Always have a toothpick handy!

I was letting the dog out this morning for his first “daily” and got to thinking what an easy life this mutt has. All he does is sleep, eat and eliminate. That’s it! To make it even worse, he was “fixed” years ago so he’s not even going to “get lucky” any time soon! What a life! It would be a pretty boring existence for you and me but ole Tom (his name) seems as happy as he can be. Why? There must be a lesson or two here for us two-legged animals.

We have too many desires!

We put too much pressure on ourselves trying to amass “things” to keep up with the neighbors and live up to the guidelines that “society” sets for us. We many times set our goals based on these false dogmas. Tom doesn’t do that. He doesn’t have a jealous bone in his body and he couldn’t care less if he is gaining weight or the dog across the street lives in a bigger house. Animals cannot select their goals. Their goals (self-preservation and procreation) are hard-wired in their brains. And their success mechanism is limited to these built-in goal images which we call “instincts.”

Man, on the other hand, has something animals haven’t - Creative Imagination. We can picture goals in our minds and also create them. That makes us not only creatures but also creators! We have the keys to our own happiness that we have total control over. We are the architects of our own success! We are what we think. Unfortunately, unlike Tom, we think about too many things. We overwhelm ourselves at times. Paralysis by analysis! We need to dial it back a little and simplify our aspirations a bit. We need to think good thoughts. Remember:

“If you always think what you’ve always thought…..you’ll always get what you’ve always got!”

Take a lesson from Tom and slow things down. Take a nap today.. have a great meal…wag your tail and don’t take life so doggone serious.

Have a great Sunday! Rick

PS. I need your help!! What can I do to make my blog better and what more can I do to advertise it? I will cherish your comments and/or advice. Let me know. Thanks for stopping by and sharing some of your valuable time with me! Rick

Are you all aware that today, March 15th,  marked the worst day of Julius Caeser’s life?  Sure was!  Seems that he got himself carved up by a bunch of his enemies in the Roman Senate in 44 B.C.   William Shakespeare thought it was important enough an event to write a play about and teach us all about the term “The Ides of March.” 

It went down this way.  Caeser was an arrogant old fart and he apparently summoned the Senate to meet in the Theater of Pompey on the Ides of March.  A certain seer (soothsayer)warned Caesar that he had better have his head on a swivel that day and to be on his guard because a great peril on the 15th of March had his name written all over it.  Caesar apparently blew the fortune teller off and didn’t pay him much mind.   So when the big day had come and Caesar was strolling on his way to the senate, he saw the seer again and greeted him with a jest and said: “The Ides of March has come,” basically telling him, “Shows how much you know!”  The seer then answered him softly and said: “Yes, the Ides of March has come, but it has not passed.” 

Caesar soon learned that you don’t dis the seer because as the Senate convened, Caesar was attacked and stabbed to death by a group of senators who called themselves the liberatores  (”Liberators”).  They justified their action on the grounds that they committed tryrannicide and were preserving the Republic from Caesar’s alleged monarchical ambitions.  Call it anything you like….they killed him!  The term “Ides of March”  has since come to be used as a metaphor for impending doom.   Big deal, huh?  Well, if you like trivia…the ides of March was a also a red letter day for George McFly in the movie ”Back to the Future II.”  He was killed on the 15th of March, 1973!

So whether you are superstitious or not, at least today you learned a new expression or term you might not have known before.  If you want to be really enlightened you should also know that in the Roman calendar, the term ides was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July and October, and the 13th day of the other 8 months.  Don’t ask me why.  It was a long time ago and my day-timer only goes back a few years.

I think we should all pull together today and spit in the face of all the doom-sayers and let’s make this March 15, 2008 our best day so far this year!

Regards, Rick

PS.  I need your help!!  What can I do to make my blog better and what more can I do to advertise it?  I will cherish  your comments and/or advice.  Let me know.  Thanks for stopping by and sharing some of your valuable time with me!  Rick

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon a few years ago.  I was laying on the couch watching a golf tournament when all of a sudden the door bell rang.  I shuffled to the door and was a bit upset to see that nobody was there….until I looked down and found that there was somebody there!  It was a little boy looking up at me.  He was maybe 4 or 5 years old and he was wearing an old, raggedy and ill-fitting little-league baseball uniform.   I immediately looked to the end of my walkway and saw a car.   There was an anxious looking man and woman inside who, I rightly determined, were the young man’s parents.  They had obviously shooed their son up the walkway to my front door and were waiting for him.  It  became crystal clear that I was about to be hearing a sales-pitch.

Believe me when I tell you that this little boy was about as cute as a young man could get and not be a girl.  He had one of those round pumpkin shaped faces that just lit up like a jack-0-lantern when he smiled.  And that smile never left his face!  He opened his excited presentation with the words, “Hi, Sir” and I have to tell you, from that moment on I never understood another word!  He was all over the place.  His words were unintelligible.  Every once in awhile I picked up “money” and “new uniforms”  and “donate” but beyond that he might as well have been speaking in Sanskrit.   Even so, he was having no trouble “communicating” with me and getting his message across.

It was his obvious passion.  You could just tell that he was so excited to be out trying to raise money to help his little league team.   He truly believed in what he was selling!  Having raised 4 sons of my own I could just picture him in his little bedroom last night practicing and rehearsing his sales presentation.  By the time he was finished with me I couldn’t wait to get my checkbook and help him out.  I was sold!! 

Obviously, what sold me was his enthusiasm and sincere energy.  Of course, the fact that he lived about 4 doors down and I knew his family didn’t hurt his chances either, but I digress.   The point I want to make here is to follow up on my post of yesterday. 

The little guy didn’t have the words but, so what!  He sure had the tonality and physiology!  That is where the communication occured.  Words make up only 7% of the effectiveness of communication.  Tonality, (how we say the words) is 38% and our physiology is 55%.

Professional selling is really nothing more than a transference of feeling.  And nothing transfers that feeling more than  tonality and physiology.  It’s that unexplainable “aura” around a person when they are truly excited about what they are trying to communicate.  Ask any parent if their infant child who hasn’t developed words yet has any trouble communicating what they want.  The baby’s body language and tonality (sometimes crying or screaming) definately gets their point across. 

Over the years I have seen many brand new salespeople who haven’t yet learned their sales presentations (words) do very well in their first couple of weeks because they are excited and enthusiastic about what they are doing and that excitement registers with their customers and sales are made.  It’s almost like the customer is thinking, “I don’t know what this guy is selling but I have to have some of it!”  Sadly, after the newness wears off and the excitement wanes, sales start to fall off also. 

I wish I had the formula for excitement and enthusiasm and could bottle it up and hand it out.  We all have had it at various times in our lives just like the little kid but for some reason we lose it along the way.  The folks that stand out and excel are the ones that are able to summon it up when they need it.  Take entertainers for example.  I saw the play “Fiddler on the Roof” many years ago and the program said these actors and actresses had performed the same show over 4,500 times!  How do they keep it fresh night after night after saying the same lines thousands of times over and over?  Simple.  They are able to treat every performance like it was Opening Night!  That is the sign of a true professional.  

We have to find out what motivates us….what melts our butter…..what blows our skirt up… what gets our juices going.  We need to charge into each day with the excitement and enthusiasm of that little kid.  My motivation was always my sons.  We all get lazy at times and I admit there were times that I didn’t want to make another prospecting call or talk to another customer but I would pull out a picture of the kids and say to myself, “If I take a shortcut.. who am I really hurting?”  That was my motivation.  We all have something that fires us up!  We just need to focus on it until we feel the energy.  I once read that the best way to make sure you always do your best is to imagine that the whole world were watching you.  Talk about an audience!

Maybe the best way to explain what a “real professional” attitude is would be to share with you a story of Joe Dimaggio the great Yankee outfielder and hall-of-famer.  Known as the Yankee Clipper (and for you non-baseball fans, he was also known as Mr. Coffee) he played 15 years and retired in 1951.   The story is told of  an event that occured in his final season.  It was late August and the Yankees were playing a Sunday double-header in Detroit.   It was late in the second game and Joe was at bat and hit a weak pop-up to the shortstop.  Instead of just stopping and returning to the dugout, he hustled all-out to first base like it was the 9th inning of the World Series.  When he got back to the dugout his teamates started ragging on him a little bit with comments like, “Lighten-up Joe, you’re a hall of famer, relax a little bit, you don’t have to prove anything.”  One of his teamates asked him, “Joe, why are you working so hard?”  His answer illustrates why he was one of the greatest of all time. 

“The reason I work so hard is that there may be someone in the stands today who has never seen me play!”

Wow!  Not hard to see why he excelled.  That was his motivation.  What is yours!  As you step onto the ballfield of life each day bring your enthusiasm, excitement and passion with you. 

 Make it a great day, Rick

PS.  I need your help!!  What can I do to make my blog better and what more can I do to advertise it?  I will cherish  your comments and/or advice.  Let me know.  Thanks for sharing some of your valuable time with me!  Rick

 OK, so I can’t moonwalk like Michael but I was front row center for the bravura performance that the moon put on last night.  Here in the heartland of Iowa it was a perfectly still, cloudless night so the conditions were perfect albeit a little on the chilly side.  The celestial show was well worth waiting for and to think I almost missed it.  If it hadn’t been for a dear friend in Wyoming I wouldn’t have even known it was going to occur.  

We live in a world today that seems so structured; the Sun rises, goes across the sky and then sets. The Moon goes through its phases from new to full and back again. It all seems like clockwork, and then, something unusual happens that seems to throw the orderly timing of the cosmos into chaos. On a night when the moon rises full and beautiful, it starts to change, at first it is so subtle few notice it. But then ever so slowly the moon begins to dim and alarmingly disappears.

One can only imagine how frightening the sight of a lunar eclipse must have been for our ancestors. Far more than us, they were in tune with the rhythms of the cosmos, the motions of the Sun, Moon and planets were the motions these people lived by. They told short time by the daily passing of the Sun and used the moon phases for longer periods of time.  The passing of the seasons were marked by the stars.  The skies were orderly and dependable except for when an eclipse happened.  During that time chaos reigned and our ancestors prayed and begged for the Moon to be returned to the sky.

Eclipses have influenced history and, even today there are those who attach ancient superstitions to an eclipse.  But they are in the minority for we now know what causes lunar eclipses.  And although it may seem a magic show of shadow and light and a disappearing act by the Moon, we know how the “magic” works.  Even so, we can still appreciate the beauty.

I was struck by how dark the sky was during the period of “totality” allowing me to see so many more stars than would normally be visible against the backlight of a full moon.   Miss Wyoming asked me why the Moon appears to be red so I had to do a little research for her.  It seems that some of the sunlight passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and is bent around behind the Earth and beamed towards the moon. The shorter wavelengths of light are scattered and aren’t seen so only the longer orange and red wavelengths reach the moon.  It is that combination of longer wavelengths that usually supply just enough light to cast a coppery red hue on the Moon.   Last night the moon appeared to me as kind of a burnt orange. 

There are times however, such as when there have been volcanic eruptions on the Earth, that the light is so scattered by the volcanic ash that almost no light reaches the moon and it may be so dark as to be not seen at all.  Those were the events that must have really freaked out our ancestors.

At any rate, I guess what I want to say now that the cosmic show is over and won’t do an encore until 2010, is that our world of today has gone and got itself in a great big hurry.  Most of us spend so much time on the fast-track of life that the really important things that make life special kind of pass us by.  I know I missed alot of years of my boys growth and development cause I was so busy chasing the Jones’s.  And for what?  I would give anything to be able to have a “do-over” with my boys.  I love how Rod Stewart said it in one of his songs - “I wish… that…. I knew what I know now….. when I was younger!”

I did call my sons last night and told them to watch the eclipse and for them to know that I loved them and would be watching also.  Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Vegas so we made a date for 2010. 

We can learn much about our world if we just read a bit about eclipses.  They are steeped in history, superstitions, astronomy and the sciences.  I loved learning that the Boston Red Sox won their first title in 86 years during an eclipse.  I also discovered the little know fact that Christopher Columbus and his men were captured by wild natives on his 4th trip to the Carribean.  He was able to predict the next lunar eclipse and scared the superstitious natives into believing he had the power to  make the moon disappear permanently if they weren’t released.  Tell me that knowledge isn’t power!!

Obviously, last nights cosmic event was pretty grand but there are other “events” that occur daily on a much smaller scale but are, in no way, any less powerful in the effect they can have on our lives if we just stop, look and listen for them.  Stop and smell the roses.  You deserve to pay yourselves back for all the hard work you have done and are doing.  Keep coming back here for more musings.  See you in 2010!

This is the second in the series on weight loss and fitness.  Try to read the following articles first.

Losing weight is simple but not easy

Eat this

For me, aerobic exercise is the most fun part of the weight loss formula.  There are many types of aerobics but running is my “drug” of choice.  You can bike, play a sport, take a aerobic class, swim or just about anything that gets your heart pumping as long as it is something you enjoy.  I love the solitary time spent doing aerobics because it gives me time to think and reflect on whatever is important to me at the time.  

The real benefits of aerobic exercise are achieved by increasing your heart rate and breathing hard for an extended period of time. During this  activity your body produces more energy and delivers more oxygen to your muscles.  Your heart beats faster and increases the blood flow to your muscles and then back to your lungs.

Aerobic means “with oxygen” and your body’s aerobic system is your heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles. The benefit of aerobic exercise is based on how well your body can deliver oxygen to your muscles and use it for energy. Regular aerobic workouts increase your ability to take in and transport that oxygen and improves your aerobic capacity. 

A good aerobic exercise program can help you live a longer, healthier life and enhance your well being. You get a multitude of benefits if you do your aerobic workout on a regular basis even if the intensity is low or short in duration. It’s fun to keep a log of your workouts that track your progress to see how far you have come in your pursuit of fitness.  You don’t have to train for a marathon to get the benefits.  You can start slow by walking if necessary.  Just push yourself to go as far as you can without overextending yourself and then go just a little bit more next time.  You can get great benefit from just three 20 minutes sessions each week.  I am doing 6 sessions per week because I enjoy it and want to see the benefits quicker.  If you are a social animal there are always running clubs or biking clubs in your area that you can join and workout with others of a like mind.  As an added benefit, once you get hooked you can enter weekend races and fun-runs and walks to further enhance your sense of accomplishment.  I always used to use those events as an excuse to travel to a new area to both get a great workout and explore a new city at the same time.

The bottom line is to start an aerobic workout that you enjoy and look forward to doing on a consistent basis. Aerobic activity is fun and it doesn’t require a lot of concentration. It’s like anything….you get out of it what you put into it.  So listen to music, watch TV or listen to educational tapes while you are performing your aerobic exercise program if you don’t want to spend the time thinking.

Aerobic workouts make you feel better about yourself so you can enjoy life more. It boosts your mood, strengthens your heart muscle, helps you maintain your weight and can even lower your blood sugar levels. It can help increase your stamina and help you manage stress. A session of aerobic activity can help you relax after a stressful day at work. It can even improve your sexual performance.  AND, if you ever get to that point in aerobics they call the “runner’s high,” you will find that euphoria to be even better than sex!  (Well, almost)

If you maintain a regular aerobic exercise program as you get older, your muscles will stay stronger and help you avoid fractures and falls. This will help keep you independent and on your own longer. People who engage in exercise and cardiovascular fitness appear to live longer than those who don’t.  I have seen folks in their 80’s running marathons.  Remember this whole deal is about burning calories to lose weight so in addition to your workout sessions try to walk whenever you can or take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Every little bit helps.  I have to just laugh when I go to the club to workout and I see people circling the parking lot in their cars trying to get a space closer to the door.  Seems to defeat the whole reason for being there!

Aerobic activity comes in many forms and you can benefit from the time you spend in doing them. The benefits of aerobic exercise are good for your body and your mind and will help you to lose weight,  make you live longer, stay healthier and feel dynamite at the same time! 

When you add those benefits to diet and weight training there is nothing that can stand in the way of the goals you have set for yourself.

“I run because I can!”