Old School Success

I am constantly looking to do something that improves either my life or the lives of those around me. I am an avid reader and I also find my way on to YouTube at times because I can find inspirational stuff there, too. Recently, I have been fascinated by Jack LaLanne. Now, as a kid, my dad was a big fan of his but I could not get past the cheesy presentations and those freakish jumpsuits. Dad always said LaLanne was knowledgeable and deserved some of my attention. Dad knew I loved all that fitness stuff, but I just never got into him.

This is yet another time that Dad was right. Jack LaLanne knew his stuff and I feel he may be THE best fitness role model of all time. Read and watch some of the amazing things he did, like swimming MILES while shackled and towing boats.. Ironically, the only way I could “swim” miles would involve being towed by a boat. He performed an unheard of number of pushups on a television show. Jack was a stud!

Today, I am going to look at his 10 point plan for success and I am only making a little tweak. The narrative for each point is mine but the points themselves are 90% untouched and all the credit goes to Jack.

1.     Faith. This is the tweaked one so we will start with it. LaLanne says to “keep the faith” and he meant to keep the faith that positive things will happen. I see it differently. I say that we should have faith in God.  I get so sick of reading where “God has no place in _______ (fill in the blank). I hear God has no place in work, school, sports, politics, and everywhere else anyone else feels the need to expound. “God bashers” have an open platform and that gets so very old. I work in a prison and I have been told that God and Christianity have no place in what I do in the prison. The way I see it, the depths of Hell on earth mixed with hopelessness and despair is a PERFECT place to interject the message of Jesus Christ.

But I digress. In regards to a success plan, I feel that God and Faith need to be placed right in the center. This allows a person to keep things in perspective and it allows us to worship God the way we were designed. I feel if we center our life on Him (remember, body, soul, heart and mind), we stand a better chance of succeeding on the other 9 points. LaLanne said, “Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you've got a kingdom.”. I feel that this is so true; I am just adding “Make the Lord sovereign over the kingdom.”

2.     Adequate exercise. I love the word “adequate” and that is one that hits a sore spot with me. It must be taken into context with NUTRITION but exercise by itself deserves discussion. I have often teased that I am the hardest exercising fat guy in the world. Sadly, the truth is that I am STILL fat despite running miles, lifting literally tons of weight in my lifetime and all the other stuff I have done. ADEQUATE exercise, to me, is like the Holy Grail. I hear it exists but I have not found it, and I am pretty sure Indiana Jones does not have it. My personal quest is to determine “adequate exercise” and teach all the people I can about what I learn.

3.     Healthy nutrition. If exercise is the Holy Grail, nutrition is Bigfoot. Everywhere a person looks they see a diet or a plan that claims to be better than all others. If you watch the old videos of LaLanne, he is dead on accurate about Americans and diet today. But remember, he wrote that stuff some 50-60 years ago. Goodness knows I have tried just about everything. Some things work for me because I am able to abide by the plan and some do not work for me. All I know is that healthy living free of disease depends greatly on diet and nutrition.

4.     Positive thinking. Again Ol’ jack was way ahead of his time. He pre-dates many of the books, seminars and programs that teach the importance of positive thinking and the law of attraction. Thinking is a process in which we have quite a bit of control. That being said, thinking requires effort or bad thinking will certainly take root. I completely understand that when you feel like crap and your butt is dragging, it proves challenging to be perky, chipper and optimistic. No matter how hard it is to feel positive, put forth the effort and try. If nothing else, your positive attitude may inspire or touch someone who feels worse than you do. You may help them in ways you could never imagine. Think of it this way: positive thinking leads more often than not to positive results. Attitude carries a lot of weight. It boils down to choice. Choose to be positive and better or negative and bitter.

5.     Cultivate good habits. This is one of the points I find easier to talk about what NOT to do. Seems like bad habits for me start with peanut butter. I admit I use it as a crutch. I eat peanut butter when I am mad. I eat peanut butter when I am sad. I could go on with the Dr Seuss lines but you get the idea. Habits can be good, however. Exercise is a habit that has always come naturally to me. Now, I am focusing on changing the habit of eating bad things when I am in the car. At least I no longer buy cakes from the gas station but I have been known to eat a peanut butter sandwich in the car. Today, it was an apple. Bananas make sense to me and I can create this habit by holding back some of my breakfast to eat on the drive.

6.      Groom yourself well. This topic of LaLanne’s program is one of those you just have to take. He was attempting to tell housewives (mostly) the importance of taking care of themselves. In today’s world, I feel it can apply to appearance. We must “dress” the part because all of us should be interested in developing a personal brand. Believe me, if you wear your shorts around your knees and show off your stylish boxers, you are branding yourself. Likewise, if you own a small business and you are out with your family, you should be aware that someone might have a first impression towards you. For this one, I want to add “handle yourself” to the grooming command. Grooming can mean more than your visual appearance. Grooming means your image and you must put forth an image of success.

7.     Smile. A smile means quite a bit. It shows that a person is happy, confident and approachable. The last time I checked, these were 3 qualities that would enhance an image or a business. A smile takes voluntary action. YOU can control it.

8.     Have an erect posture. Jack goes old school again and when I read this I imagine school aged kids walking around with erasers on their head. Oddly, the image is in black and white and sounds like one of those old school films. Jack was interested in promoting the visualization of fitness, health and vigor. It is true, good posture will play a role in maintaining cervical and lumbar spine health. It also will reduce fatigue, especially in trunk and core muscles.

9.     Help others. I love this one and I am going to expand this beyond the obvious. Yes, do something for someone everyday that has no possibility of repayment. Be kind, complimentary and supportive. Treat others how you wish people would treat you. Along with this basic concept, go one step farther and do something that takes you out of your comfort zone. For those starting a business or growing a business, we get set in our ways and we do not engage others like we should. You never know if you can help someone unless you simply ask. Strike up a conversation and build rapport with people you do not know. Maybe it is by using the phone or maybe you can market to people that you come into contact. LISTEN to them (which is helpful because people rarely listen anymore) and you will find ways you can help them and bless their lives. More often than not, your business exists to help others, and we will not know how we can help if we do not ask. Comfort zones stagnate growth. Sure, they are safe and keep you where you are. And, well, where you are might be a pretty good place but if you summons the courage to go outside of your comfort zone, then magical things will happen.

10.  Find time to relax. Wow, I am so guilty of ignoring this one. I hear LaLanne say once that Americans are so obese for 3 reasons: Poor food choices, lack of exercise and too much stress and aggravation. Stress and worry can affect sleep and then the whole system gets out of whack. Finding time to relax eludes me. It seems like every second of everyday is already taken and I struggle to find to me to devote to my start ups. Relaxation time, when it does happen, does in fact help keep things in perspective and keep me centered.

Now, these 10 steps are fundamental and straightforward. They make a solid foundation for one who is willing to step up to the challenge. If you look at this and then look at LaLanne’s sample menu and eating habits, this challenge could put you out of your comfort zone literally and figuratively..Success will only come to those who actively seek it..