Month: November 2020

Transforming ourselves Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially should not be a short-term goal. Rather, we should seek goals of sustainable change. We should not seek changes in body composition, for example, that we cannot maintain. Personally, I would love six-pack abs, but I like food too much, and I enjoy a glass (or two) of wine or beer in the evenings with my wife. These generally mean that I have to accept a higher body composition. It does not mean that I have to give up on my fitness goals—or have an excuse not to meet them.

Change is for the long-term. Transformation is not temporary.

As we pursue “transformation” goals, we must consider our ability the “remain there” when we “get there”. How many pounds have we lost and gained over our lifetimes? How many times have we dehydrated ourselves to make goal weight—or emptied our pockets at weigh-in? Remember, change isn’t about numbers. It is about being your best today and being better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“When we are sure that we are on the right road there is no need to plan our journey too far ahead. No need to burden ourselves with doubts and fears as to the obstacles that may bar our progress. We cannot take more than one step at a time.”—Orison Swett Marden

We must focus on our next step. Focus on growing Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially in this moment. This is why I prefer “carpe momento” over “carpe diem”. It is much easier to get through the current moment than through the day, week, month, or year.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“Try to make at least one person happy every day. If you cannot do a kind deed, speak a kind word. If you cannot speak a kind word, think a kind thought. Count up, if you can, the treasure of happiness that you would dispense in a week, in a year, in a lifetime!”—Lawrence G. Lovasik

I came upon the above quote this morning. Imagine the effect of making just one person happy today. In the face of the viral pandemic and the pandemic of fear and divisiveness that pervades our communities and nation, perhaps it is time—nay, it is time—to generate a pandemic of grattitude and happiness. Spread it.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”—William Arthur Ward

The writer, William Arthur Ward, stated it so well. If 2020 overwhelms you, if the Presidential election upsets you, if the circumstances of your life do not suit you, “adjust the sails.” Life rarely goes the direction we want it to—likely for good reason. Welcome the opportunity. Don’t complain. Don’t wait for circumstances to miraculously change. Act! Do something positive with the opportunity handed to you. The wind expects you to control your own path.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“A good system shortens the road to the goal.”—Orison Swett Marden

We all want to accomplish our goals as quickly as possible, particularly when it comes to fitness. Unfortunately, success does not occur overnight. Success takes effort, commitment, and consistency. There are no shortcuts. There are, however, better plans.

Success in fitness—e.g., achieving body composition goals—require lifestyle changes and proper programming. Successful exercise is not random physical activity. Successful fat loss is not “dieting” (as opposed to a diet). Success requires “a good system (that) shortens the road to the goal” (Marden). “Shortens the road” should not imply a shortcut. Instead, it implies a well-plan trip with few detours. If I jump in my car and start driving, I might arrive at my destination—eventually. The wise choice is to use a map and plan the trip. Using a (GPS-based) system enables a traveler to avoid traffic, accidents, etc. to shorten the road to the destination. Such is a good “system” for fitness.

Have a fitness goal? Seek professional guidance and map out a plan—and stick to the plan. Distractions are excuses. Avoid the temptation to take a shortcut. Stick to the road. Don’t be lured by the “scenic route”.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I often hear people complain about being “over-the-hill.” I see articles about exercise over-40 (fewer about over-50 and almost none about over-60). As I approach 60 (I still have 2-1/2 years), I have to ask myself: “What is all the fuss?”

This notion of “over-the-hill” becomes an excuse—an opportunity to slow down. It is an excuse for muscle wasting and fat accumulation. It is a choice. It is arbitrary.

When are we “over-the-hill”? We are over-the-hill when we decide we are. There is no magic age. There is no (appreciable) genetic program for self-destruction. We have no “best when used by” date. There is only the opportunity to self-improve. The results may come a bit slower as the years accumulate, but they can still come (especially when we never reached our peak performance).

Why do we say to some that they “look good for their age”? We say it because most others their age look like sh**. Is it that the one aged well or that the others aged poorly. I would argue that it is the latter.

When we choose to eat poorly, drink excessively, and become increasingly inactive, we are choosing to have health issues and to age prematurely. We are choosing when we will be “over-the-hill.”

Dare to challenge expectations. Dare to be the standard for your age group and to embarrass those who are younger. It is your choice. It is your opportunity.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

It is election day in the United States. One candidate will win. That is the process. That candidate will or will not be our choice. For some it will seem like the end of the world. I don’t believe it will be.

My wife had meetings in Portland (OR), yesterday. She said it was a ghost town. She shared pictures of buildings boarded up in preparation for the expected rioting. It is sad.

I don’t believe the world will end tomorrow—literally or figuratively. Life will go on. What life will be like will not matter on who is elected (or not elected). Life will be what we make it.

If we are more divided tomorrow, it is because we have decided to be.

If there is rioting and vandalism, it is because we have chosen divisiveness over unity

My hope for tomorrow begins today. It does not begin with for whom I voted. (She is not going to win.) It begins with me—with how I chose to live with my neighbor. Hope begins with the liberty on which this nation was founded. It begins with the principle of “love your enemy.” My hope is not in a political revolution. Rather, it lies in a Spiritual revolution. There is not one of us who need not look deep within ourselves to find that which we need to change in the world.

I don’t care for politics. I care, however, for the future of humanity…of all Creation.

What will tomorrow be?

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action.”—Orison Swett Marden

Many are simply waiting out 2020. Sadly many have found excuses in their pandemic. As October turns to November, which will soon turn to December and soon, thereafter, 2021, what are we making of the opportunity that this year is? Is this to be a year wasted on excuses, or will it be the year that has awakened slumbering powers? I pray it be the latter.

Optimistically, many entered into 2020 with a list of “New Year Resolutions”. Most abandoned these even before our lives were to be contained inside our homes—before we could blame the gym closures on our “COVID-19” weight gain.

Albeit challenging, COVID-19 and all the “challenges” of 2020 have afforded opportunities for personal growth—for a life aroused and put into action. How we could use our twenty-four hours was dramatically affected in the early Spring. Our choices changed. For many of us commutes to work were eliminated, time shuttling the kids to sports and extracurriculars was cut, and we could eat out less. It was (and still is) the perfect time for lifestyle change. Time for learning. Time for reflection. Time for relationships. Time for exercise. Time to plan healthy meals. Time to…. Yes, circumstances may have negative consequences. Jobs were lost. Income may have been cut. Etc. With difficulty, however, comes opportunity. We were called to arousal, but, alas, many chose to hit the snooze and remain in slumber.

What opportunities have we missed because we chose to slumber? There is still time to awake “those slumbering powers.”

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!