I’m back on the wagon, sort of

I’m back to wagging my tongue, that is…I started exercising again and yesterday was my first day. It went really well. I left my shorts at home and ended up having lunch with my mother and 5 slices of cake, so technically, I’m off the wagon and it ran me over. It was a new recipe for her and I had to show my support, five times.

Today, however, I went downstairs to the gym at work, and I got on the treadmill like I was on it yesterday. So much for taking it easy on the first day. I walked at a fast pace because I have long legs and I can. After 25 minutes or so, I decided to test my heart rate. I put my hands on the sensors and waited. My heart rate read 107! I said, no, that can’t be right, I’m working harder than that, something is wrong. So I decided to increase the speed and then I tested again. My heart rate is now 94. Confused. Either the numbers have decreased or a 1 is missing in front of the 9. Okay now my feelings are hurt so I run for a minute and 30 seconds. All I was hoping for was my heart rate and to stay conscious during this time so I could tell the EMT what really happened.*

After my short run, I was sure my heart rate would be in the 150’s. I put my hands on the sensors and it read a whopping 42. I said, okay, that must be how many minutes I have to live because my heart is about to give out. I tested several times after that to see if I could get a reading. I got NOTHING. Not one number showed up on that digital panel. I wrapped up my workout just in case that was a sign and made a mental note of the 1-800 number on the machine. Somebody needs to call them and tell them that machine is broken! Tomorrow, I take my workout outside. I hope my pedometer is working.

Anywho, it feels great to do something nice and healthy for your body, but cookies are nice too. I found this report on Yahoo that said avoiding sweets COULD help you live longer. So could avoiding a bullet, I want a cookie. I’m not one of those people who say you have to die from something. In fact, I would rather die from nothing, just leave my cause of death blank. I’m partial to breathing. Is giving up sweets really going to add years to my life? I doubt it, but giving up sweets may decrease the life of those around me. So everything in moderation, well everything except for everything illegal. I’m rambling, this is supposed to be about exercise. I ramble on paper because it can’t run like people. Paper is such a patient, forgiving and understanding listener and if it isn’t, my eraser is…Now, oh, okay back to the report. I no longer have any faith in these reports and studies because the information is inconsistent. One year coffee will kill you and grind you up, the next year, coffee with green tea extract will add years to your life. Please, everything in moderation and while “they” are making up their minds, I’m going to have a cookie…..

*This is not a James Frey blog, this stuff really happened, I just tell the funny version, there was no EMT, this time. Oprah you can call me and select my blog as the blog of the month for your book club. Better yet, start a blog club and just mention that you read mine and people will be trying to buy it. Please.

What Exactly is The American Dream?

The term was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America which was written in 1931. He states: “The American Dream is “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

Gee, I don’t know how this translation got lost over time, but this is not The American Dream most people are familiar with. The American Dream is a house, a lot of money, a nice car and another nice car, a spouse, 2.5 kids all enclosed in a white picket fence and a dog. Sadly, this is what many Americans are in pursuit of. Not too many people are thinking of social order and equality. It’s the “I Gotta Get Mine Syndrome”, the appearance of “I’m doing well” or “Look at me, I made it”, regardless of what it really costs.

Take for example, a home. One of my favorite financial guru’s always says, a home can either be a curse or a blessing. If you don’t have the money to maintain a home, it will be a curse. If you save your money, put a 20% down payment, then it should be blessing.

The American Dream sounds good, but in reality, that’s all it is, a dream. It may even be somebody else’s dream. I’m certainly not buying into what people think I should have. All of those things mentioned above is great. Everyone deserves their own home, nice things, a great salary, but not at the expense of self-destruction. Have a seat, think about what YOU really want and then go for it, but not before calculating the costs.

A quote from a magazine I read: “The more we want to do something (fill in the blank) the more likely we are to make unchecked assumptions and pay attention only to the data that tells us what we want to hear.”

My dream is to be debt free before the end of ‘07.

Recommended Reading:
Cashing in on the American Dream
BLACK WALLSTREET - A Lost Dream

The Importance of Setting Goals

“If you strike at nothing, you will hit it everytime.”

Imagine that you are going on a trip and upon your arrival you are awarded with everything you could want. Money, houses, cars, love, good health, perfect weather, it’s like Fantasy Island, if you can think of it, it will be given to you.

The night before, you make sure you set your alarm clock to get up an hour early, you had the oil changed in your car, the tires rotated, the gas tank is full, and your bags are packed and you’re ready to go. You don’t want anything to prevent you from getting there. You have everything you need, except one thing, directions on how to get there. No map, no GPS and no idea of how you’re going to get there. You’re just going to get into your car, drive and hope for the best.

I’m sure you are thinking this would be crazy, that you would never get anywhere. It would be an impossible and futile trip, a waste of time and energy.

Now compare your life to this journey. Did you prepare for it with written goals or did you just jump into the car with no thought as to where you are going? Is your life a nomadic, aimless journey or is it one guided by planned choices?

Often times, we are unhappy with our jobs, our mate, our physical appearance and our lives. We’re just waiting for that big “Calgone” moment, to come rescue us from our everyday anxieties. This only happens on television, however, if we set clear goals in our life, starting small (baby steps) so that they are attainable, we don’t have to sit and wait for something good to happen to us, we can go and create good for ourselves. We all know what we should be doing, but it’s the applying of the information that makes a difference, the actual doing something about it.

Successful people have a plan, they know where they are going. They have a map, a navigation system and written directions called goals. When I write my goals on paper, somehow I seem to get them done almost effortlessly and when I slack off and I’m not prepared everything is in caios. I am striking the air, wondering around, going nowhere and getting nothing done. Always keep goals as your direction in life, you’ll go far.

Recommended Reading:
Goal Setting 101 : How to Set and Achieve a Goal!
Motivation and Goal Setting: How to Set and Achieve Goals and Inspire Others (Motivation and Goal Setting)
Motivation & Goal Setting : The Keys to Achieving Success

Someday Is Not A Day of the Week

Every night I have the privilege of reading a book to my daughter. Last week she came home with a book, as she does everyday, called Someday is not a day of the week. I’m sure you know what the book is about without even have reading it. I thought what a great book for young and old. How often have you said, I’ll do it tomorrow, or I’ll get to it next week or someday I’ll get to that and that day never comes.

One of my favorite quotes is: If you fail to plan, plan to fail. Planning is so very important in doing things that need to be done, that if you don’t plan, chances are you will fail. We are able to make it to work because we make plans to be there. We are able to make the movies because we make plans to be there. We make it to that dinner party because we make plans to be there. We make plans by getting things ready and in order for us to be present.

I have found myself in situations of where I was supposed to be somewhere at a particular time, but I didn’t make any plans to help myself get there. I had no idea of what I was wearing, I didn’t have directions or I never set my alarm clock. Each time, I was absent because I failed to plan.

I work on this everyday or every other day. Some times I fall off the wagon, but my goal is to plan better so that my life runs more smoothly. I’m where I’m supposed to be at the right time. Life is short, don’t waste it because you forgot to plan.

Someday is a reminder that we cannot let being busy take away from what’s important in life. Plan and just do it!

Recommended Reading:
Someday: Is Not A Day of the Week Edition 1.
The Procrastinator’s Handbook: Mastering the Art of Doing It Now
Never Be Late Again: 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged
The Tomorrow Trap
Living Without Procrastination: How to Stop Postponing Your Life