Daily Inspiration: Security and Risk

Security is mostly superstition.

It doesn't exist in nature nor do the children of man experience it.

Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing!

Helen Keller

Blurt: Fear of Failure

Everyone who has ever tried to do anything has failed at one time or another. It doesn’t matter how talented, wealthy, intelligent, or important a person is, the only way to avoid failure is to hide out in a cave and do nothing. However, I believe it is important to continue to try to achieve your goals. We cannot live in fear saying to ourselves,

“Don’t take a chance or make waves to rock the boat.”
“I better just stay right here and hang onto what I have.”
“I shouldn’t change a thing because there is nothing out there for me anyway.”
“I don’t have what it takes to be successful or to make it.”
“I’ll probably just try and fail and then I’ll be sorry.”
“I’ll just end up wishing I had stayed where I am.”

You may be surprised to learn many successful and influential people have failed before they finally reached their goals or experienced success in their lives.

• Charles Darrow was unemployed before he invented the game of Monopoly. When he introduced his first version of the game to a toy company in 1935, it was rejected saying it contained 52 “fundamental errors.” Today, Parker Brothers prints more than 40 billion dollars of Monopoly money each year which is twice the amount of real money printed by the US Mint.
• Elvis Presley was fired after his first performance at the Grand Ole Opry and was told, “You ain’t going nowhere son.”
• In one of Fred Astaire’s early screen tests he was described as, “Can’t act, Can’t sing, Balding. Can dance a little.”
• One of the famous tenors, Enrico Caruso, was told by his voice teacher that he couldn’t sing at all.
• Albert Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read. He didn’t do well in high school and he flunked his college exams being advised by a teacher to drop out and said, “You’ll never amount to anything, Einstein.”
• Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor saying he lacked creativity and good ideas.
• Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, flunked out of college.
• Steven Spielberg dropped out of high school and even though he returned later attending a class for the learning disabled, he dropped out again after only a month.
• Henry Ford barely made it through school.
• F. Scott Fitzgerald flunked out of college.
• Admiral Richard Byrd had been retired from the Navy as “unfit for service” before he flew over both poles.
• Michael Jordon was cut from his high school basketball team.

As for me, I know with my own attempts to lose the weight I have failed numerous times on many different programs but to date I have lost 139 pounds. In the past I would lose for awhile but then I would fall off of my “diet” and regain all of the weight and usually a few pounds on top of what I had originally lost. This is why I believe it is so important to have a mindset this is a lifestyle change and not a “diet.” We must look at our failures as opportunities to do better next time. We must ask ourselves,

“What did I learn from this experience?”
“What will I do the next time to achieve a different outcome?”

“What will my attitude be?” Will I look at my failure and beat myself up smacking my head against the wall. Will I say things like, “How could I be so stupid?” “What a dummy I am! I can’t believe I would be so stupid to let that happen.” “I guess I’ll never amount to anything anyway.” OR Will I look at my failure and try to examine what I did wrong so I can do better next time and succeed. We must be able to say, “I made a mistake. I can’t go back and change what happened. If I could, I would, but I can’t. Here’s how I will handle the situation differently if it happens again based on what I have learned.”

We cannot let the fear of failure rule whether or not to strive to achieve our goals. We must keep pushing forward and realize we will have setbacks. We will fail from time to time. But if we continue to strive and learn from our mistakes we will be successful. I wish you all of the best in achieving your goals. God bless you.

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits that neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Daily Inspiration: Do Not Be Discouraged

Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified;
do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you
wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

Daily Inspiration 6 Nov 10

I can do all things through Christ,
because He gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

Blurt: Ho Hum Gotta Exercise

Tired of that same old boring exercise routine? Have you started dreading going to the gym to do the same old stuff on the same old machines? Do you walk miles and miles on that treadmill staring at the same four walls? Sometimes we can get into a rut doing our exercises on the same days, at the same time, in the same place, and in the same way. It gets so monotonous that we just want to pull our hair out and scream. It becomes so boring we start making excuses not to exercise. Today I offer some tips to liven up your exercise program to make it less boring and more fun.

• Find something fun to do you enjoy. I know this sounds simple but true. It can be bicycling, swimming, skating, aerobics, square dancing, golfing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, running, coaching, refereeing, window shopping, or just taking a walk in the park. The sky is the limit. What activities do you enjoy? Sit down and come up with a list and incorporate different activities throughout the week.


• Play with the kids. Use their energy to get you pumped up. You could organize a neighborhood flag football game, a game of Frisbee® golf or simply a game of tag.


• Discover a new location to get in your exercise. Instead of walking on the treadmill take a walk around the neighborhood. Instead of using the same aerobics video find another one to use on alternate days. Instead of using the stair machine use the stairs at work. By changing where you exercise you give yourself new sights and experiences to enjoy.


• Change when you exercise. If you normally exercise in the evening try switching to the morning hours. If you exercise outdoors, this can be enjoyable change because the temperature is different and there are different sounds and people out at different hours.


• Find an exercise buddy. Having someone to talk with as you work out at the gym or go for a walk can be very enjoyable. It can be a learning experience as well by discussing different methods which are working for each of you.


• Measure your results. By keeping an exercise log you can see your progress. It can be very motivating to see how far you have improved. You can invest in a pedometer or a heart rate monitor to help track your progress and insure you are getting the most from your routine. It also is a new gadget that will keep you wanting to see how far you can go.


• Set a goal to walk in walk-a-thon or a marathon. You can build up your stamina by walking to get pledges for your cause. You can participate in a marathon to receive a trophy or T-shirt to display with pride.

There are numerous ways we can escape from the boredom of exercise. The main thing is to find something you enjoy. If you are happy then you are more likely to continue to exercise. Change things up, by simply changing the way we do things will motivate us to our goals. It can be as simple as counting our reps backwards instead of forwards or as dramatic as joining a gym or a swimming community. Try different exercises and routines to keep you motivated. I am sure you will be happier and achieve your goals toward a healthier lifestyle. Exercise is important to our success and we must continue to find ways to break it up and have fun. Good luck in your goals, Take Care and God Bless.

Daily Inspiration 5 Nov 10

Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start,
anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending!

Carl Bard

Blurt: Journal and Succeed

I find it helpful and important to keep a journal of the foods I eat to achieve the healthy lifestyle I am living. Mainly, journaling helps me keep in mind what I am eating. It makes me think about what I eat and forces me to make a conscious decision whether or not I should eat a particular food that day. If I am craving cookies, I can work them into my diet. Also, I tend to not eat enough and it helps me make sure I am getting the proper nutrition. The journal should include what foods, how much, when and how you are feeling when you eat. It is important to record everything you eat and to do this immediately. If you wait until the end of the day or when you get home it is easy to forget the little bite here and there or the plum you had for a snack.

There are many ways to keep this journal. A pad and pen will do. In many situations this is the best choice. You can carry a small pad and pen around in your pocket or purse so it is always with you. Of course, a napkin will do when you forget it or go out to dinner. Some like to use a PDA, personal digital assistant, and this is fine if you are into the new technology. There are many online sites and retailers that offer forms and food journals for little or no cost. Personally, I use Points® Tracker on the Weight Watchers© website. It is well organized and it is easy for me to track the foods I eat because I am at home most of the time. When I eat out, I look up my meals before I go to insure I will not fall off of my diet. I will also jot down what I eat when I am away from my computer and log it in when I get home.

The data you record should include everything you eat. You should record the calories and/or fat grams of each food. Pay attention to nutritional labels to insure you are recording the information correctly and to find the actual serving size. In the beginning it is important to weigh and measure your food to learn what portion sizes look like. After you feel comfortable you may want to follow the guidelines that I offer in my blog entitled, “Blurt: How to Visually Measure Food.”

It is also important to record when you eat. By recording when you eat you may discover the majority of the foods you eat are in the evening with the combination of dinner and late night snacks. If this is the case you can adjust your eating habits to eating more food throughout the day where you will not be as hungry at night. It is important to eat a good breakfast to fuel your body to jumpstart your day. I recommend also eating a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack to keep energized. This will help curb your appetite at night as well.

Finally, recording how you feel when you eat can tell you what is triggering the impulse snacks you include in your diet. If you use food as a support when you feel depressed or angry, you can use this information to avoid this pitfall. By journaling the foods you eat on your diet you can learn what strategies to take to improve your health and weight loss. I know tracking the foods I eat helps me stay focused toward my goals to achieve the weight loss I am seeking. It makes me aware of what and why I am eating and gives me the opportunity to improve before I fall back into unhealthy habits. I am living a healthier lifestyle by using this tool and I hope you are able to use it to your benefit as well. I also keep track of my exercise routine but I guess I will leave that discussion for another time. God Bless your continued success in your goals to achieve a happier and healthier you.