"Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it." - Margaret Thatcher
The quote above by Margaret Thatcher is very true. Fulfillment doesn't come when we are lazy, but when we spend the day doing something with purpose. But herein lies an interesting dilemma. It is what I call an 'extreme' dilemma because there is a place where the exact opposite can occur. Here we are in day six and many of us have quickly moved into a 'new' way of doing things. It is in us to change things and move into doing things anew. Changing everything from the foods we eat to the activities we do. We are grocery shopping and purchasing exercise equipment. ALL of this is GOOD, but in doing this we must be careful to NOT overdue it! It seems there is a certain characteristic in the flesh that has this 'all or nothing' attitude. So we move quickly into a raw food, eat nothing but salad, rabbit mentality diet. We begin to implement exercising plans, dusting off the treadmill and lacing up the old garden sneakers for our walks. The first day or two we raise our fists in a triumphant shout about how easy it all seems only to find ourselves a few days later wondering how long we can maintain this pace and way of life! We are already of the boring salads and we have quickly learned our 'eighteen year old minds' are not matching up with our forty year old bodies. THIS is the dilemma I am talking about...we move without abandonment to such the extreme end of doing things that we crash and burn before we even get started! The next thing you know the game is not fun anymore and you are fighting an even greater measure of emotions and feelings than when you first started the game with!
Today I want to remind everyone of a few things. First...SLOW DOWN! This is an eighteen week process of learning and retraining your body. The adage learned in the Aesop fable of 'The Tortoise and the Hare' rings true. "Slow and steady wins the race!" Secondly...this is NOT A DIET! No matter how you look at it, the goal is not to diet for eighteen weeks and then go back to your old ways of eating and living an unhealthy lifestyle, but this is an ATTITUDE. It is my hope this 'game' will impact you for a life time. This a pulling down of strongholds and a transformation into a complete makeover into a new you. Yes, there is a cash prize for the winner, but if that's your ONLY goal, you have missed the whole point of this contest. Thirdly...look for and get HELP if you need it. Don't be so proud as to think you don't or won't need any help during this contest. Look to each other. Encourage each other. Help each other learn and grow. Teach and share new recipes, exercises, and ideas you have gained insight into as we move along. Then on the other hand, don't be so proud that you can't receive anything from anybody. Have a spirit teachable spirit that is apt to learn. Fourth...KEEP THIS FUN! If you are not having fun in everything you are doing, then I would say you are probably on the extreme side of things. When this contest becomes so intense you cannot enjoy what you are eating or going out for a walk, then you are too fanatical or at least from my perspective, you have missed the point! Relax and enjoy the trip. Smile and give your face a rest. Finally... don't forget God in all of this! The victory comes, the true victory only comes when God is involved in your decision making. Don't forget the bottom line in this contest is to glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits! We are the temple of the Holy Ghost and we are remaking this temple into a place of habitation for the Almighty God! How's that for a WOW factor? Don't lose the true reason for this contest!
There is an old cliche, "Practice makes perfect!" but my wrestling coach used to say, "Perfect practice makes perfect!" In wrestling practice we would continually be learning new moves and how to hit those moves. Many of the moves, if practiced incorrectly could end up hurting us in a real match. Therefore, however we practiced the move in practice is how we would hit the move in a match. Doing the move wrong in practice did not translate into doing it right in a match! We can practice something but if we are practicing it wrong, then it will be done perfectly wrong! But if we take our time and practice it the way it needs to be accomplished, then when the pressure is on, we will do the way we 'perfectly' learned it! "To succeed you must first improve, to improve you must first practice, to practice you must first learn, and to learn you must first fail." - (Wesley Woo) Today...if you find yourself in this extreme dilemma, I want you to step back, take a breath, and relax. Review and renew your pace with an attitude of gratitude. Let the contest unfold in an aura of learning and fun. Life IS good and God is great...and that is something you can be extreme in!!!
The quote above by Margaret Thatcher is very true. Fulfillment doesn't come when we are lazy, but when we spend the day doing something with purpose. But herein lies an interesting dilemma. It is what I call an 'extreme' dilemma because there is a place where the exact opposite can occur. Here we are in day six and many of us have quickly moved into a 'new' way of doing things. It is in us to change things and move into doing things anew. Changing everything from the foods we eat to the activities we do. We are grocery shopping and purchasing exercise equipment. ALL of this is GOOD, but in doing this we must be careful to NOT overdue it! It seems there is a certain characteristic in the flesh that has this 'all or nothing' attitude. So we move quickly into a raw food, eat nothing but salad, rabbit mentality diet. We begin to implement exercising plans, dusting off the treadmill and lacing up the old garden sneakers for our walks. The first day or two we raise our fists in a triumphant shout about how easy it all seems only to find ourselves a few days later wondering how long we can maintain this pace and way of life! We are already of the boring salads and we have quickly learned our 'eighteen year old minds' are not matching up with our forty year old bodies. THIS is the dilemma I am talking about...we move without abandonment to such the extreme end of doing things that we crash and burn before we even get started! The next thing you know the game is not fun anymore and you are fighting an even greater measure of emotions and feelings than when you first started the game with!
Today I want to remind everyone of a few things. First...SLOW DOWN! This is an eighteen week process of learning and retraining your body. The adage learned in the Aesop fable of 'The Tortoise and the Hare' rings true. "Slow and steady wins the race!" Secondly...this is NOT A DIET! No matter how you look at it, the goal is not to diet for eighteen weeks and then go back to your old ways of eating and living an unhealthy lifestyle, but this is an ATTITUDE. It is my hope this 'game' will impact you for a life time. This a pulling down of strongholds and a transformation into a complete makeover into a new you. Yes, there is a cash prize for the winner, but if that's your ONLY goal, you have missed the whole point of this contest. Thirdly...look for and get HELP if you need it. Don't be so proud as to think you don't or won't need any help during this contest. Look to each other. Encourage each other. Help each other learn and grow. Teach and share new recipes, exercises, and ideas you have gained insight into as we move along. Then on the other hand, don't be so proud that you can't receive anything from anybody. Have a spirit teachable spirit that is apt to learn. Fourth...KEEP THIS FUN! If you are not having fun in everything you are doing, then I would say you are probably on the extreme side of things. When this contest becomes so intense you cannot enjoy what you are eating or going out for a walk, then you are too fanatical or at least from my perspective, you have missed the point! Relax and enjoy the trip. Smile and give your face a rest. Finally... don't forget God in all of this! The victory comes, the true victory only comes when God is involved in your decision making. Don't forget the bottom line in this contest is to glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits! We are the temple of the Holy Ghost and we are remaking this temple into a place of habitation for the Almighty God! How's that for a WOW factor? Don't lose the true reason for this contest!
There is an old cliche, "Practice makes perfect!" but my wrestling coach used to say, "Perfect practice makes perfect!" In wrestling practice we would continually be learning new moves and how to hit those moves. Many of the moves, if practiced incorrectly could end up hurting us in a real match. Therefore, however we practiced the move in practice is how we would hit the move in a match. Doing the move wrong in practice did not translate into doing it right in a match! We can practice something but if we are practicing it wrong, then it will be done perfectly wrong! But if we take our time and practice it the way it needs to be accomplished, then when the pressure is on, we will do the way we 'perfectly' learned it! "To succeed you must first improve, to improve you must first practice, to practice you must first learn, and to learn you must first fail." - (Wesley Woo) Today...if you find yourself in this extreme dilemma, I want you to step back, take a breath, and relax. Review and renew your pace with an attitude of gratitude. Let the contest unfold in an aura of learning and fun. Life IS good and God is great...and that is something you can be extreme in!!!
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