July 21, 2008
photo credit: t-lo
“Be an explorer. The universe is filled with wonder and magical things.” ~ Flavia
I’ll be on vacation for the next week and a half. Our family is breaking away from our normal activities, and heading to the great northwestern United States. We’ll be heading back to nature, and the wild west. Ahead for us is a four day whitewater rafting trip into the wilderness of northern Idaho. We’ll be following that up with a little more civilization while we spend a few days in Seattle, before returning home.
During this time, posts and replies will be limited.
Have a great week!
Posted in Uncategorized 
15 Comments »
July 20, 2008
photo credit: Bob.Fornal
“A good exercise for the heart is bending down and helping someone to get up.” ~ Proverb
Posted in Thought of the Day 16 Comments »
July 18, 2008
photo credit: jugrote
“But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it’s better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you’re fighting for.” ~ Paulo Coehlo
Defeat. We’ve all been there. That moment when we’ve lost something we really wanted. Maybe it was a big game you played in as a child. Or maybe it was a job promotion you were working toward. Or maybe it was your moment to perform on stage. Or maybe it was the new life your wedding would bring. Or maybe it was the life of a loved one.
Defeat. We’ve all been there, and we’ll be there again. I was there this past weekend. The soccer team I coach was playing in a tournament at our village’s summer festival. We had a team of excited nine year old boys, ready to conquer the world (or, at least the first team we played). Were we ever in for a surprise. As a team, we have usually done pretty good - win a few, lose a few. But most games are fairly close. Not today. The other team was much more prepared and sharp. And before we knew it, we were down by nearly ten goals. By halftime, our boys were exhausted and defeated. And we still had the second half to play. We went back out, and as the game wore on, you could just see our team giving up. It was the most difficult game I have coached. A day that had started so positive, had quickly turned dark.
After the game, we talked about our effort, and how we can’t give up. Even in the face of insurmountable odds. We were there to play, and that’s what we do for the full fifty minutes. We left the game with our heads hanging a little lower than I wanted. And, we still had another game in a couple of hours.
The resiliency of kids! They bounced back for the second game. For the most part, everyone had seemed to have moved on from our earlier loss (except for me). In the end, we also lost the second game, but it was a much closer (and more fun) game.
Defeat. Why couldn’t I give it up? I was stuck on the fact that the other team was older than us, probably played in a more select soccer league during the regular season, and just plain played harder out there.
Defeat. I wanted to win. And I felt like we were ganged up on by a team that was better and older. And I didn’t think it was fair. But the truth is, that’s life. Sometimes we’ll be in situations where life doesn’t seem fair, and we’ll lose. And this can be difficult. Difficult to accept. Difficult to get over.
There are great lessons we learn in defeat. Probably greater lessons than those we learn in victory. If we are open to seeing and accepting these lessons. So, look at defeat as an opportunity to learn and grow. The fields of defeat are filled with many life lessons.
After some time to reflect on our soccer defeat, I feel more insecure as a coach. But I’m looking at that as a good thing. Good in that I know we have so much room for improvement. And that will be my job as we go into the fall season. Find ways to develop our players so they can compete at a higher level. And help them to understand that what makes us great is working together as a team and not giving up.
Defeat. Embrace your defeats. To this I don’t mean that I hope you lose your job, or don’t get to play in a championship game, or have a broken marriage. To this I mean that when defeat finds you, embrace the opportunity to learn from the mistakes you’ve made. Make a real effort to understand what happened, and look for ways you can improve.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
So, dare the mighty things you desire in your life. Go out there and live. Know that sometimes you will be defeated in some of the things you want most. And know that that is ok. It makes our lives richer to have experienced failure and success. Your life is yours to live - live it to the fullest!
Posted in Personal Growth 22 Comments »
July 16, 2008
photo credit: Vlastula
“It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgement.” ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero
You get into your SUV and head down the highway. With all the time constraints you have in your life today, you step on the accelerator and drive a few miles over the speed limit. Everyone else is doing it. And some are going faster. You won’t get stopped by the local police since there are so many others that are doing the same thing.
I do that. I’m sure many of you also do. We live in a world where we have so much going on, that oftentimes we’re rushed to get from one spot to the next. We look at the speed limit as kind of a “guideline”. Hey, we’re busy people and we’ve got stuff to get done.
How about your life? Is it that way too? Work. Family. Extracurricular activies. Volunteer projects. Daily activies. It’s enough to put you on overload sometimes.
What is the speed limit of your life? Are you always driving on the freeway, pushing the 65 MPH speed limit? Mentally, do you ever slow down and go through some backroads in your life?
Sometimes speed is important. We have deadlines to meet at work or school. They have to get done, and we just plow through them. But we also need to take time to slow down in our lives. To have the life we really want and deserve, we have to understand who we are. What are our dreams? What are we really passionate about?
Driving 70 MPH through life is not going to give us these answers. In fact, if that’s all we do, then we’re likely just driving our lives really fast down the wrong life highway. And where does that get us? It gets us somewhere we don’t really want to be.
So, slow down every once in a while. Take some of the backroads through your life. Visit some of the small towns in your brain. Get to know them. Listen to what you are hearing. Then, when you get back out on the highway of your life, and you’re cruising along, the time you’ve spent slowing down will aid you in going in the right direction.
Make it a regular occurence to slow down and evaluate where you are in life. Your life is worth it!
Posted in Personal Growth 21 Comments »
July 14, 2008
photo credit: santheo
“The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.” ~ Erma Bombeck
It’s been a whirlwind weekend, filled with many family activities. The highlight of it, though, was playing kickball in a family kickball tournament. Together with a couple of other families we know, we formed a team and competed in a fun kickball tournament that was going on at a summer festival in our village. And we came out as champions! But, that was secondary to all the fun that everyone had.
So, how do you make lasting family memories? I think a big part of it centers around having fun. And laughing. And being goofy. And in general just having a really good time.
Sometimes it something that you don’t always do. We occassionally will play kickball in the backyard, but it’s much more fun with a bigger group of people. So, this was more of a one-time thing, and one that we’ll remember for the fun and laughing that went on. We won’t remember all the outs, or kicks. What we’ll remember is the fun things (like our team name), or a comedy of errors going on in the field, or hanging out with friends.
Other times, it’s something you do more often. We have a game I play with the kids at home that we call “garbage”. I’m the garbage man, and they are the trash. I chase them around and get them onto the sofa (our makeshift garbage can). They try to sneak out of the garbage as I’m off chasing someone else, trying to get the into the garbage. They all love this game (although it’s getting harder to catch them as they get older). And I get a good workout out of the deal too! There’s always a lot of laughing, and running wild, and just acting silly. I always think that one of these days they’ll outgrow this goofiness. But then, one of them will ask to play it again, and everyone joins in. And it’s fun (well, and exhausting)! And it’s something I think they’ll remember for a long time.
So, family time can really be fun time. And memorable time. And a time to get to know each other better. Sometimes it’s things you might do regularly, and sometimes it things that are more of a one-time thing. And that’s what it’s all about!
Posted in Personal Growth 15 Comments »
July 13, 2008
photo credit: _MaO_
"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. " ~Henry James
Posted in Thought of the Day 8 Comments »
July 10, 2008
photo credit: jaxxon
"Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." — Lao-Tze
How’s your yard? Or your flower garden? Are there any weeds in them?
Weeds are defined as plants that have no value where they are growing, and that grow vigorously. We have many of them both in our yard and our vegetable garden. Without diligent effort, they grow and overtake the things we want to grow (like grass, or tomatoes, or flowers).
Well, how about in your life. Do you have any weeds there? Something that doesn’t provide any value in your life, and grows vigorously? Like a well-manicured lawn that takes time and effort to maintain, our lives are the same way.
Example 1:
Diet and exercise: If you feed your body poor quality food (junk food, processed foods, soda, candy) and don’t get any exercise, what kind of body are you going to have? The weeds here are the poor quality food and lack of exercise, and they began to take over. Maybe you feel lethargic. Maybe you are sick more often. Maybe you have a hard time moving around. In all of these cases, the "weeds" have led to this, and without properly caring for your body, these negatives continue to take over.
Example 2:
Language, thoughts, and actions: For instance, if you continuously think negatively about everything, the negativity "weed" begins to take over not only your thoughts, but is also portrayed in your language and converations. Instead of having an abundance mentality (that of proper care and removal of the weeds of negativity), you develop a scarcity mentality. This all leads to eventually affecting the actions your take (or don’t take) to support the continued growth of this weed.
With proper care of our bodies and minds, we can keep limit the weeds we have growing in ourselves. Just like a yard or garden, though, without continuous care, weeds will come back. They’ll do this in any garden, and they’ll do it in any of our bodies and minds. Just because we are weed-free today, doesn’t mean there are new weeds, or even old weeds, taking sprout.
Be diligent in caring for your body and mind, and you’ll reap the benefits of a life without all the weeds.
Posted in Health & Fitness, Personal Growth 28 Comments »
July 7, 2008
photo credit: joiseyshowaa
"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors" — African Proverb
As I sit here tonight, I am listening to the sounds of a good thunderstorm. Thunder, lightning, rain, wind. I enjoy the powerfulness of these storms (as long as they don’t cause any major damage). I really get a feel for how awesome this world we live in is.
Thunderstorms also get me thinking about the "thunder" in our lives. The storms that roll in, the wind that blows, the hail storm that can sometimes tear into us, the lightning that strikes out of nowhere. These are times that can test us. Test us mentally. Test us physically.
Sometimes they’re small storms in the walk of life, and other times they’re major storms. How we handle these storms can make all the difference in how we come out on the other end. When we can conquer these storms, we come out stronger than when we went in. I’ve had many of these ’storms" at work, for instance. Whenever I do, even though I don’t like them, I always come out on the other side knowing so much more than when it all began. Sometimes life can throw a storm at us that can be difficult or impossible to overcome (cancer, car accident, tornado, etc). Still, how we handle these storms we can’t win can really also speak volumes about our souls. Maybe we won’t beat these storms, but maybe we can help someone else who is also fighting this storm with us, or give encouragement to others who might someday face storms like this. Never give up hope that how you deal with these life events can’t affect someone else later on, or that you don’t even know.
We never know what set of cards life will deal us, and things can change at any moment. The only thing we can do is act upon these cards we’ve been dealt. Some of the cards will bring sunshine. Others will brings storms. Take the storms in your life and act upon them in positive ways, and you’ll come out after the storm being a stronger and better person.
Posted in Personal Growth 22 Comments »
July 6, 2008
photo credit: Welshdan
" What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. ~ Yiddish Proverb
Posted in Thought of the Day 8 Comments »
July 3, 2008
photo credit: lumaxart
"The first wealth is health." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
What does it mean to be fit? I’ve been thinking about this recently. There are tests that can be taken (VO2 max, BMI, waist to hip ratio, body fat anlaysis, 1.5 mile run, etc) - the list can go on and on. These can all be useful "tests" to help in determining your fitness level. But what qualifies as being fit?
I see it like a puzzle, with several pieces playing a part.
Nutrition
Nutrition plays a large role in determining how fit you are. This is one of the big factors in the puzzle. We are bombarded by food choices, and it can be very easy to make unfavorable ones. It’s a holiday weekend coming up here in the United States. One of those times when it’s easy to overeat. A splurge here and there is ok, just don’t let that become a habit. The key is to eat in moderation, and eat high quality real foods (vegetables, fruits, quality meats, and quality fats).
Cardio Vascular Fitness
Having a healthy heart comes in part from staying active. One great way to do this is through cardio-type exercises (running, walking, biking, swimming, interval training, etc). These types of exercises elevate your heart rate, which helps to strengthen your heart. They also help to burn calories from your body. Just remember that in addition to burning fat calories, this type of exercise also burns muscle.
Strength Training
Muscle-building exercises are another great way to build your fitness level. Having more muscle in your body will help to reduce the fat stores you have, and will also help to burn more of the calories you are eating. This is an important piece of the puzzle, and one that should not be overlooked.
Family History
Family history can play a role in the fitness puzzle as well. This is an area where someone from the medical field can best help assess the effects family history is having on your overall health and fitness levels.
These are some of the factors that play into determing how fit you are. No one test is going to give you a definitive answer, but they can help in assessing where you’re at.
The key is to remain active, and eat healthy. And don’t forget to consult a doctor or other qualified medical professional with more specifics into many of these areas. Living healthy feels great!
Posted in Health & Fitness 9 Comments »
July 2, 2008
photo credit: cuellar
“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.” — Leo Buscaglia
With three kids, this one’s usually pretty easy for me. Someone wants to “play” something. And sometimes I resist. Maybe I want to rest, or I have work to do, or lawn cut, or a sink to fix, or … But, when I do play - it’s fun. Sometimes it’s relaxing play (a board game for example), and sometimes its active play (basketball game for example).
So, playing is fun, but what other benefits are there?
Be More Creative
Playing can make you think in new and creative ways. These creative skills apply not only to the games you play, but they roll over into other areas of your life. And that’s a good thing. You begin to think differently, and look at problems with a new set of lenses. You take risks during games, and you’ll be more willing to take risks in other areas of your life.
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” ~ Apple Computers
Increase Happiness
Playing games creates laughter, and happiness (usually). If you played a game of hide and seek, or played a game of Yahtzee, would you not finish up and be happier than when you started? There is great joy in playing with others, and laughing together. One thing I do with my daughter is play the basketball game of “around the world” - where you shoot baskets from different points on the court until someone has made all of them. To mix things up, I like to name the locations (give them a country name for instance), or make up a funny name for her (a movie character for instance). She gets into this, and remembers these for some time afterward - and it’s fun for both of us.
Reduce Stress
One more benefit of play is reduced stress. Most games that are played for fun are games that leave us with a lower stress level than when we started. During play, we can forget about the worries of the world that we have. Through the pleasure we get from play, stress is removed from our bodies. And with less stress in our lives, we’ll make better choices in other areas as well.
Increase Energy
Play a game, and you’ll feel energized. You might feel tired after a very active game, but you’ll still feel new energy in your body. The laughter and cameraderie will re-invigorate you. You’ll finish the game and be better suited to do the other things you have planned because of your increased energy levels.
Go out and play a game. Scrabble. Tag. Football. Ring around the rosie. Apples to Apples. Coloring book. Hopscotch. Monopoly. Paint by numbers. Ride the merry-go-round.
You’ll have fun, be more creative, and remove stress from your life! Sounds like a recipe for success.
Posted in Personal Growth 14 Comments »
July 1, 2008
photo credit: copyrider
"The best cure for the body is a quiet mind" — Napoleon Bonaparte
Silence - how often do we really have it? The sounds of cars passing by, or television, or MP3 players, or phone calls, or computers, or a dog, or a lawn mower, or whatever else we have in our life that makes sound. Rarely do we have the opportunity for true quiet moments.
With all the "noise" in our lives, we can become numb to what our bodies and minds are trying to tell us. We can’t hear what they are saying. So what are the effects of this? The effects are that we don’t really come to know and understand ourselves. We continue to go through life without actively, and truely, deciding the direction we want to go.
I had an experience to attend a retreat a couple of years ago. One of the most moving moments for me was during the first evening at the retreat, where we were to spend the evening in silence from evening through the next morning. What a great lesson in the power of silence. During this time, I was able to reflect upon my life, and really think about what mattered to me. As we discussed the weekend after it was over, this moment was the most powerful for me. This was powerful, because it had happened so rarely for me before this. And I was able to begin really knowing who I was.
But how often do we do this in our regular lives? We can caught up in our everday tasks, and pretty soon the day has turned into night, or Sunday into Saturday, or January into December. And we continue on, doing what we’ve always done, letting our lives be determined by others.
Find time to have quiet moments in your life. These are reflective times where you get to know yourself better. And in doing this, you will lead a more fulfilled life.
Posted in Personal Growth 20 Comments »
June 29, 2008
photo credit: Paul Cheek
“More often in life, we end up regretting the chances in life that we had, but didn’t take them, than those chances that we took and wished we hadn’t.” - Anonymous
Posted in Thought of the Day 8 Comments »
June 28, 2008
photo credit: Darhawk
“It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it’s what you put into the practice.” — Eric Lindros
With three kids in many differnt sports and music programs, it seems there is always a practice of some sort to go to. Right now it’s baseball, softball, and piano.
This got me thinking about the value of practice - on several different angles.
Practice is for What?
What things do we (as adults) practice? What are we working at getting better at? And this isn’t just doing our job we’re paid to do. Usually this is the “game” situation. How are we practicing, when it doesn’t count? We need to spend time reading, taking classes, learning new things. Think about when you’ve tried something new - you’re probably excited, maybe taking a class, or learning how to do “it” on the side. You want to be good when it counts. But what happens after we become “good”? Does practice take a back seat? I think the answer is yes, often in can. But we must not become complacent in our practicing of the skills we have. The better we become at using these skills, the more we’ll be able to use these skills for good.
Do You Just Show Up?
So, you’re practicing? But is it productive practice? To get the most out of our practice, we need to make it quality time spent. This means we are fully engaged during our training time. Maybe we set aside a certain time of day (i.e. taking a class at the local community college). Or maybe we read a book, having a highlighter and notebook along. Or maybe we work on something with a group of people, with everyone contributing value to the group. The key here is that we’re not just at practice for the sake of practice. We’re there to get better at whatever it is that burns inside of us.
Make It Fun
If you’re not enjoying practice, then maybe you’re not enjoying the “game” either. Enjoy what you do, and practice will be as fun as the real thing. If it’s fun, you’re more likely to stick with it.
Apply What You’ve Learned
What good is practice if you go out afterward and just keep doing what you’ve always done? The key to practice is that you learn something and apply it. This is why we practice. We are working at getting better at what we do (or want to do).
This all reminds me of a couple of college courses I’ve had (several years ago!). If you think of the college course as the practice, then the real thing would be either the class tests, or applying what you’ve learned in real life situations. Some of these classes, I know I didn’t apply what I had learned, and the price I paid was poor grades on tests. At the time, I was happy to have passed. But in reality, what did I learn? Not a lot, and especially not a lot that would stay with me once I left that class. So, in that case, I had just showed up, had little fun, and couldn’t apply at all what I had learned. My practice in these classes, was of little practical use for me. How many times in our life does this happen? The key is to minimize (or eliminate) these. This is done by having fun at what we’re doing and learning. In turn, this leads to us wanting to learn more, and grow and improve. And that’s what practice is all about!
Posted in Career, Personal Growth 2 Comments »
June 25, 2008
photo credit: ryan loucks photography
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime. ” ~ Babe Ruth
It’s youth baseball season here right now. Last night brought two games at our household - for my older son (13) and younger son (9). On the one hand, both games ended in defeat. On the other hand, both boys each had what I felt was their best personal performance of the year. I came home excited by their performances, telling them it doesn’t matter if you win or lose. But, was that the right approach?
As a parent, I was most pleased that my children performed well for the team. And, I believe both boys felt they had performed well. But their view was more focused on the team. They were more upset about losing the game than on have a great personal game.
Taking this all into perspective, the kids had this one right. It is better to share in the victory of a team over the individual effort of one. That is not to say the indivual effort is not to be praised. The key, though, is to meld together individual performance for the betterment of the team.
This, of course, applies to all team sports. But in can apply in other areas as well. Think work teams, or teams of volunteers, or family “teams”. When we can get everyone on the team (no matter what kind of team we have) working together toward a common goal, with everyone putting forth their best effort, is when we have the greatest opportunity to have a great team effort. Maybe this results in a win (little league baseball), or maybe it results in a successful software implementation (work project), or maybe it results in a successful clean-up of a local park (volunteer project), or maybe it results in a great family vacation (family). In the end, how the team performs trumps individual performance. Invidual performance plays a factor in the team performance, but only if it is in alignment with the team.
So, in the activities that matter in our life, it is important that we strive to give our personal best. At that same time, however, it is equally important that our personal achievements are in alignment with the overall achievement of our team. It is then that we will experience the true success of these teams!
Posted in Personal Growth 13 Comments »
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