“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.” Barack Obama

When I came across this quote, I wondered how many people really heard those words and what they truly meant.  As many of you have recently heard, be it in various ways, many, many, too many, have shown themselves to be extremely greedy individuals focused only on themselves and the almighty buck. In my opinion, they lacked not only motivation, but suffered from very low self-esteem; very selfish indeed. With that being said, I am confident they will answer for this in one form or another. Whether it be within the legal system or at the end of their days, I would like to believe they will have to explain themselves. Until then, those who have been caught so far, not only should feel great shame, but I would think they are no longer feeling and living in comfort within themselves. In that regard, they are paying or explaining, depending on your viewpoint.

As for focusing your attention and intentions on something larger, greater than yourself, this is where you can blossom. You can realize more of your true potentional. You can be your creative self, feel better about yourself, having peace. If you were inclined to make a list, there is no doubt the list would be endless as to what you would feel and what you would have and will continue to accomplish. One reason I believe this is that when you’re focused on someone or something other than yourself, you tend to let your own issues go to the back burner. Not always, but often times, you’ll find that those problems aren’t really that significant when you look around. You discover the more you think about a problem, it becomes worse and worse until you just want to explode sometimes. However, put your attention outside of yourself and you find it wasn’t as bad as you had initially thought, or a solution at some level makes its appearance known to you.

In the end, after all is said and done; what matters isn’t the money, it isn’t how much or how many material things you’ve accumulated, or the title you hold. What matters is how you conducted yourself as part of the human race and how many hearts you touched along your life’s path.

Focus your attention on helping someone out, or volunteering in an organization you feel good about or believe in, help out at a senior citizen center, contribute a little time at a school, find a ’cause’ and pitch in. You may even find that you have a talent at something that you didn’t realize you even had and because it contributes to humanity, it makes it even more rewarding in and of itself. Pay a little extra attention and watch how your body even responds, how you feel deep down within, and pay attention to the little changes you begin to see and feel; it’ll be for the positive. Eventually, you will have a peacefullness overcome you. A very ‘feel good feeling.’

We have been inundated with so much information regarding unhealthy behaviors. Some of those health behaviors include a majority of adults who are either overweight or obese, 25% to 50% of adults are using tobacco products, and two-thirds of adults are living a sedentary lifestyle in this country alone. Even though many or most adults know these health behaviors and the risks they can carry, unfortunately education alone is not the solution.

Some of the advantages of exercising are better for a higher level of energy, better overall health and an improved body image. Some of the cons of exercising are that exercise does take some time, perhaps you can’t eat out with co-workers and that all around, diets are boring. This is really about deciding whether you want to and are willing to commit to a “lifestyle change.” To at least give it a sincere and honest try for a week to begin with. After that week, re-evaluate it. You may even surprise yourself.

Another type of hurdle you need to overcome is the negative self-talk cycle. Some examples of this is you overeat, then say things to yourself like ”I am a failure, There goes the day, or How could I be so . . .” Then you have feelings like guilt, disgust, frustration, anger, depression, then you would do more overeating. Its an unending cycle until you decide to change it.

Here are some suggestions or strategies I find to be helpful. In fact, some of these can be applied in other areas of your life as well.

• planning positive activities
• positive self-talk
• exercising regularly
• seeking support (friend, family member)

I have found one thing for sure is to set reasonably attainable goals. This is extremely helpful. If you start by taking small steps, that are deliberate and specific, you’ll find yourself encouraged. Planning and having ongoing strategies close at hand to maintain your level of motivation needed to continue and build momentum is essential also. You’ll find you have a higher level of confidence to take on more changes you want to make in other areas of your life as well.

Breaking Habits will be addressed more in a future post.

By drinking only 12 ounces of POP, doesn’t matter if its regular or diet, it increases your risk by 50% for:

1.     An increased waistline (most of us probably knew this one)

2.     An elevated blood pressure

3.     Elevated blood sugar levels

4.     Elevated blood fat or triglycerides

5.     Reduces the HDL (the good) cholesterol

Unfortunately, these symptoms are what makes us at a higher risk for heart disease and diabetes. Another issue regarding POP, is that the sugar content in it creates hunger. That in turn creates yet another problem which is a gain in your weight. Thus, the merry-go-round ensues.

So far, I haven’t fully conquered eliminating this from my daily diet. As for any substitues, I don’t drink coffee or tea. I do like plain cold water, juices and lemonade. However, with the lemonade in particular, there is the issue of sugar again. Oh well, its a work, or should I say sometimes a battle, in progress and I will get past this as well.

Update:  Since the writing of this post and with limited information, it has recently been discovered that there is a protein in the kidney that is activated and linked in some way with regard to drinking pop.

This one hour is yours and yours alone. Its a time for you to reconnect, to have quiet, to be at peace; even to perhaps to get to know yourself a little better. Its an ideal time to do something like meditate, write or to reassess your life. Because we are constantly learning and evolving in our own lives (hopefully), you need to reassess your life; lest you become stagnet. Ask yourself questions, even if you may not have the necessary answers to begin with. They will eventually come. Its a starting point to what may very well be a very different lifesyle, if you so choose.

I often find that within those very still and quiet times, I’m able to make decisions, sometimes only the so called small or insignificant; yet, nevertheless they help me to move forward. We will be judged not by our intentions, at times this will be unfortunate, but by our actions. Our actions will define each of us.

Promise yourself that one hour. Make it count. Make it matter. Make it meaningful.

A commitment is what will transform your promise into a reality. It is those words which will speak so boldly of your intentions. Your actions will speak much louder than those words. At times, it is making the time when you think there is none. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; its the power and the belief to change things. Commit to make it happen.

This time you devote to yourself, can give you something to look forward to more and more as time goes on and it also allows you to keep your sanity in a sometimes chaotic environment. Try it. After you’ve done this for a week or two, reflect back. How do you feel? How did it make you feel when you devoted some time to YOU? Perhaps less stressed? Perhaps a feeling of relief in some way?

My intention is to inspire and motivate you into some actionable step in the path that will take you towards your own goals and dreams; to encourage anyone and everyone to be less of a spectator and much more a participant in their life.

We’re all here for different reasons; to learn from each other and when the time comes to leave, that we leave it a little better off from when we first arrived. We’re here at various levels and stages of our lives, yet still we each have our own unique experiences and purposes which we bring with us to both learn from and to share with others.

While rewiring your mindset and adjusting your lifestyle, reclaiming and embracing your new found life, it will neither be a small nor quick feat. It may involve courage, skill and even strength at times. It will take time and patience; and the belief is that it can and will be accomplished; if you so choose.

I invite you to come and take this journey with me and please be sure to share your comments below.

The possibilities abound to have a more passionate, more joyful and more fulfilling life. If you don’t change how you do things, or your attitude towards your perception of situations in your life, then how will your life be any different tomorrow?