Month: April 2023

“Age is just a number. Life and aging are the greatest gifts that we could possibly ever have.”—Cicely Tyson

I most remember Cicely Tyson for her role as the 110-year-old, ex-slave, Miss Jane Pittman. Fitting that I would come across her quote on this my 60^th birthday. I have been in anxious anticipation of this day. Why? Because it is a milestone of grattitude. It is a marker of time and opportunity—not a marker of decline. It is a marker against which, instead, to measure one’s growth.

Age is a blessing not a curse. To think of it as a curse is to fail to realize the gift.

I often speak of “opportunity costs.” Life comes with no guarantees, only opportunities. A year is another opportunity—an opportunity to grow Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially. Yes, we can grow Physically as we age beyond adolescence and early adulthood. Of course, at some point, Physical growth becomes more about maintenance, but if we haven’t reached our genetic potential there can still be some room for growth.

Turning 60 presents a new decade to oppose nature’s will. It is an opportunity to take the opportunity to…. What do we want our 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond to be like? Except for that which we cannot control, we can exercise, eat well, sleep well, and stimulate our mind, body, and spirit, and be better than society tells us we can be.

I am excited for what my 60s will bring. I am not going to sit back and complain about being older. Instead, I am going to celebrate all that I have yet to accomplish.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”—Tony Robbins

“Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.”—Robert H. Schuller

“It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.”—Isaac Asimov

“The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That’s the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!”—George S. Patton

“Listen to the desires of your children. Encourage them and then give them the autonomy to make their own decision.”—Denis Waitley

“Follow your heart and make it your decision.”—Mia Hamm

“Opportunity is coy, is swift, is gone, before the slow, the unobservant, the indolent, or the careless can seize her.”—Orison Swett Marden

It is college decision-making time in our household. It is down-to-the-wire. So, I thought it appropriate to just share a few of the many words of wisdom regarding decision making for parents in the same situation and for anyone confronted with a major decision. We cannot take our decisions lightly, but they must be made.

I begin with Tony Robbins’ statement that decisions shape our destiny and Marden’s statement about opportunity. Sandwiched in between is the wisdom of but a few others. It should be clear that our destiny is indeed shaped by the decisions we make (big and small), but it is important to understand that no single decision is responsible for shaping our destiny. Each decision leads to the next and is therefore the right decision for us in the moment. If the outcome does not suit us, another decision is called for. Equally important, though, are the opportunities we encounter in our decision-making. Our paths can change, but opportunity, like the wind, does not linger.

Best wishes in the decisions before you.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Depression begins with disappointment. When disappointment festers in our soul, it leads to discouragement.”—Joyce Meyer

Disappointment often leads to discouragement and, sometimes, depression, but it can also lead to drive—to the overwhelming desire to get out of the hole one is in and succeed. The challenge is winning the battle with discouragement and depression. Disappointment presents an opportunity for growth—perhaps for dramatic change. It is never easy, however, especially when disappointment persists, and success is perceived as a mirage or a façade. (Whoever says “fake it till you make it” is full of something.)

“Disenchantment, whether it is a minor disappointment or a major shock, is the signal that things are moving into transition in our lives.”—William Throsby Bridges

Perhaps William Throsby Bridges is correct. Disenchantment is the likely crossroad where drive and depression meet. Or, more likely, it is the difficult path leading from disappointment and discouragement to the fork in the road. The difference between drive and depression is hope and the confidence that transition is possible.

Our history and experience may tell us that transition is not possible, and that the road is only one of continued disappointment and discouragement. Depression begins with a belief that this is the only road. It progresses as all optimism is lost. Drive, however, requires only that we hold on to the last hint of optimism and keep stepping forward until we find the alternative path.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“A will finds a way.”–Orison Swett Marden

I often go to Orison S. Marden for quotes and inspiration. Feeling particularly stuck, I went to a favorite source (brainyquote.com), and the above quote was at the top of the list of Marden quotes. It doesn’t make getting unstuck any easier. It doesn’t give me any guidance for getting unstuck. It does remind me, however, to persist.

The advice to persist is unsettling—especially the longer we are feeling stuck—but it does remind us to not quit. If there is a will a way can be found.

I often must remind myself of Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s “power of possibility thinking.” It is a proactive alternative to the classic “positive thinking.” A goal is merely a desire if all one does is think about it. A goal demands action. A goal requires a plan of action and a willingness to work toward its accomplishment. When the progress is slow, persistence is required. When progress is stuck, a new plan of action is demanded.

Possibility thinking requires that one breakdown the problem into chunks. For example, if an entrepreneur needs a million dollars, they can look for one person to invest one million dollars, two persons to invest $500,000,…, ten people to invest $100,000,…, 100 people to invest $10,000,…, or one million people to invest $1. Likewise, our problems might require one extraordinary action or countless ordinary actions to get us unstuck.

I have often shared a phrase that I learned decades ago from a pastor, Dale Schurter, when I lived in New York. The son of an Oklahoma farmer would tell us that he learned from his father that “’Can’t’ never done nuthin’.” Indeed, that was the topic of a keynote talk that I gave just last week. Truth be told, when I am called upon to share the advice, it is often at a time when I most need to hear it. (Funny how the Universe in like this.)

Feeling stuck? I am, too. We all feel it from time to time. What are we doing to get unstuck?

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are dead.”—Aldous Huxley

When discussing success, we often consider consistency and commitment to be key. Indeed, these are keys to success, but, alone, they are a threat to personal growth and continued improvement (i.e., kaizen). Thus, they can limit one’s pursuit of well-centered fitness and the “growth mindset.” It is better that we consider the consistency of and commitment to progress.

As an exercise physiologist with philosophical mind, I think of all growth (Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social) from the perspective of all things being bio-mechanical-psycho-social and apply the “principles of adaptation” (specificity, overload, progression, recovery, reversibility, and individuality) taught in basic exercise science. As such, I can’t consider growth without considering progressive overload. As Huxley stated, “the only completely consistent people are dead.” Terminally consistent people are stagnant and demonstrate little to no growth. Indeed, if one is to grow (Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially) one must be progressing. They must be committed to consistent and progressive overload to the specific characteristic that they which to improve (grow).

The saying, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” is widely attributed to Albert Einstein. Terminal consistency, then, is a form of insanity. This is not to say that consistency is all bad. Of course, consistency in what we might call “healthy routines” (e.g., hygiene, brushing one’s teeth, etc.) are purposeful. One can, however, always consider how even these routines can be improved.

Consistency and determination are keys to success when tied to a growth mindset. When they lack the concept of “progressive overload” success is forever a distant mirage.

In what areas of life are we experiencing terminal consistency? Perhaps in our weekly church attendance? In our exercise “program”? In our daily consumption of trivial information via social media and popular press? In our self-contentment? In our relationships? In what areas of life do we need be “raised from the dead”? In what areas do we need to grow toward the asymptote of well-centeredness?

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!