taking control of me. This does allow me to calm down more quickly and takes away the urge to find a bazooka and realize "I can change lanes instead".

Frustration happens...just try to own your choices and finds solutions not negative emotions.
Remember...
YOU ARE THE DIFFERENCE!

what is unhealthy?

12/5/2014

I just read any article about how only 39% of people feel they are over weight or obese yet based on BMI over 70% of people are obese or overweight. The question is what statistic should you believe. My opinion, throw out the BMI. Now granted I do believe over 50% of the population in the US is over weight or obese due to lack of activity and how much food we consume but I don't agree with the BMI.
For those of you unfamiliar with the BMI- the BMI stands for Body Mass Index .It is a "health" chart that informs people if they are the proper weight for their height. I think it is a bunch of hooey! It only uses height and weight. It does not take into account age, genetics, if you are an athlete, water weight, muscle vs fat weight, body shape...many things. In essence it states if you have a BMI between 25-29 you are considered overweight. If you have a BMI of 30 or higher you are considered obese. Personally I am 5'9 and weigh 165 lbs. If you were to look at me their is no way you would think I am "almost" overweight. But according to the BMI calculations my BMI is 24.3 That is less than 1 tick away from being considered over weight. I don't think so! I'm not over weight or unhealthy( not to say I don't have some unhealthy habits-hey I like chocolate chip cookies but I make my own and everyone knows anything home made is good for you!!) ;-)
In the society we live in we have been conditioned to believe that having "that" perfect body is a true indication of good health...NOT. Having "that" perfect body or not is just apperarance-just the wrapping if you will. To get "that" perfect body what have you given up to get there? What mental strain, physical strain, damage in so many ways, has occurred because you were worried about the wrapping? How much imbalance in your total life has occurred to attain "perfection" just in the physical.
Yes, we should be concerned with the physical aspects of life and we want our physical attributes to be as effective as possible. Do we all really need washboard abs, or a 10% body fat, or be a size 0 or what ever media driven social "norm" is next. NO!!!
Stay active, eat as healthy as possible-get your proteins, your fats, your carbohydrates- sleep well, live responsibly and effectively and everything else will take care of itself.
I believe percent body fat, body shape and a good balance( what ever that is for you) in the physical, mental, social and spiritual aspects of your life are much better gauges for total health. The trick is to find, establish and maintain that balance.
REMEMBER...
YOU ARE THE DIFFERENCE!

Judgments....we have them....and?

12/3/2014

As humans we are 2 legged ambulatory judging machines! I believe this to be due to 2 things- Perspective and EGO.
As we have grown up from childhood to adulthood we have had and continue to have many influences in our lives. These influences have and do shape our "perspective"- how we tend to look at things, relate to things, react to things- in our world. It's not to say our perspective doesn't serve us well but it is OUR perspective; it is how WE (as individuals) see situations and OUR (as individuals) perspective to own. However, at times,It may not necessarily be the perspective that allows for the most effective solution or outlook.
Now take our EGO's ( as I have discovered-EGOS stands for: Erroneous Gage Of Self) - too many times we want to be right or we want every situation to be about us ( and we know who we are). This too creates an affect on how we look at or react to things in OUR world.
So therefore we judge the world we live in as big, small, right, wrong, good, bad, hot, cold, bright, dreary, funny, sad, fat, thin, hip, nerdy, fast, slow, tall, short, black ,white-you get the picture- we have labels and judgments to describe or classify everything in our world. Do we judge to help justify our own existence, I don't know, maybe? I do know we do it.

Lets look at a couple of general scenarios-
Take all the talking heads out there-the sports analysts, the politicos, the radio and television hosts- they all get paid to spout their perspectives (and yes most of them have ego's). They don't necessarily get paid to be right. They are paid for their judgments and to create buzz and conversation. For the most part they do a pretty good job on those 2 tasks (my judgment). And yes everyday we support these perspectives because we listen to them. Again not judging just stating "we do".
Heck, I'm a pretty big sports fan and enjoy listening to many of the sports prognosticators
(especially during football season)-Mike and Mike and Grady and Big Joe are my favorites. Now I don't always agree and at times look at the radio or television and wonder if the person talking just grew a third head! But I do enjoy it for what it is-entertainment- and do my best not to judge what is said but listen and create my own understanding of what is going on.
If talking heads don't make sense try this general scenario- as a consumer we buy a product. We take the product home. Now some time down the road, for some reason the product stops working. We then as the "rational" people we are, choose to go to the place of purchase and speak with the place of purchase to get a replacement product. Sounds like a pretty straight forward scenario doesn't it. However we all know this scenario doesn't always turn out the way we want it to and when it doesn't we as the "rational" people we are get angry and "blame" the place of purchase for the out come.
Now two things about this scenario or any scenario- they don't always go our way AND we tend to blame others for the outcome. When things don't go our way and "blame" comes into the picture that's when our perspective's and ego's become the issues at hand.

Our world is not right or wrong, or black or white or any other label or judgment we want to put on it. OUR world is as our perspective's and ego's allow us to view it, react to it and live in it. But know this, we have the ability as humans to understand and change (if needed) both our perspective and ego.

Now here's a question to ponder ...
What kind of world do you think we could all live in if we took the time to understand different perspectives and egos to find EFFECTIVE solutions for ourselves and others?

REMEMBER...
YOU ARE THE DIFFERENCE!!!

Author

Tom has a BS in Exercise Science and has had the fortune to work and observe people in the sports, fitness and physical rehabilitation realms for over 30 years. With experience as a coach, trainer, instructor, and actor his insights are honest, personal, educated, sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant but always enlightening. Take a gander and enjoy.