The diet is coming, the diet is coming

I know, this title makes me sound like Paul Revere or maybe Chicken Little. And the title might be a bit misleading as it should be more about "lifestyle" than diet, but "the lifestyle is coming" is way too long and may provoke a million other controversial thoughts that I really don't need right now. To make one thing clear, I am not Chicken Little. I might better depict "Chicken Fat", and some of you my age might remember that exercise album they played in school.

I do have a great Chicken Fat story. I started out as a PE major at WVU and had a class called "Elementary Rhythm and Games" in which college students played tag, redlight/green light and the dreaded Chicken Fat song. Once an elderly man was walking past our class and loudly protested that higher education was a waste.

Now that the intent and title have been clarified, let me tell you the WHY a lifestyle change is in store.

REASON 1: Change is growth. My household is about to undergo a huge change. My wife is re-entering the workforce.  I will put aside all the reasons I need therapy for this and focus on the fact it can potentially help our finances and God placed an opportunity in front of her. Life around here will change and I need to change with it. This change may be the boost I need to get my ever growing butt into gear literally and figuratively. I will not disclose ALL my thoughts here as that will rob me of future blog material. All I can say is do not be surprise and be very afraid.

REASON 2: Reality. Height and weight charts do not lie. I can rationalize all day long but the reality is I am way too large. I did pray for a growth spurt last night and hoped to awaken at a little over 8 feet tall but that did not happen. Also, my frame is what it is. I know the truth of my frame size. It is time to accept the height and weight chart and do what it takes to get to that weight range. Also, recently I met a cardiovascular surgeon who gave up surgery to help people change their lives. We had a nice discussion but I could the excitement in his eyes as he was mentaly doing my open heart surgery. It is time for a change.

REASON 3: Do what I say. For the love of Pete, I am a nurse practitioner with a strong background in exercise and exercise physiology. I read Muscle and Fitness when it was in black and white. I have read countless, boring exercise and fitness sources FOR FUN. I have a huge knowledge base and I seem to hide it pretty well. It is as hidden as my abs.

Are there others like me? Statistics say yes. My observations say yes as well as I find myself quietly comparing my girth to others I see. I sincerely want to help them. I know where they are and how they feel. I first must "walk the walk" if I want others to get healthy.

And by initially announcing this on a blog, I am risking public humiliation and accountability. But, on the other hand, not too many read my ramblings. Yet.. there is so much more to come.

I want to wrestle Shute

You hard core movie buffs from the 1980s may recognize the quote from Vision Quest. I can relate to Louden Swain. Well, except for the obvious differences: he was young, lean and, as the movie plot summary says, Louden "comes of age" in the film. I have certainly already come of age and I am a long way from lean.  In the opening scene, Louden is jumping rope and his hair bounces with each jump. When I recreate the scene, everything but my hair(s) bounces with each jump.

Louden wanted to make a dramatic impact and ended up facing Shute in an epic wrestling match. Shute represented a challenge that would take a superhuman effort to overcome. Hollywood assured that Louden defeated Shute.

In life, I am ready to do something worthy of a real legacy. It is time to face the Shute. I can relate the nuts and bolts of this blog to making a template to beat the Shute.

If you have seen the movie, everyone thought that Louden was nuts. If a person embarks on a life changing adventure, their sanity should be questioned. Chris Columbus--remember he was nuts to sail off into the sunset. Charles Lindbergh was crazy too. Throw Henry Ford and Bill Gates into the deep end of the Looney Pool.

I am ready to take the body, soul, heart and mind mantra to a new level of crazy. And, I since I have little sense, I am going to chronicle the whole journey. It will apply to everything--job, exercise, diet, family...every thing that gets in the way of my maximal experience with my family, my God, my job and my life will be viewed as Shute.

And, if you have never seen the movie, the full version can be found on YouTube. If you have seen the movie, do you remember Louden's best friend's name? And you get bonus points for knowing Shute's first name.

Life According to Ralphie Parker

Who makes late June reference to the Christmas classic A Christmas Story? Ralphie Parker can teach us all about life in 3 simple steps.

LESSON 1: Remember the scene with the bully Scut Farkas? Ralphie tells us that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I am not advocating beating a bully until his nose bleeds but hang with me when we apply that to life. We all have a single life to live. I can speak for me and say I know I do not make the best of it some days. Life is like Farkas and steals our lunch money and makes us scream "Uncle" when our life is twisted into a chicken wing. We all say, "Tomorrow will be different" or "Tomorrow I will start the diet."All that does ia give us permission to undermine our goals by taking advantage of the gas station sale of 2 extra large candy bars for the price of one. Seriously, I am only being a conscientious shopper and I will save one for later (if you really want to believe that).

Ralphie could not take the stress of the bully anymore and he emptied a big ol can of whoop butt on Farkas. When we decide to finally do something, we can change our lives. Like one of my favorite authors Tim Ferriss says, ""Pure hell forces action, but anything less can be endured with enough rationalization." 

So, it is that easy huh? I mean, I am frustrated beyond belief that I have not acheived the level of success I want to in all my endeavors. Sure, I talk about change and I can freely type about change but deep down, I realize that Scut Farkas could have whooped Ralphie in an old fashioned, school yard fashion. Why did Ralphie do it? 


LESSON 2: Ralphie stopped thinking and JUST DID IT. This trips a lot of us up and keeps us stuck in the storm ditch of life. I have heard the saying "paralysis by analysis", meaning that inaction will result if we continually sit and look at all the possibilities. What if I left the security of a JOB and ventured out with an understanding collaborative doc and built a practice based on "me" and my abilities? See, then I will see my self like Ralphie selling pencils but not from soap poisoning but from a waiting room full of crickets chirping. People who really know me know I am "THE idea guy". I have great ideas and know I possess the ability to brainstorm. I have quite the inventory of ideas. All are SAFELY placed on a shelf so I can commiserate about them when I am really old. Think how pitiful (if not pathetic) it would be if we allowed our plans and ideas to dry rot sitting on that shelf. Maybe our dreams would touch the lives of others and not only bless those around us, but also change their lives.


LESSON 3: NEVER forget what you want, even if it could put your eye out. Remember, the dang gun almost did put his eye out! But, you know what? IT DID NOT and he enjoyed the fruits of his dreaming labor. Ralphie never lost sight (pun intended) of what he really wanted.


I guess, for this to happen, a person has to really know what they want. That desire almost becomes a mission statement for your life. I have FINALLY learned that I must pursue my dream like an occupation or career. If you don't, you end up treating your dream like a hobby and a person can surely live without fullfilling their "hobby dreams". Also note that I said "I must pursue" these dreams and I mean that NO ONE else is as committed to your dreams as you are. More often than not, help is NOT on the way. To get the boulder of life moving, one must exert lots of effort. As the dreaded Ms. Trunchbull from Matilda said

 " The distance the shotput goes, depends upon the effort that you PUT INTO IT. PERSPIRATION!"

One life is all we have. We can choose to live (which is far from safe and has many risks) or we can exist (which is safer but less rewarding). One takes courage and the other only requires a pulse. The choice of living is easy to talk about and hard to do while existing is tough to swallow but easy to do.

Wow, this ended up deeper than I intended. Leave it to me to rain on a Christmas classic. What is your favorite scene of the movie and can you relate to Ralphie?

Stonewall, Coach and Jesus

It has been a while since I posted and the title looks as if the heat of Florida has finally gotten to me. I am a big self reflector. Sometimes that is healthy and sometimes merely aggravating. This time, I am not sure which one it is but the focus of my soul searching revolves around effort. For instance, my blogs have been scarce lately and that all falls on me. My real estate activity recently has been lower than expected and, well, my real estate efforts have been less than active. I am beginning to see a correlation between effort and results. And I did not need my Sherlock Holmes hat.

But why and how does that pertain to the title of the blog. I am referring to Stonewall Jackson, John Wooden and, well, Jesus Christ. I suppose that one was a given huh?

Stonewall Jackson, an iconic Confederate General, led an interesting life in addition to many men to victory. To say he was eccentric would be like saying LeBron James plays a little ball. He sucked on lemons, felt pepper was not good for his health and memorized the lectures he gave while teaching. He had a couple of sayings that I think certainly can drive home the importance of effort.

1. MYSTIFY AND MISLEAD THE ENEMY

You will run into naysayers, critics and downright mean people. How you deal with them will determine if you let their evil intentions rob you of your zealous intentions. Remember this Stonewall-ism when we get to the last guy.

2. RESOLVE TO PERFORM WHAT YOU OUGHT; PERFORM WITHOUT FAIL WHAT YOU RESOLVE

So basically, do what you feel is worthy and useful and do not let anyone or anything stop you. Maybe it is an athletic pursuit. Maybe it is looking for a job. Maybe it is building your business by picking up that 300 pound phone. If it is worth doing, then just do it. I guess that creates a "Stonewall Jackson meets Bo Jackson".

Coach John Wooden's name warms the hearts all all basketball fans and coaches. The man defined college basketball through his career. He has inspired coaches, players, fans and people everywhere. I use Coach Wooden's words all the time in my life. And my 2 favorites are:

1. BE QUICK BUT DON'T RUSH

Do NOT fall prey to "paralysis by analysis". This means if the opportunity looks good, then add your favorite cliche..(strike while the iron is hot, opportunity only knocks once, don't look a gift horse in the mouth). A fast pace to life ensures you are not merely existing but experiencing life at its fullest.

2. FAILING TO PREPARE IS PREPARING TO FAIL

That says a lot, doesn't it? This one statement forces a person to accept responsibility for whatever is in their life. I talk to people daily who do not actively seek employment or opportunity yet become frustrated and befuddled that they have no money. What does it take to succeed? Prepare for success and following Stonewall #2 after heeding the Coach's words.

Jesus. I do not feel that He needs much of an introduction. It seems people either love or hate Him. If one looks just at His writings, He offers some amazing advice that if lovers and haters followed, our world would be a better place.

1. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

This teaching almost becomes cliche and that is a shame as it loses its power that way. Treat others the way you want treated. Do you want constantly criticized? Do you want people to gossip about you? Do you want people to manipulate you or your feelings? I didn't think so.

2. HEART, MIND, SOUL AND STRENGTH

OK, for the sake of argument, let us apply this to ANYTHING we do in life and not just to loving God. If you go to work, put your heart, soul, mind and strength in it. If you are trying to stop smoking or lose weight, do the same. I don't know about you, but I usually unintentionally miss on one of the four. At work, I may be giving decent effort but my mind is elsewhere one day or my soul is missing from my work another day. I guess this also means do whatever you do to the best of your ability (see now apply Stonewall again)

I could have added a couple of others to the list today. Special consideration goes to Albert Einstein,  Paul Finck, Annie Armen and to others who make me think on a daily basis. Stonewall, Coach and Jesus never seemed to understand the lukewarm approach. I, personally, fight the water temperature in my life. I resolve to crank up the heat.

5 Reasons Tebow and Network Marketing Are Alike

    I warned you that some days, the blog might go in a seemingly odd direction. Everywhere a person turns, there is some kind of story about Tim Tebow. Some people despise the man and everything he stands for and some will seemingly defend him to the death. The whole Tebow phenomenon affects different aspects of society ranging from sports to politics to religion. Personally I have my views and opinions about Mr. Tebow but instead of sharing those, I am going to make a comparison between Mr. Tebow and another controversial topic known as network marketing.

Both are the butt of jokes

Tebow haters take jabs at him at every turn. If you do not think this is true, Google “Tebow jokes” and you will find page after page of jabs and jokes at his expense. Network marketing also ends up the butt of jokes and I guess the industry may deserve some of that. In the past, network marketers were encouraged to aggravate their family and friends to the point where most were socially outcast. I have seen sit com episodes making fun of network marketers, and many people believe and endorse this stereotype without even knowing the facts. Being a big sports fan, I often listen to sports talk radio and there is one host who has made snide remarks about network marketing many times and he goes out of his way to poke fun at Tebow, too.  In either case, I wonder what the motivation is behind the jokes.

Both are unconventional

By now, we know that Tebow throws an ugly pass, has too big of a windup and does not makes throws on time. Experts feel he runs too much and this style will never be successful. What cannot be denied is that he has helped lead a less than talented team into the playoffs. Network marketing does not include time clocks, water coolers, corporate parking places or a dress code. It lacks a steady paycheck (an undeniable truth) but allows the possibility of an unlimited income. My career and profession (for now anyways) does have a nice steady income check but after a decade and a half, I am about as high on the food chain as I can get. I make well above the average income in my profession. Conversely, I personally know a couple of network marketers who LEFT jobs making LESS than I do right now who, through network marketing, make 2-3 times as much as I do working much less and travelling much more. But wait a minute, a person has to have a “job” that requires at least 40 hours a week in order to be what? Conventional? Worthwhile?

Both make life interesting

Tebow and overtime wins were newsworthy this past football season. People were glued to the screen, both the supporters and the haters. Remember, cheering is like life and has its own yin and yang—booing and applause. Viewers tuned in to see if he pulled out another victory or if he would fall on his face. Network marketing is interesting in its own way. Usually, a person gets involved with a network marketing opportunity with a product or service that they enjoy and find interesting. So, they learn how they can share their product or service with someone and that product or service fills a need with the customer. Network marketers, or the successful ones anyways, first and foremost are concerned with their customers and realize they will be blessed if they bless others.

Both Tebow and Network Marketing suffer from hype

Tebow was one of the most decorated college football players of all time. He led his Florida teams to some impressive records. All he did was win games. Then he was drafted (yes, too high) and many felt that Denver had made a huge mistake and he was viewed as a long shot to make the NFL despite his college accolades. It seems that no matter what Tebow does, there is always something wrong with what he did. Network marketing has been plagued by hype and false expectations. This has scarred the industry but does not diminish that the industry is legal and viable. Hype needs to be removed from both. Forget the hype. Look at the results and if the results are favorable, then enjoy the benefits. If the results are not favorable, work harder and smarter.

Both Tebow and Network Marketing thrive on hard work

Have you ever seen Tebow’s workout routine? Now that boy puts out the effort in preparation for his profession. He knows what has to be done to insure the highest probability of success, whether it is conventional or not. He knows he will not rely on a “Get success quick” scheme and does not base that on all the hype associated with him. Network Marketing has been falsely accused of being a “get rich quick scheme” and experience show nothing could be more false. It takes effort and consistent effort to make a business of any kind grow. Disgruntled individuals who grossly underestimated the needed effort have failed in Network Marketing and when faced with the reality of the situation, they have found it easier to blame the industry than their efforts.

Both Tebow and Network Marketing can lead to success

Tebow did not win the Super Bowl, but his team made the playoffs and won in the playoffs. Compared to the results of the past few seasons, that makes this season a success.  An individual with a desire to make a change and an open mind can succeed through diligence and effort in Network Marketing. Even the big league gurus named Trump, Kiyosaki and Buffet have commented positively on the industry of Network Marketing. Both Tebow and Network Marketing rely on a solid team for success. There are people who tried Network Marketing and did not succeed as they felt they did not have a solid supportive team around them. Join a network marketing company based on people first. Find a leader or a sponsor that you like spending time with and one who is positive and nurturing.

If you have questions about the industry or you are just curious to know what it can offer, please feel free to contact me and leave me the best way to contact you. I can promise an honest conversation and I can promise I will not send you countless emails in an auto responder-just a straight up conversation

Let me introduce to you…

I have been blessed by meeting some pretty remarkable people in my life. I am going to introduce you to one that I have not mentioned. His name is Paul Finck. To say Paul is a life coach is like saying crème Brule is just pudding. I love my analogies when I am fasting, but I digress. Paul is one of those guys that after you spend the first 15 minutes with him, you’d swear you went to kindergarten with him. He has such a genuine quality to him that a person is naturally drawn to him.

I recommend checking out his website. In one of his programs, he talks about taking a “quantum leap” with your life. The information I am going to share is strongly influenced by his general outline and suggestions with my own Zealous touch.

1. Absolutely do things differently than you have ever done them, simply for the sake of changing them. Honestly, if one is not getting the results desired, something has must give. I want to be a lean, mean physically fit stud muffin but brownies and my peanut butter addiction makes me look more like an over sized blueberry muffin.

2. Suspend your belief that trying harder is the only way to succeed. I have struggled with this for my entire life. The key is working SMARTER (and thus the reason I have possibly struggled)

3. Act ‘as if” with complete faith (fake it until you make it) Faith sometimes means believing when you cannot actually see what you believe. God wants his children to succeed. I feel this deep down in my soul.

4. Tolerate the confusion in your life (changing everything leads to confusion) Paul is so right but my mind tells me blow this one off and put my head in the sand. Dog owners will understand this: ever speak to your dog and they hold really still because they feel they have become invisible? If you do not cause change and confusion, your life will not and cannot change. CHANGE is essential, so therefore confusion must be embraced.

5. Take your risks. This is hard because risks are, um, risky! Geez, that is what makes a risk so difficult to entertain. Instead of focusing on something bad happening with a risk taken, just know the something is bound to happen. A person has an equal chance of something amazing happening as something terrible happening.

6. Trust the outcome. I work in a prison and a term around here is “it is what it is”. An outcome is just that. An outcome can then be made a new staring place that requires a risk and then a different outcome happens. Poof..it’s magic.

7. Seek to fail. Well, I have never SOUGHT it, but I sure have found it. Seriously, I have failed because I did not follow all of Paul’s suggestions here. I have avoided confusion at any cost. I have allowed fear (and STUPID fear at that) to hinder my progress.

8. Absolutely be bold in your actions. Later, I will be writing a blog about lukewarm. But, considering this experiment is called “Zealous Intentions” and not “Mediocre attempts”, I am now sold on boldness.

9. DO it now. Wow, Paul gets me on this one because if there has ever been a guy willing to put things off, I am that guy. I’d show up to accept the prize but I’ll just do it tomorrow. I have literally lost a lot of money by putting things off out of laziness or usually a stupid fear or insecurity

10. Get uncomfortable every day. Yep, that is the goal. Fasting provides a physical discomfort which is great and can prompt me to do something beneficial, even if it hurts a little.

QUANTUM LEAP is huge leap and not a step by step process…Step by step gets you nowhere fast. Jump in and swim or sink. When you talk to Paul, he really and sincerely cannot comprehend the mindset behind going slow. He knows one speed.

Quantum Leap deserves your attention and please look up Paul. If you send him an email, tell him I said “hello”.