Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Finding Your 'Big Mind'

We Are All Connected: Finding Your “Big Mind”

Genpo Roshi by Genpo Roshi | December 14th, 2008 | Comments (2)
topic: Personal Growth | tags: , , , , ,

We are all born with the unborn Buddha Mind, what I call Big Mind/Big Heart, an inner awareness that we are connected with others and our environment — literally One Mind. But something happens as we grow up; we begin to separate ourselves from the rest of the world. We trade the Big Heart-Mind we are born with for another mind that centers around the small self. That self then becomes our number one preoccupation.

The small mind always looks at the world from the center called “me.” The arrow points “out there” so everything else appears to be on the outside. And when we look “out there,” we feel rather empty, unimportant and incomplete “in here.” Naturally, want arises; we want to feel better, more complete.

As long as we believe that something outside ourselves can make us feel whole, we will be driven to grasp at things. Dissatisfaction and anxiety will haunt us because we have traded Big Mind for a narrow, self-centered one. This unrest is what the Buddha called ignorance. We ignore our intrinsic wholeness.

The point of spiritual practice is to return to our original nature, which is Big Mind — the mind of clarity and wisdom, and Big Heart — the mind of compassion. … Even though we experience this incomprehensible Heart-Mind, our separate and frightened self wants to believe that something bigger than ourselves has everything in control; so we keep looking for God “out there.” The secret known by all the mystics is that God can be found only when we give up our efforts to control and understand our life.

When we look inside and let go, we can come from Big Mind and see that there is no need to control any of it. When we allow everything to just be, it all functions exactly the way we want because we give up wanting it to be any other way. The trick is to let go of wanting. When we give up our preconceptions of where the snow should fall and let it fall where it falls, then there is no question about what to do. Grab a shovel.
Read more from Genpo Roshi on Intent.com — content and community for who you aspire to be — personally, socially and globally.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

10 Ideas to Get You Exercising

10 Ideas to Get You Exercising

There a hundreds of reasons why we don't exercise - just read the excellent comments on the post Why Don't You Exercise.

Here are 10 different ideas or techniques to help you pursue a lifetime of health and fitness.

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If - deep-down - you really don't want to exercise, then don't bother reading further. You will need to get to the bottom of those feelings before moving on. Ambivalence and double-mindedness will only lead to a constant cycle of disappointment. But - if you want to reap the many mental and physical benefits of exercise -- then read on.

1. Know Thyself - Time of Day
What's the point in aiming for fasted cardio (i.e. workouts before breakfast) when you are not a morning person? You might start with the best intentions - but it will probably not last. You must find the time that works best for you.

2. Know Thyself - Comfort Zone
When I exercise I sweat. Sometimes profusely. That may seem gross to some - and to be honest when I caught some people staring at my red sweating face - I was embarrassed. I've realized that public gym workouts are not always for me. I have a basic setup at home that I use instead. If going to the gym - aim for known quiet periods.

zumba.jpg

3. Boredom Busters
I feel bored just looking at the rows of poker-faced people sitting on their stationery bikes. I cannot do this. It bores me to tears. The personal trainer might prescribe 45 minutes of steady-state cardio - but it is most definitely not the only way. Personal Trainers for the most part are enthusiastic and helpful people -- but many seem to be stuck "in a box" when it comes to innovation. If you bore easily (like me) - then mix it up. The feeling of doing something new or different gets me interested again.

4. Structure and Planning
We have become a very time-poor people. Consequently if we want to accomplish anything we will need to plan it. Don't say "I'm going to exercise this week". Say "I'm going to exercise at 4.30pm on Wednesday for 30 minutes - and write it down. It might sound a bit obsessive but every Sunday I plan my whole week - what I aim to do at work, when I will exercise, etc. Without a structure things turn to chaos and I end the week feeling out-of-control and frustrated.

5. Surround yourself with like-minded people
It's tough enough to motivate yourself without having a bunch of couch potatoes pouring scorn on your intentions. Spend time with the right people (on-line or in the real world) and you'll find the motivation starts to come.

6. Focus on the feeling after the session
There's nothing better than blobbing out after a good exercise session. The feeling of satisfaction is something to be savored. Then there are the post-workout endorphins... and the good nights sleep...

7. Stop thinking: All or Nothing
"If I can't do this workout properly - then there is no point in working out". I used to think like this. Now I think that even a 5 minute walk is better than 5 minutes on the couch. Even 10 minutes of light weights is better than nothing. This is especially important when exercising after a period of sickness. You feel like you took one step forward but fell 3 steps backward. Go easy on yourself. Don't give up. Something is better than nothing.

8. What are your priorities?
When taking time to plan your week you will be forced to address priorities. If you are working 16 hours a day and (understandably) have no time for exercise - then you need to sit right back and take a long hard look at what you truly want out of life.

9. Remove the word "quit" from your mental vocabulary
Having goals is great. Lose x pounds of fat. Gain x pounds of muscle. Increased fitness. However there is something even deeper at play. If we lead sedentary lives then exercise simply must become a part of life. Period. Our bodies are made to be worked.

If I said to you "you must exercise for the rest of your life" -- how does that make you feel? Examine the feeling. If it feels like a prison sentence then perhaps you need to do some serious rewiring of your inner monologue. Imagine feeling vital, strong, and energized - into your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s -- wouldn't that be a good feeling?

10. It's not just about looks
The skinny girl down the street might look good to you -- but her size is no indication of her health or strength. She may have unseen visceral fat (see normal-weight obese) or, sadly, could be inviting osteoporosis to come early.

Exercise is just as much about a healthy body as it is about looking good. My wife has reversed a number of health issues with the assistance of exercise. She is not model-thin - but rather - exudes strength and life. Having a strong and useful body often goes hand in hand with emotional self-empowerment.

This has been a long post. Good on you for bothering to read it! I encourage you to add your own ideas to the comments.

More like this in Exercise and Tips and Tools

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

What Are You Thankful For?

Thank you, Mr. Mobley, for showing it to me this way. When I look around with my eyes and heart open, I really have a lot to be thankful for. More than a lot of folks in this world. May you, too be thankful.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Kimberly


What Are You Thankful For?

Make "Being Thankful" A Way Of Life.

by Darryl L. Mobley

Darryl Mobley PhotoOver the next year, I suggest that you make "being thankful" something you do as a part of being alive. Here are some things that you might try:

1. Pay attention to the people around you. There will be those who are not as blessed as you are. Count your blessings.

2. Accept your right to make the changes you believe will lead you to be, do, have or experience whatever you desire. Your life is yours to craft into a masterpiece.

3. Love your life - challenges and all. Always keep in mind that it is, "The Struggle That Makes You Great."

4. Develop a Gratitude Journal. Start a journal in which you keep a list of the things that make you happy and the people you appreciate. This will help you celebrate the good in your life.

5. Take delight in the small things. Sing in the shower. Whistle while you wash the dishes. Take a walk and talk with your kids or other loved ones.

6. Finally, let me be presumptuous and suggest that each night before going to sleep, give thanks for the good things that happened to you during the day. I also suggest that you also give thanks for Thank You Notethe challenges that offered themselves to you during the day.

If you are not happy for what you have in your life, then you will not be happy for what you are going to receive. That's a lousy way to live.

Darryl L. Mobley
"Success Coach for Successful People Who Want To Become More Successful"
Darryl L. Mobley is creator of http://www.lifemasterycollege.com life coaching with clients across the U.S. and around the world. As a leading life & executive coach, and a highly sought after speaker, Darryl presents around the world on success, personal development, marketing, leadership, relationships, family, work/life balance, parenting, and personal branding. To get a FREE subscription to Darryl's wildly popular "How To Create A Life Worth Living" eMagazine and other great goodies that will help you create and live your best life and achieve more success, visit http://www.lifemasterycollege.com .
©2008 Darryl L. Mobley. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

How Ignorance Can Lead to Success

How Ignorance Can Lead to Success

By Marc and Angel: Hack Life


What you don’t know just might help you. Being unaware of presently accepted, communal beliefs can put you a step ahead of the herd. It’s like an artist building a masterpiece from a blank canvas. Sometimes it’s better to begin from a clean slate, to create your own way without polluting your mind with external inputs. Here are a couple examples:

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance,
it is the illusion of knowledge.
- Daniel Boorstin

The Route Less Traveled

In the late 1990’s my father got an itch to start investing. He had a decent sum of cash sitting in a savings account and decided it was time to put his money to work. The savings account returned about 1.5% a year, so any return above that would be a successful investment.

At the time, the dot com boom was at its inception and everyone was pumping money into tech stocks. My father didn’t fully understand the stock market and its inherent risks, so instead of investing in tech stocks, he purchased 15 acres of land in an upcoming neighborhood near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He never lost a dime when the dot com bubble busted, and even after the recent downturn in the housing market, his property is currently worth 8 times what he paid for it.

She Didn’t Know Any Better

About a year ago a friend of mine wrote an eBook and put it up for sale on her blog. I jokingly pointed out to her that all of the information in the eBook was readily available on other blogs/websites for free and indexed correctly by Google. She was disappointed when I mentioned this, but she left her eBook up for sale anyway. We both assumed it wouldn’t sell. We were wrong. The eBook has sold to the sum of nearly $4K since last summer.

The Lessons

These two stories carry two significant lessons:

  • The popular way of doing things is not always the best way.
  • Sometimes taking action based on ignorance beats taking no action at all.

Knowledge is important. But occasionally what we know (or what we think we know) hinders our ability to take action and make sound judgments. We become consumed with commonly accepted practices and thus fail to innovate. We follow the herd instead of thinking for ourselves.

Doing things the same way they’ve always been done is a sure way to never get ahead. Just because other people have done things a certain way doesn’t make it right. Quite often you will find the exact opposite to be true.

Being ignorant of popular opinion is a good mindset to be in. It allows you to form your own opinions based on firsthand experience. It gives you the freedom to think and to innovate. Oddly enough, the right kind of ignorance can give you the power to succeed.

Monday, August 18, 2008

How To Find Time For Exercise

How to Find Time for Exercise

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

Find Time for Exercise Find Time for Exercise

Rate: (8 Ratings)

Exercise is often a low priority and something we just never get around to. To stay healthy, have more energy, and lose or maintain weight, its important to find time for a regular exercise routine. To work it into your schedule, you first must commit to an exercise routine and think of it as something that must be done. Here are ways to make time in your schedule for exercise.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Step1
Experiment with your schedule to find out when you can get some exercise time in. Make it a routine. Once it becomes a priority and a habit, it will be easier to keep up with it.
Step2
Get some exercise while doing errands. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further away from stores so that you have a longer walk.
Step3
Exercise on your lunch hour. Find a good place to walk or join a nearby gym. If you are home with young children all day, try to find a gym with a babysitting program or classes that the kids can attend while you are working out. Make sure the program is something that the kids will enjoy and look forward to.
Step4
Wake up earlier. Walk or jog outdoors. Or find a room in your home where you won't wake everyone up to do aerobics or a treadmill routine.
Step5
Walk whenever you can. Take a 15 minute break at work and walk. Walk around the field at your kids' games. Walk your children to school or to errands instead of driving.
Step6
Plan fitness activities for your family on evenings and weekends. Go for a walk, ride bikes, swim or play a sport. Join the local YMCA, gym or community center. Take classes together.
Step7
Do yoga, sit-ups, resistance training or stretching while watching television or talking on the phone.
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ETA: Kimberly, here. Yea, we've ALL heard these before but if you have not put exercising as a priority in your life, it doesn't matter how much time you can find, you won't do it. You could have an entire day of nothing to do and you might, just might, take a little walk.

The only way you are going to exercise on a continual and regular basis is to put exercising as either the first or second top priority of your day. Ack, I hear ringings in my ear of excuses that that would be selfish. That's an excuse! You take care of yourself and everything else will be done better, i.e.; having energy to play with your kids, more motivation to do other things necessary in your life, be around for your kids/grandkids. Let go of those totally lame excuses. It doesn't fly with folks who already know better. Only other excuse makers will agree with you.

I consider myself a fairly busy woman. And I use exercising 6 times a week as bragging rights. Yep, I use it to boost my self-esteem because I rarely run into other people who exercise on a regular, consistent basis. They are too loaded with excuses. Oy.

Challenge yourself for just one week; seven days to making exercise a priority. And see how it feels. Don't totally beat yourself up but be totally conscious of how you feel during that week. And, if you don't like how it makes you feel, well, then you are free to go back to your old way of life. But do us exercisers all a favor; tell the truth; you just don't want to exercise.

Are you willing to do what it takes?
Kimberly


Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Are You Willing To Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?

Just another great article to share with you that follows the theme of my blog. This one is the crux for many of my followers here. Reminds me of a woman I was seeing as a weight loss client when I was a hypnotherapist. She said she was going to the gym and really upset that she wasn't seeing results. I asked her if she was breaking a sweat and, of course, sheepishly she admitted 'no.'

Increase Training Enthusiasm - Get Out of Your Fitness Comfort Zone

I am going to assume that because you are reading this article that you really care about looking and feeling better. I am also going to assume that you want to learn something new because your daily 5- minute walk around the block with the dog is not enough of a justification for your daily physical exercise. You might also be saying to yourself, "I am so glad I did those extra 20 minutes of running today, that I am going to treat myself to an extra slice of cake or some ice cream after dinner." And, one last time, making an ass out of you and me, I will assume that you have reached the inevitable plateau, or Comfort Zone, in your training regime and that you NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT- but you don't know how.

If you are stuck in this Comfort Zone, which I refer to as the "C-Zone," keep reading. If you are not in a C-Zone, put this article down and then come back and read it in about 3 weeks. You will soon be there. Either way, sit back, but don't relax. I am here to help you get yourself uncomfortable.

First, think about your current fitness goals. One of the worst things that I can experience while training a client is to ask them what his or her goal is for the day and for the answer to be "I Don't Know." If you don't have a goal for the day, go home. You are not only wasting your time, but my time. You might as well be praying to the workout fairy to come sprinkle some fat-loss dust on you, as you are training without purpose and focus. You need to seriously contemplate where you want your level of fitness to be and what you want to look like and then write down the action steps you are already doing to get yourself closer to these goals. I say "seriously" because we tend to overestimate the amount of activity we do, or the amount of healthy food we eat, and- guess what- we underestimate our down-time. Bottom-line, think in terms of specific goals when you write these action steps down in front of you. Maybe your goals are to lose 20 LBS before your cruise, or gain 10 LBS of Lean Body Mass before summertime. Or, maybe you just want to eat a whole hell of a lot better because you have been over-indulging during your monthly business trips and have been slacking on getting into the gym for your normal workouts. What are your action steps that you are doing to get to these goals- it is time to get serious.

Grab a piece of paper and write these action steps down in a list form. Once you are done, draw a box around them and then on top of the box, write the word C-Zone in big fat letters. These action steps have caused this comfort that has put your body in a state of adaptation. Plain and simple, you have stalled any progress by being boring and too easy on yourself. It's time to step it up and only you know how hard you can push yourself.

Second, draw about 5 arrows from that box of current action steps in any direction (preferably, as far away from the C-Zone as possible) and then a line extended on each line, write a new action step to take each of those current steps to a new level. We will call these your C-Zone Breakers. For instance, if one of your current action steps is that you have cut out desserts except for 2 days out of the week, then your C-Zone Breaker would be to cut out desserts completely. Each C-Zone Breaker represents a new threshold for which you should reach- a new level of self-discipline, a new level of pain tolerance and sacrifice. This is a gut check moment and a true test just to see how much you really want this escape from the C-Zone- no pain, no gain. Ask yourself, how badly do you want it? And, are you up for the challenge? I have made a diagram of my personal C-Zone and C-Zone Breakers to give you an example of what this looks like (see below). My fitness goals are to gain about 3 LBS of Lean Body Mass, while losing about 5 LBS of Fat Mass. In order to reach these goals, I am currently doing some action steps that I know will take me at least half-way toward my goals. However, I understand that I my body will adapt, enter the C-Zone, and therefore I will need to "change it up" in the future with some hard core C-Zone Breakers. Here is Erika's plan of attack:

increase training enthusiasm


Now, you do the same thing. Take a look at your C-Zone and the C-Zone Breakers you have just laid before you on your goal sheet. For instance, one of your current steps that you have parked your ass in the C-Zone is (quoting you): "I go to the gym at 6 P.M. each day, 3 times a week, to workout." However, you had a gut check moment and, honestly, you end up getting to the gym by 6:30 P.M. on average because work went late and traffic was shitty and you only end up getting in 80% of your workout because you want to rush to get home to eat and relax. You're distracted and rushed in your workout and have seen no results in the last five months. Your C-Zone Breaker is "I need to get up at 5:00 A.M. to get in a better workout," as you know you can get in your full hour, and potentially 10 minutes of high-intensity fat burn cardio at the end. It will be painful because you might have to go to bed a bit earlier each night and get up early enough to get in your pre-workout shake, but damn it, you will get better results. Whenever I hesitate to wake up in the morning for a workout, or fail to motivate myself to get to the gym, I always psyche myself up by saying to myself "Somebody, somewhere, is working harder than me right now. So, stop whining, suck it up and get working." Ask yourself- are these C-Zone Breakers really that hard to grab on to? The challenge lies before you- the choice is yours.

Change is not easy. It is hard. Really hard. It takes sacrifice, dedication, and most of all, a tolerance for pain. Everyone reaches that plateau in their training or eating habits because our bodies are a hell of a lot smarter than we are and they adapt. Think about most things in your life right now- your job, your family, money, friends- and you are probably in your C-Zone. When is the last time you have tried a new food? Ran at least 30 seconds/mile faster? Lifted 10% heavier? 20% heavier? Have you even been keeping track of progress, or have you fallen into the comfort trap of not tracking your achievements as well? Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France who has an idea or two about getting out of the C-Zone, said, "Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever." Don't make excuses, set your pride aside, endure the pain needed to push you that extra inch or two harder, and get ready to do it all over again in about two months- your payoffs are going to be priceless in the long run, and you will thank yourself for it. Big Time.

I am a firm believer that anything is possible- for as cliché as that sounds, it is pretty damn true. That said, these C-Zone Breakers you have listed are goals that you are going to eventually reach and, once again, you will find yourself in a new C-Zone. These C-Zone Breakers are going to take the place of what is now in your square of comfort. Get ready for it and prepare for this adaptation. We will never out-smart our bodies, but we can sure as hell try.

Note the 5-Step Plateau Cycle.

  1. We lose weight.
  2. We reach the C-Zone.
  3. We gain a bit back.
  4. We hit our C-Zone Breaker and lose again.
  5. Repeat Cycle.

Stay on top of this cycle and recognize that reaching your plateau is inevitable- the most challenging part is getting past step #3. But, with a bit of discomfort (everyone loves some pain anyway) and competitive spirit, you can push through and you will see results. You will see results. YOU WILL SEE RESULTS. But, I will warn you. Comfort will soon follow these results, so get ready to push yourself out of the Zone again and Break It with some pain and, as a result, you will gain a shit load of respect from your peers as you are the one that is constantly getting more fit, getting stronger, getting leaner and, most importantly, having the most fun changing up their workouts and training with purpose.

So, look back at your C-Zone and C-Zone Breakers you have laid before you. Think how long you have been in your Zone and know that you should plan to be in this zone for ONLY 1 month-2 months at a time. If you are doing the same thing for a period that lasts any longer than that, whether it be in your diet, workouts, life- you have reached a state of complacency and you need to get the hell out- as quickly as possible. Take a personal inventory of your progress and figure out how to break past your C-Zone. Make some positive changes in your workouts and nutrition and, while you are at it, if your results are not positively correlated with the degree to which you are "changing it up," get a bit bolder with your C-Zone Breakers and embrace the temporary pain for a lifetime cycle of results. Now, shut up and lift.

By Erika Lilley

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Key to Happiness: Stop Being Right

This article was just to potent NOT to share with you. Personally, I'd be a lot happier driver if I remember this article. And what the heck, it only takes a second to change your mind. So, I think I will become a happier driver!

Peace,
Kimberly

A Simple but Startling Secret to Being Happier: Stop Being Right

by Brian Vaszily, Founder of IntenseExperiences.com &
Creator of The 9 Intense Experiences

Which would you rather be, right or happy?

Far more often than most people realize – to their great detriment – it really is an either/or proposition. Do you typically choose being right or being happy? Which of these values do your actions typically show that you hold higher?

Most people, without even being aware of it, choose being right at the expense of their happiness. And by the end of this piece you may be surprised to see how much you do, too.

People fight, stress themselves out, make themselves and those around them miserable with their ego’s need to be right. It cuts life short and destroys relationships, businesses, and nations.

Nothing is more deadly to happiness than the pursuit of being seen as right. For personal proof of this, consider the people you know who are most insistent on their politics, their patterns, their viewpoint, their way… they tend to judge the most, insult the most, complain the most, and suffer the most. They reek of misery. This is often also reflected in their physical health.

Yet most people aren’t even aware that the choice between these two values – being right or being happy – is present in most of life’s key situations. And being unconscious of it, as usual their egos instead make the choice for them. And being the ego doing the choosing, as usual the choice is shortsighted, fear-based, defensive and unhealthy to the Self’s greater good.

Further, the more intimate the situation – the closer to home -- the less likely most people are to recognize and remember the choice between these two values of being right or being happy. And the more damage making the wrong choice does.

The need to be seen as right is enemy #1 to love and marriage. A parent’s need to be seen as right severs ties to their children like nothing else can.

So Which Value Do You Really Hold Higher?

To “be” right implies a need for others to recognize you as such … to be proven right, seen as right. Again, it emanates from the ego and is vastly different than doing right, which has no need for external recognition. Doing right has no need for others to know you are right.

So to what extent would you choose not being seen as right if you could be happier for it?

Could you choose not to prove your point if you were all the happier for not doing so?

Of course there are many situations where differences need to be sorted out, and where your particular and opposing viewpoint may in fact make an important impact on a given situation. There are many situations where in fact others see black where you see white, and by helping them to see white you achieve some important benefit like saving money or preventing accidents or the like.

Dealing with disagreements is standard fare in life.

Dealing with them harshly – that is, with the ego, as if every opposing viewpoint is a personal insult to your rightness – does not have to be. There is a world of difference between contributing to the greater good (between a couple, in a family, a business, a nation, etc.) versus needing to be seen as right.

And all that said, in MOST situations where people claw, struggle and crack away at their happiness to be proven right, it means little to nothing to less than nothing anyway.

Is it really right if you ARE right about putting the toilet seat up or down but it ruins your morning, and chips away at the health of your relationship, to prove it?

Is it really right if you ARE right about religion, the economy, and your politics but you end up angry and despising large segments of the population to prove it?

An Intense, Transformative Experience for You to Try

The next time you KNOW you are right about something with a spouse, significant other or anyone close to you whose viewpoint opposes yours, consciously back off the need to BE right.

Even as that “I’m right about this!” feeling wells up inside your chest, catch it and stop yourself from reacting this time.

Instead, consider if there is truly a reason to even pursue the issue at all: will resolving the difference really lead to an important benefit, such as preventing accidents, improving health, making or saving money or the like? If so, consciously remind yourself to proceed softly and kindly this time … remind yourself (and tell the other person!) that you are pursuing this discussion gently to achieve the desired benefit, not to have to be seen as right.

Chances are, though, that like most such situations, your need to be right is mostly an ego thing. The potential benefits of the other person seeing you as right don’t equal the stress, the erosion of peace and happiness, that can occur to demonstrate you are right.

In which case, just back off your ego’s desire to prove you are right at all. This time. Let it go with your spouse, significant other or whoever you are in disagreement with.

Let them believe they are right.

And watch and evaluate your own reactions to letting them believe they are right.

Most people are astonished at how difficult this actually is for them. Through this experience most people are startled at the chokehold their ego actually has on them. Even though knowing that you having to be seen as right can harm the peace and happiness, letting someone (especially someone close to you) believe they are right to avoid the harm is a mighty hard thing to do.

“But they’re going to THINK they are right!” your ego may shout. “They’re ALWAYS going to think they’re right!” you may hear your ego insisting.

Recognizing your ego’s chokehold on your happiness in this manner is the first step in removing that chokehold.

After this first time of letting go of the need to be right -- even and especially if it means your opposition will think they’re right – watch what happens. Likely, here is what will happen: your world won’t collapse. Things won’t fall to pieces because you didn’t demonstrate you were right.

Likely, here is what will also happen: there will be no arguments. No clashes between your ego and someone else’s. Nothing cracking away at your greater peace and happiness.

So then, if you want to move toward being happier, try the experience again when the opportunity arises. Consciously back off the need to be right again. Watch how your ego responds this time, so you know where you need to work on being in control of it versus it being in control of you.

And watch how your world doesn’t cave in even if you aren’t seen as being right … how quite the contrary occurs, in fact.

Approaching it like this – consciously backing off the need to be right one situation at a time, versus trying to commit to doing it for good – makes your success and happiness much more likely.

Another thing that tends to happen is that, over time, those close to you see and feel the example you are living and they end up following suite. Though not necessarily at the pace you might prefer, but they end up backing off the need to be right, too, making life all the more pleasant.

Our greatest right of all is our gift, our blessing, our ability to pursue our happiness. But most people are their own biggest barriers in that pursuit. Is your need to be right preventing you from achieving this greatest right?

Which would you rather be, right or happy?

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Thinking is Thin-King

If you have been following along, you know that I enjoy sharing other folks' articles that have the same mission I do. And here's one that follows suit:

Thinking is Thin-King

By Donna Krech

Let me warn you now. Reading this article could result in the reversal of obesity in our world! Are you ready to be part of that solution?

Wow!!!! Did you get that title? Maybe you need to go back and read it again, eh? Wait. Let's do this the way it needs to be done. Grab a pencil or pen. Write the word "thinking" on a piece of paper. Now say the word out loud... thinking. Again please... thinking. One more time if you would. It will help bring about a fantastic result for your life... thinking. Now draw a thick diagonal line between the first 'n' and the 'k'. Please read the two words you've just unveiled inside of the word thinking. THIN KING!!! Thinking is thin king!! You've uncovered the secret to being thin. As a matter of fact, you've uncovered the KING of the secret to being thin and it's been living inside the word for centuries!!!

All these years we've been counting calories, carbs and fat grams. We've been tossing back diet pills, eating pre-packaged meals, and listening to the newest diet guru or fitness expert. The trouble with these solutions is that virtually every new program that comes along or every guru that talks out there is preaching what to do with food, how to prepare food, or very simply, what food to eat! The fitness experts are screaming (sometimes quite literally) at us to push ourselves, push ourselves more, more, MORE!! "Calories in, calories out," they bellow. "You just need to burn off whatever you put in!" The trouble here is that someone with weight to lose most often puts exercise near the bottom of the list of things they desire to do. In all honesty, until we fall in love with the benefits of fitness, most people WITHOUT weight to lose feel the same way.

As a veteran in the business of weight loss and fitness since 1982, I find all of this food and fitness focus ridiculous! I don't even like to tell people I'm in the weight loss industry. I tell them I'm in the weight loss, weight gain, weight loss, weight gain industry because until I put two and two together, there hasn't been a weight loss solution that's permanent.

It seems with every year that passes there are more and more "answers" and less and less results. Well, unless you count obesity climbing as a result, because that's exactly what's happened. The reason is so elementary that once I explain it to you, you may just want go back to all those folks who sold you a diet and ask them, "What on earth were YOU thinking?"

Don't do that though. The fantastic news is that once you're equipped with this information, your life is going to change. Know that once you begin to realize how big a role thinking plays in being thin, you will discover it's actually easy to lose weight and keep it off. You're about to learn that everything you ever needed in order to lose weight permanently was inside you all along. It's not what your friends have told you, things like, "Why don't you just push yourself away from the table?"

Let's look at the three examples we've talked about. One was to focus on a way of eating, or the diet that was going to make you thin. Another was exercise, movement that would burn off calories. The last one was the classic pushing one's self away from the table. Now here comes the fun part!

Imagine you're walking on a swinging bridge, a wooden and rickety swinging bridge. Picture the bridge suspended 10,000 feet above a rocky ravine. One last thought to add to the story. You are terrified of heights. Now, somehow you manage to get yourself to start walking across. In your mind reverberate the words, "Don't look down, don't look down. Whatever you do, DON'T LOOK DOWN!" What do you feel compelled to do? What, to your horror, do you find yourself doing? Yep!! You're looking down!! The VERY thing you DON'T want to do, you're saying to yourself over and over again. Imagine how much better and easier the whole thing would be if your focus was, "Look straight ahead. The other side is so beautiful. Getting there is easy!"

Now let's parallel. It's like saying, "Don't smoke." Don't is a negative approach and smoke is the very thing you don't want to do! The message sent to our mind is clearly what we DON'T want to have happen! When we focus on something like, "My lungs expand fully as health and energy surge through my body 24/7!" Guess what? You got it! You'll begin smoking less and, more importantly, will find it so much easier to quit!

If the route you've chosen to lose weight with focuses on what you eat, you're going to be asked to do the same thing - focus on the foods we are "allowed" to eat, and highlighters or red pens are used on the food diaries we keep to place even more focus - on what? THE FOOD!! So, what's going on in our minds when this occurs? We're processing what we can and can't have. If we can muster up any motivation at all, it's based on NOT wanting to be FAT... or wanting to LOSE the WEIGHT... or staying AWAY from a certain type of food!! Stop the madness!!!

Look again at what's written there! We focus on what NOT to do! It's a double negative. We need a positive-positive in order for success to come in any realm...including the area of our weight. You see, our minds comprehend negative language 50% slower than positive language. So, if nothing other than this was the case, we'd not be succeeding because our brain doesn't know what on earth we're talking about! But there is more to it than that. Rather than repeating in our minds what we DON'T want to see happen or what we need to STAY AWAY from, if we focused on what we WANTED to see occur... the simple truth is that we'd begin to see it. Our minds hear what we want and see what we think about as who we are, so we behave accordingly. Truly, it's this easy.

Think about this with regard to working out. We join a gym or buy the most recent product that tells us we'll drop 7 dress sizes in one month or some crazy nonsense like that. Reflect back, what's going on inside our head at the time? "I do NOT want to be OVERWEIGHT... or I HAVE to exercise so I can LOSE... or I've GOT to MAKE myself do this." Again I say, "GOOD GRIEF!" Do we truly wonder why we haven't been fully successful when we keep telling our minds what we MUST NOT do or keep repeating the words we don't want to come to fruition over and over again.?

So, let's stop the madness here and now! The next time you see one of those ads reading, "She lost 113 pounds... see what she ate." Or, "Her workout only took 20 days... learn it now." Stop and remember that focusing on the food or the workout is NOT going to be your key to success. Focusing on the result you want, however, is. If we focus on the food or the workout, it would be like focusing on what the bridge is made of, or what length it is. While these components are how you get to the other side, focusing on getting there is what causes you to do so. This is true with your thinking and weight management too. Focus on 'why' you want to be thin and the how will be infinitely easier.

Anyone who's made a habit of exercising regularly or eating in a healthy way does so because they know their why, not because they focus on what to eat or how to move. Even those who have built the habit into their life or have the self discipline to do what they need to do for a lifetime possess these traits because their why was in place long ago. Remember, when the why is strong enough the how is easy!! That's it! That's the secret to permanent loss and looking better, feeling better and living longer. I've seen this secret bring about immeasurable success. I'd love to help you find yours. Send me a note at notetodonna@thinandhealthy.com and we'll get moving on this goal together in the life-changing coaching program I'm putting together.

Thin-King teaches us to focus on the positive to acheive success in any realm. If you want help with your focus, our Never Ending Motivation program can make all of the difference. Want to learn more? Visit our Never Ending Motivation web site, and you can learn the secret to building an endless supply of motivation in your life. Click here to learn more...

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Tongue-In-Cheek? Maybe?

Ok, it's been a while. Can I make the excuse that I got a total hip replacement less than 90 days ago? And.....I've been negligent. But this article was too good not to 'share.' Enjoy.


The 4 Physical Laws of Dieting



Physical Law of Attraction and Dieting
Photo Courtesy of Michael V Sutherland

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Charlie Hills who can be found at Back To The Fridge. He is the author of Why Your Last Diet Failed You and How This Book Won’t Help You on Your Next One, a humorous commentary on dieting not designed to help anybody.

Odds are you’ve been dieting for just as long as I have. And by now you’re familiar with the mechanics of weight loss. You know the basic premises. (”Burn more calories than you take in!”) You know the numbers. (”It takes an extra 3,500 calories to gain a pound.”) But I bet you haven’t heard these laws. (Probably because I made them up.)

Here they are: The Physical Laws of Dieting:

Law I. Weight returns at five times the velocity at which it was lost.
Unfortunately, most of us are all too familiar with this law. In some ways, this seems impossible. “How can it take five days to lose two pounds and only one day to get it back!? That’s not fair!” Well, unfortunately, life isn’t fair and this is just the way it works. Why? Because you can’t eat fewer than zero calories per day but you can eat five thousand or more if you really put your mind to it. What to do: If your diet is going well, here’s a helpful tip: don’t blow it. How? Well if I knew that, I’d be king of the world.

Law II. Any dietary straying, no matter how seemingly insignificant, causes instantaneous Diet Reversal.
Oh, we’ve all experienced this. You do well all week long then on Friday night you figure you deserve a little treat. So you have pizza. Oops. Does your body forgive you? Are you allowed to take a mulligan? Of course not. What to do: Giving yourself a food treat for losing weight is a lot like winning a Million Dollar Bake-Off and then shredding the check to celebrate your win. What’s wrong with you?

Law III. No diet, no matter how well it’s going, can survive Thanksgiving.
I don’t know about you, but the forty-day feed fest from Thanksgiving to New Year’s gets me every single time. I try. I really do. But no diet in history has ever been built to withstand a head-on collision with pumpkin pie. What to do: Remove all possible temptation by relocating to an uncharted island. There Mary Ann and Ginger can keep you on a strict diet of coconut and crab. In fact, you might enjoy this so much you’ll find yourself sabotaging the Professor’s rescue plans every single week.

Law IV. Informing others of your progress immediately halts progress.
I can’t be the only one this has happened to. You start your diet on Monday and by Thursday morning you’re miraculously down six pounds. You’re so excited you tell everyone you know, whether in person or by keyboard. But come Friday morning, you’re suddenly five pounds heavier. It’s a sinking feeling, but you brought it upon yourself. What to do: This one is obvious: never, ever tell anyone how well you’re doing. Even when you’ve lost fifty pounds and everyone asks, “Have you lost weight?” tell them, “No, I’m just wearing vertical stripes.”

So there you have it. I know it’s not pretty, but it’s the truth. I’m actively lobbying to see if I can get any of these laws repealed. So far, no such luck. I’ll keep you posted.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

5 Reasons Why Weight Loss Products Keep You FAT

Marc and Angel


5 Reasons Why Weight Loss Products Keep You Fat

Posted: 05 Mar 2008 09:07 PM CST

Weight Loss Products Keep You FatWeight loss companies are incessantly building wealth and dieters are only getting skinny in their wallets. Americans alone waste over $35,000,000,000 a year on weight loss solutions. Before you cough up your hard earned cash for the most recent weight loss miracle medication consider the general population’s success rate. Only about 5% of the 50,000,000 Americans who dieted last year managed to lose weight and successfully keep it off.

From magical calorie burning pills to fat melting vaccinations, dieters are loosing everything but the fat. So the next time you’re tempted by the latest and greatest weight loss craze, ponder these 5 reasons why it’s almost certainly far from great.

  1. Scientifically Proven Does Not Mean Practically Applied – Just because some doctor endorsed a weight loss product does not mean it works. Who is this doctor anyway? Is he a PhD of medicine or a PhD in marketing? Is he actually a real doctor or does he just play a doctor on television? How was the product proven and what scientific standards were used in the testing baseline? Don’t believe the photos either. Have you ever wondered if the “Before” and “After” photos were taken in the opposite order?
  2. Most Promotional Weight Loss Ads are Complete BS – A few years ago the Federal Trade Commission released data on an analysis they performed involving 300 weight loss related advertisements. “The analysis showed that nearly 40% of the advertisements collected contained at least one representation that was almost certainly false” and another 15% that was likely to be false or imprecise.
  3. FDA Approved Does Not Mean Safe or Effective - Do you really think the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has sufficient resources to accurately evaluate every dietary product proposed to hit the market? They don’t, and there is no feasible way they ever will. A considerable percentage of the weight loss products on the market are classified as dietary supplements. Under the active Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act of 1994 producers of dietary supplements do not have to verify that their product is effective, safe or at all healthy prior to placing it on store shelves. Sometimes somebody has to become very ill from a dietary supplement before it even becomes a “blip” on the FDA’s radar.
  4. “Too Good to Be True” Means “Stay Fat and Become Broke” – The old rule “if it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true” is 100% applicable to all weight loss products and dietary supplements. Remember, your body is an organic machine that operates by an intrinsic set of laws. There is no possible way to alter these laws without experiencing extremely unmistakable and counterproductive side effects. Most quick fix weight loss products do nothing more than soak up your cash and leave you stranded with more health problems than when you started taking them.
  5. You Don’t Need a Product, You Need a Lifestyle Change – Even when a truly safe weight loss product is invented it only provides a temporary fix to an enduring lifestyle dilemma. Over the last two decades thousands of new, trendy weight loss and dieting products have cycled in and out at your local health food store. If any of them really worked as promised, the cycle would have ended years ago and the health food stores would be a lot smaller. The truth is none of these products will ever work as promised because, with or without a product, a healthy lifestyle change is required to create and maintain a healthy, lean body. If you do not eat nutritious food in moderation, exercise regularly and get enough sleep you will never lose weight and your body will never be healthy.
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Well, there you go. These folks just wrote the entire synopsis of my blog right here. Ta da!
I'm a subscriber to their blog and it's one of THE most informative blogs I read.

The very last sentence of their article is the entire POINT. That's it pure and simple.

I purchased a workout DVD today instead of makeup at Ulta today. Go figure! But I have enough makeup and that's not going to help me be fit. Mentally fit because I feel confident looking my best. But the DVD is from the Firm exercise DVD's and I am an avid collector. Oh, and yes, I do the workouts. :D And I know that just by buying it and just by owning doesn't mean that I'm healthy. I have to use the damn thing!!!!
That's what it takes for me. What does it take for you?

Take care,
Kimberly

Saturday, March 1, 2008

As an avid 'net surfer I find the coolest stuff. Well, that's what the Internet is all about, right? :)

I found this article about achievement and having patience to get there. That's what it takes to become healthy and fit. Almost all weight loss clients, pills, exercising systems, etc. what you to believe that they can deliver PDQ, banking (literally) on desperation.

Allow this poignant article to set you straight.


Rome Wasn't Built Overnight

Perseverance and commitment will make all your dreams come true.

Success comes about from doing and persevering. While others may let their dreams fall away, if you hold true to your dreams and commit to the work it takes to obtain your dreams you cannot fail. You will reach all your dreams.

As they say “Rome was not built over night”. Anything worth anything takes time to build, to grow and to become something really great. If you have a best friend, that friendship took time to bloom. It took many different moments spent together. It took being there for the other person through the good and bad times.

This can metaphorically be compared to the path you must take when you are working toward the career of your dreams. There will be moments when it will be difficult. But if you love your dream enough, you will stay true to it no matter what trials come along. It is my sincere belief that the only way you can stay true to a dream is to love it with your entire heart.

So search for inspiration on your path toward making your dreams a reality. There will be tough times and you will need all the positive energy you can find around you to keep you on your path. You deserve to have all your dreams come true and, thus, you deserve to have people and events in your life that will help you reach them. Do not sell yourself short. Do not settle for anything less than the complete beauty found in your dreams.

You must also keep yourself open to the beauty that other people can offer you. You must not let some people's negative energy keep you from the positive energy that can also be found. While there will always be people who might not be able to lift your spirits, there are plenty of people in the world who can and are eager to give love and kindness to all those who cross their path. You can find them. They are the true angels that will always fill your life.

Believe, believe, believe.

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What's It Going To Take?
Axil Rose told me 'Patience.'

Take Care,
Kimberly

Friday, February 29, 2008

Get With Your Program

Here's the kind of blog posts I like--lists! Follow this list and you'll have WHAT IT TAKES!

http://aiminghigher.blogspot.com/2008/01/you-not-on-diet.html


And there's plenty of other good reads here too.

Take care,
Kimberly

Friday, February 22, 2008

Want To Cut Out the Middle Man?

Sometimes I get lured into purchasing fitness or nutrition ebooks by all the 'free' stuff they offer. Some of it can be better than the rehash ebook. Then I found this toolbar that helps me find pdf files. It google-like searches for the title I take from their 'freebie'. Sneaky...yes! But it's free to begin with. :/

So, here's a free ebook and you don't even have to purchase the regurgitated nutritional/diet. :)

www.ultimatefatburner.com/downloads/7FatSecrets.pdf

And let me tell you this, because this is exactly what my blog is about; these are NOT secrets. Like 'eat breakfast' is not a damn secret!! Sheesh. Thank goodness it's free. Maybe someone out there has been asleep at the wheel and will actually be enlightened by these 'secrets.' And if so, shame on you!!!

My next entry is going to go over somebody's ebook pointers. You know, the bulletpoints that they tell you that they are going to cover in their book. I don't even have to purchase the book (and I haven't or will I) to tell you, for FREE what the points are. Don't spend your money on lame ebooks.

If you want to get something that has something to teach you, get my bud, Scott Toursignant's ebook. Not a rehash, not old-school crap, and nothing lame about what this man's a-preachin' and a-teachin'. He's the real deal. And get over to his blog too. I love it over there!

http://2purcells.goose123.hop.clickbank.net/

What's It Going To Take?

Take care,
Kimberly

Friday, February 8, 2008

Do You Drink Your Greens?

The purpose of my blog is to share with those interested in fitness, losing weight and health. And because there is so much BS out there I want to rat those rats out.

This product isn't necessarily bad. It just tastes bad! However, the bottle said 'Great Taste.' Compared to what? Sewer water with scum in it? Blech!!!

I purchased Renew! Liquid Greens. The Perfect Cleansing Companion. From RenewLife.

It was green all right but the taste was so hard to get past I dreaded taking my shot of it every morning. I'm too frugal to waste it because I do believe that the product is good for me. But it's not making it onto my 'let's do again' list.

Thirty servings. I did this for a month. Well, I could be cheating because 1) I used a Tequila shot glass each morning and that tends to be a tad bigger than a true ounce. And 2) now that I have the bottle up here with me in my office, there might be one semi-serving left. Left being the operable word. Uhhhmmm.....

Great ingredients: spirulina, wheat grass, barley grass, chorella, kelp, spinach, green tea extract, alfalfa, aloe leaf, olive leaf, broccoli, tomato, carrot, brussel sprouts and onion. You'd think it was a liquid salad. But it also had some orange and passion extract too. Too bad it didn't help with the taste.

It was worth a shot (30 of them to be exact) and I am sure my body got lots of good out of it. Just not worth punishing my tongue in the process. I have had much better greens than this. And I plan to go back to them.

Other renewlife.com products have been wonderful and I wholeheartedly endorse them. Just not this one. You can order their products from their website or from the Vitamin Shoppe, where I picked this one up.

Rating: it had all the right stuff and all the good things for my body but too much of a dread factor to keep with it.

I'm cheerfully looking forward to the next try.

Take care,
Kimberly

Sunday, February 3, 2008

What Are You Going To Wear in The Meantime?

We know damn well that the road to fitness (aka looking hot) is long. And that's part of what my blog is about; we are not idiots that believe we can go to bed overweight and wake up to wear a bikini....in a size 6.

However, we certainly can dress for the trip. Check out these simple strategies for looking thin. Yes, I've heard of them before but if you are serious and want to do what it takes you have to have some redundancy. Heed the tips and appear hotter....

http://www.ehow.com/how_2034292_dress-look-skinnier.html?utm_source=eHOD&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2034292&utm_campaign=03_02_2008

I get a 'how to' article every day on my Google landing page. It's fun to learn some new things and some I just press PASS! Like how to wash golf balls.

Take care,
Kimberly

Friday, January 25, 2008

How Food Labels Try To Trick You

This lesson was one of my favorite nutrition classes to teach. All of my clients were trying to lose weight so it was a re-education for them. It was eye-opening for me and for them too. I hope it gives you new eyes on reading labels and what they really mean.
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You May Be Eating More Than You Think

This article was emailed to me from Lou Siri, lou@positivefitness.net

Do you really know how much you're eating? When you check out the food label on your breakfast cereal or microwaveable dinner, you had better read carefully, or you could wind up consuming more calories and fat than you think.

The biggest mistake people make is not looking at the serving size. You might say, "oh wow, this only has 100 calories!" and eat the whole thing. But be careful, the package may serve four, which means you'd be eating 400 calories, not 100.

You can find the serving size listed directly under the Nutrition Facts on the food label. When reading your food labels, this is the first place to look because it influences all the nutrient amounts listed below it. The serving size is supposed to be based on the amount of food people typically eat, but this is not always the case. Breakfast cereals are a great example. A serving size is typically listed as one half cup or three-quarters cup, but most cereal bowls hold two cups.
Another place consumers get confused is the fat content. Less than 30 percent of your total calories should come from fat.


Unfortunately, we can't always rely on the advertised percentages to paint a true picture. Labels that boast "98% fat free" or "50 percent less fat" are misleading. The fat percentages on these labels are based on volume only. For example, if you were to take a bottle of water and put one drop of oil in it, you could say that by volume, that water is 99 percent fat free. Yet 100% of the calories come from fat.

The next time you're at the store look at the milk labels. One serving of 1% milk typically contains 100 calories and 25 of those calories are from fat. That's 25% fat, not 1%. To determine whether the food you buy is less than 30% fat, follow this simple procedure. Look at the label on a particular food. It will show the number of calories per serving and the number of calories from fat. Next, divide the calories from fat by the total calories to see if it is less than 30%.

Even if you find a food that has less than 30% of calories from fat or one that has no fat, be careful not to fall into the fat-free trap. It's a proven fact that people eat more than they should if it's labeled fat-free. Just because it's fat free, doesn't mean it's calorie free. Another potential problem with fat-free foods is the sugar content. A lot of fat-free foods have a lot of added sugar. Read the ingredient list. If sugar is one of the first things on the list, then that is what was used to replace fat. If you're concerned about your health you don't want added sugar in your diet either.


So what do the label claims mean? Below is a list of some of the common claims seen on food packaging and what these claims mean, according to the FDA regulations.

- Fat free = less than 1 gram of fat per serving
- Low fat = 3 grams of fat or less per serving
- Reduced fat = 25% less of the nutrient or calories than the usual product has.
- Light = one third fewer calories or the fat of the usual food.
- Calorie free = fewer than 5 calories per serving.
- Low sodium = less than 140 mg of salt per serving.
- Low calorie less than 40 calories per serving.
- Low cholesterol = less than 20 mg of cholesterol and 2 grams of fat per serving.
- Reduced = 25 percent less of the specified nutrient or calories than the usual product.
- Good source of = provides at least 10% of the daily value of a particular vitamin or nutrient per serving.
- High fiber = 5 or more grams of fiber per serving.
- Lean (meat, poultry, seafood) = 10 grams of fat or less, 4 grams of saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per 3 ounce serving.


My favorite is the cooking spray "for fat free living". There are zero grams of fat and only 2 calories per serving (sounds good doesn't it?). Guess what the serving size is? 1/3 of a second! Think about how much you need to coat a small pan...
If you look at the ingredients of that "fat free" cooking spray it has only one - vegetable oil - 100% fat!


Hmmmm.
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When I taught these classes I loved to use props; visuals. I would use this bag of Gummy SweetTart Bugs candy. The bag was always empty. Someone had fallen for its ploy.... :) Really....I dug it out of the trash can. ;) But right on the front of the package was this huge graphic star that said 'FAT FREE!!!!' Well of course.....It was all sugar!!!!

Now, hopefully, you too, will be very suspicious of the packaging. These food manufacturers want to deceive you. Otherwise, if you want to truly be healthy, you won't give them your business.

Take care,
Kimberly

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Socrates Was Wrong

By Blair Warren
www.blairwarren.com

Knowledge is power.

How many times have we heard this one? It is one of the battle cries of our society. It’s an idea so obvious, so undeniable that few ever give it a second thought. We don’t just seek knowledge; we worship it. Even Socrates, a wise man if there ever was one, said, “There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.”

If only it were that simple. The truth is, Socrates was wrong. Here’s why:
First, the pursuit of knowledge often becomes an end in itself. Too many people are living their lives as if they’re just “one secret” away from being able to take action. One secret, one book, one seminar, one whatever away from having the “knowledge” it’s going to take for them to succeed. Then, and only then, will they attempt to do the things they wish to do with their lives. Of course, they never quite achieve the state of knowledge they’re seeking. Why? Because it doesn’t exist.
In his book, If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him, Sheldon Kopp points out that, “All important decisions must be made on the basis of insufficient data.”

Notice he said all important decisions, not some, many or even most. All of them. And if we take this reasoning a step further we can easily infer that all endeavors we may take must be made in the same way – on the basis of insufficient data. In other words, no matter how much we study, prepare or practice, some degree of ignorance is unavoidable and accepting this is what separates those who overcome their ignorance from those who are eaten up by it.
Sure, knowledge can be advantageous, but this absurd notion that ignorance is “evil” and therefore must be – or even can be – eliminated serves no one but the peddlers of magic wisdom.
Second, knowledge can actually destroy your power. Yes, destroy it. Here’s how:
A few years ago I had a conversation with a very successful entrepreneur. When I asked him what he attributed his success to, he said, without hesitation, ignorance. Yes, ignorance. He said he was grateful he didn’t know how difficult his climb to the top was going to be before he began. If he had known, he would have never begun. For him, knowledge isn’t power. Ignorance is. And he’s not alone.

I‘ve asked the same question of other successful people and almost without fail, ignorance ranks high on their list of success attributes. Whether they knew it explicitly or not from the onset of their endeavors, on some level these people understood that “too much knowledge” could destroy their will to act. If they had entertained all the negative possibilities that could befall them before taking action, they would have never taken action.

According to the narrator in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, “…a man of heightened consciousness…often gives up so completely in the face of his antithesis that he honestly feels himself, with all his heightened consciousness, to be a mouse, not a man.”

And cartoon characters aside, the achievements of mice are slim indeed.

And third, knowledge isn’t the sole, nor even primary, determining factor in man’s ability to succeed in life. To elevate knowledge above such qualities as drive, resilience, awareness, cunning and the like, is, ironically, the height of ignorance.

Dr. Christopher Hyatt, in the introduction to his deliciously irreverent book,
The Psychopath’s Bible puts it this way:
There is a lot of slop in life. You can make a ton of mistakes, be the biggest screwup and still survive and even succeed. Don’t let anyone fool you about this. There are millions-billions-of people who believe all kinds of lies and still do well. Some people believe the truth and are utter failures. Life is tolerant, even stupidly so.


You might want to read that one again. Maybe even put it in a frame above your desk as I have done as it’s a hell of a lot closer to reality than Socrates’ pithy quote.

Well, there you have it. Three reasons I think Socrates was wrong to classify knowledge as “the one good” and ignorance as “the one evil.” Knowledge is not power. Neither is ignorance. There is, however, a balance between the two and our power lies in finding it. And the surest way to do that is not to worship at the feet of the wise but to fumble and bumble our way through life; if there is something we must learn, we are more apt to learn it by living life and making mistakes than by preparing to live life and hoping to avoid them.
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I wanted to share this blog article with you. After re-reading it today it made me think of how I set up some blocks for my own success. I have this unrealistic idea that I have to do it right the first time. Doesn't matter what project I'm talking about, I have the need to be perfect in almost everything I do. And one of them is eating healthy and following a sound workout program.

So by taking this article to heart, I see that I don't have to know everything in order to do something. Phew! WHAT A RELIEF!!! Just get started. Doesn't matter if it's learning to draw, writing a blog, eating in a more healthy way; it-doesn't-matter. You will only know what's right for you by experience.

That's What It's Going To Take.

Take care,
Kimberly


Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Are We REALLY Talking About Cussin'????

I'm here to tell I have blown it; I lost!! I made a bet with my husband that we would give up cussing. I did this mainly because I'm a real cusser now. And it's only fair to tell you that my parents didn't allow cussing (from the children) so I had been trained better than that.

My sweet husband rarely cusses. And when he so rarely does, he says that 'pardon my French' phrase. I don't know why because when he lived in Europe after college he only spent 24 hours in France! LOL!

Anyway, I cussed and lost. I'm glad we didn't have any bets on that one. Phew!!! :)

Well, do you think since I blew that resolution I should just throw in the towel? Maybe I should go ahead and put a cuss word into every sentence. I could blame it on the state of the country; we ALL cuss!!! So, it's not my fault. I can't help myself. Why there are cuss words every were I look. There's one on every corner of the street and I actually believe people line up at a building's window to get cussed at or to give a cussing.

I really do try. I wake up each morning saying 'This is the day I'm NOT going to cuss.' I even will get a new outfit that helps me not cuss, a new magazine that has cuss-less people on the front of it and even spend $24.95 on 3 easy payments for something on TV to help eliminate my cussing. I'm sure if I really take it to heart I, too, won't cuss.

But I might as well face it. My parents cussed. My whole family cusses. And frankly, I LIKE to cuss. My doctor said I shouldn't cuss because it's not healthy. And she even gave me a prescription (Valium!!!) to help me not cuss or to at least keep my cussing under control.

This group I've joined is called Cussers Anonymous. I thought it would help me not cuss but between breaks we all go outside and cuss up a storm!!!

One day I was doing good. No cussing!!! I thought I was successful. I thought I was no longer a cusser. Therefore, I didn't have to try anymore. So on the way out the door that morning I locked my keys in the house (it really was an accident, not at all subconscious or anything) and then I cussed. Even worse, I cussed out LOUD!!! My neighbor heard me too. He was taking his little girl to school and well, he gave me one of the dirtiest looks. I felt shameful because I know he doesn't cuss. Otherwise his little girl wouldn't have stuck her tongue out at me.

I'm a failure. So SHIT....

What's It Going To Take?
Kimberly