MYST 112 Losing and Finding YOUR Inspiration

Where do you find your inspiration? What happens when you lose it?

This is an episode that I recorded in June, 2015. Almost immediately after recording this, my own muse vanished. Later, I bought a new computer and moved all my files. Today, I found it.

It’s only slightly dated. I recorded this about a month after my knee replacements, and it talks about how to get started toward any goal. How to write more. Create more. Walk more. Even lose weight. It is based on this blog post, from my friend Scott Wilson.

Scott Wilson
Scott Wilson

I originally interviewed him in episode 20, released back on June 9, 2014. His blog continues to this day!

———————————————————————————————-

Music composed and performed by Jason Shaw, courtesy of Audionautix.com

Voiceover courtesy of Matt Young. Matt is a professional voiceover artist. If you have any need of voice-over work, for your podcast, radio spot, or whatever, you can reach Matt by a variety of methods. He is on LinkedIn. On Twitter. And Google+. And you can read his really nice, contemplative blog. Matt was also my guest on MYST 54. Give his story a listen!

MYST 77 Trevitorial: Breaking Your Comfort Zone

I’ve never been on a mission trip of any sort. Here I am leading 10 nursing students to Hagley Gap, St. Thomas Parish, Jamaica on a service learning experience where we walked the hills–mountains–and provided cares to villagers unable to walk to the clinic. I averaged 7 miles a day (16-20K steps) and since my Fitbit records elevation changes, I also know that I climbed the equivalent of 150-200 flights of stairs a day. On my bad knees.

Bathing in the river (mountain rivers are very chilly) every afternoon helped my knees!

This trip was through the Blue Mountain Project, based here in Wisconsin. Please check out their site, and if possible, help them if you can. They are a very small non-profit organization, and as in all such groups, always need more funding, volunteers and supplies. Serving as a volunteer with BMP can be as short as one week and has reasonable fees ($99/night) and will likely change your perspective as much as it changed mine. I cannot wait to return.

My wife and I plan to return in the summer 2016, after my knees fully heal. I cannot believe how much this trip changed me. When was the last time you challenged yourself and broke through your comfort zone?

Arrival in Kingston, with my two students Michelle and Mandy
Michelle, Me and Mandy, Arrival In Kingston
IMG_2491
Me, at the River
One Room Schoolhouse with Dividers
One Room Schoolhouse
How To Peel Sugar Cane
How To Peel Sugar Cane
Another Home
A local home
Children Need to Share Pencils
Students in this school must share pencils
Me and A Local Rastafarian
A Local Rastafarian and Me
Mandy Interviews Mr. Alphonse
Mandy Interviews Mr. Alphonse
Pea Soup with a Chicken Foot
Pea Soup with a Chicken Foot
One of the Local Children
A Local Child and his Coconut
Potato, Dumpling, Broad Beans, and Cow Skin
Potato, Dumpling, Broad Beans, and Cow Skin
Some of the Homes
Homes Across the River
Goats Were Everywhere
Photo Bombed By a Goat
Hibiscus, Blue Mountain Background
Hibiscus, Blue Mountain Background

I really recommend that you use an activity tracker to give you an accurate measurement of your daily activity.  You’re just steps away from better fitness.  Try Fitbit now.Fitbit One

Music composed and performed by Jason Shaw, courtesy of Audionautix.com

Voiceover courtesy of Matt Young. Matt is a professional voiceover artist. If you have any need of voiceover work, for your podcast, radio spot, or whatever, you can reach Matt by a variety of methods. He is on LinkedIn. On Twitter. And Google+. And you can read his really nice, contemplative blog. Matt was also my guest on MYST 54. Give his story a listen!

Some links (but not all) within these show notes may be Affiliate Links, meaning that I may receive a small commission when readers click on them and then purchase something. This does not increase your cost at all, but it does help me cover some of the cost associated with this podcast. Thanks!

MYST 75 Trevitorial: Become Your Best Self, Starting NOW!

So what does the title mean? Are you your best right now? How many listeners believe they are their best self, right now?

Let’s change the question: How many here believe they are better than they were a year ago? That’s a better question. But we still aren’t our best yet. Why?

Part of it is the fact that most people continue to improve, at least in some facets of their lives, almost until the end. So by a technical definition, you cannot be your best until you are no longer improving.

But that’s a technicality. Let’s agree than “Best” is an illusory concept, and that what we really mean is “Be All You Can Be”—no, that was taken by the US Army. How about “Become What You Want to Be.” I like that last one.

“Become What You Want to Be”.

What would it take for you to believe—no, more than believe, to KNOW—that you are your best?  In other words, what do you want to be? If you cannot honestly answer that question, then my work is done. It’s hard to become something if you don’t know what that something is.

Take a few seconds to visualize what your life would look like if you actually became the person you want to be.

What did you see? More importantly, how did that make you feel?

Let me tell you a quick story before we move into the actual work part of the “workshop.”

In 2005 I was unhappy. I had a position with an insurance company, performing a job that I didn’t really enjoy, one that seemed to be a quagmire of stagnation. I had no self-control. I ate too much. And I weighed in excess of 295 pounds. On a flight with my wife, I actually could not get the seat belt to latch across my belly. And I was too proud to ask for a seat-belt extension, so I flew unsecured. I was willing to risk my life due to my pride.

That’s okay. Someday, I will lose weight.

In 2006, I needed knee surgery due to obesity. I was told I needed to lose weight. I will. Someday.

In 2007, we adopted our little pug, Ozzy. It was difficult for me to walk him to the dog park, because it was three blocks away. I needed my inhaler to breather better. That’s okay. Someday.

But finally, I had my wakeup call. I was an ER nurse, and I cared for a patient who was my age, and my size, admitted for a heart attack. At the time, I was 45. I couldn’t walk the length of a hallway without breaking a sweat and a flight of stairs are nearly impossible. I could not work on the code team, because I couldn’t get up the stairs fast enough.

Suddenly, I realized that someday needed to become today, or I might next on that gurney. What had changed? I finally had a reason that made me act. That reason was fear, and while it is a negative motivator, it made me change.

On July 28, 2008, I asked my wife for help. With her help, we started to change our lives. We ate differently. We walked more. And we did that together.

On January 20, 2012, I weighed 199 pounds. I slowly dropped to a low of 180 pounds. As of today, I weigh 201 pounds.

Before and After with Subtitles

What happened? I got scared. But I made a decision. And I asked for help. And I never quit. I am becoming who I wanted to be.

Not everyone wants to, or needs to lose weight. But everyone has that thing, that one gleaming dream, that image of who they really are. You probably have it carefully stored in a box, hidden deep inside your spirit. Maybe you look at it in secret on occasion. And you probably all think, “Someday….someday” and then you carefully rewrap your dream and return it to storage.

We need some roadmaps. These are just like the maps you use when on vacation, but instead a roadmap for your life. When you go on vacation, you know where you are starting, and the destination, and also how the route you will take.

It is probably rare that people hop in their car and just drive somewhere. We want to know where we are going and when we will arrive. That’s just how it is.

This room is filled with people who have accomplished great things, achieved high levels of education. And I am confident that there are more than a couple in here who think, “But someday, I’ll become what or who I want to be.”

So….what path will you take to arrive at your “Better You?” Take a sheet of paper. Divide it into four quadrants. At the center of the page, write today’s date.

In the upper left quadrant, add the label “Lifetime”. In the upper right, “Three Years”. Lower left, “One Year”. Lower right, “Three Months.” Now here is your first short assignment.

Open that secret storeroom! Throw the doors wide open. For the next five minutes, don’t look at those dreams, goals, and aspiration and think “Someday” but instead just think “Yes!” Write down every goal, dream and hope you really, really want.

And yes, be unrealistic! Let your mind wander down paths that you thought were long overgrown. Write your goals—your descriptions of “Your Best You” in the quadrants that you believe to be the most accurate time frame.

Don’t judge. Don’t justify. Don’t list in order of importance or likelihood. Just write down all your dreams. How do you feel about what you wrote down?

Did anything that you wrote scare you? Did you write down something that made you feel a little queasy in your stomach or think “I’m crazy for even writing this?” Yes?  That is awesome! Anything that scares you is something to truly consider as being a worthy goal.

All right we now have a list of dreams and goals, our adult wish list to send to Santa. Excellent! You have the beginning of your life’s roadmap. You now can see what your “Better You” will look like, and will do. We know where you want to be, not “Someday”, but in 3 months, 1 year, 3 years. That’s wonderful!

But here is the next assignment. Which are the goals that need our greatest focus? Because as much as we want it all, we usually can’t do everything. Not all at once, at least.

Here is your second assignment. Look at the descriptions of your “Better You.” You know that you cannot tackle all of those goals. Rather than prioritizing each, which can sometimes be very difficult, let’s make it very simple.

In each quadrant, circle the one item that will have the greatest positive affect on your life. The goals you circle do not need to be related to each other. It’s hard to do many things. But we can always do that one thing. So, you have one minute to identify your top four Priorities. Go!

How do you feel right now? Scared? Empowered? Bold? I am asking you to put yourself out beyond where you live right now. That can be frightening. You never learned how to ride a two-wheeler by keeping the training wheels on, right?

Now for the next step. And this is the big one! Let’s tackle your “Game Changer!”

How many of you are Green Bay Packers (NFL football) fans? Good, me too! I live in Green Bay; it is a city law. Almost.

Remember the Packer’s “Game Changer” of last season? The Packers are in Miami, trailing by 4 points. They are on the 15 yard line with 30 seconds left in the game and no time outs. Aaron Rogers needs to spike the ball to stop the clock and give them a chance to plan their final plays. He steps up to the line and spikes it….but not really. Rookie Davante Adams runs down the sideline towards the goal line and Rodgers throws him a quick pass as he get pushed out of bounds at the 3 yard line, stopping the clock. On the next play, Aaron Rodgers throws a touchdown pass to the tight end Andrew Quarless to win the game.

That one play changed the outcome of that game. It was as if the first 59 and a half minutes didn’t exist. What is YOUR Game Changer?

Look at your four circled goals. Which of those will have the greatest and most immediate positive affect on your life, if it was already achieved RIGHT NOW? Take a second sheet and choose your Game Changer. If you are not sure which will have the greatest and most immediate positive affect, simply write the circled Three Month Goal in the center of the page.

What is the next step? This one will take more time. We cannot do it all here right now, but we can start. Knowing what you want is easy. Achieving it takes the right effort.

I wanted to lose a lot of weight. I did not focus on one hundred pounds (my initial ultimate goal.) I focused on my next meal. Then my next day. I looked at a series of small successes, which I was able to build into my final goal. You need to identify the steps that need to be taken to achieve each of these life goals. We need to be SMART as we do this.

  • S = Specific
  • M = Measurable
  • A = Achievable
  • R = Results Based
  • T = Time limited

When we create our action plan, we need to me as concrete as possible. If your one year goal is to “publish a cookbook”, your action step will not be “make progress every day.” That is not specific. Nor measurable. Nor results-based, or time limited. It is achievable, but that is only one piece of the puzzle.

No, instead I would list “Write 500 words a day, every morning before going to the office.” You’d be surprised how quickly you can write five hundred words when you set a goal like that.

For a more detailed discussion of SMART goals, listen to MYST episode 67 or http://makeyoursomedaytoday.com/Smart

What benchmarks need to be met to reach your goal? Start listing the first steps that you must do in order to start making progress toward your Game Changer. Be specific! This will take longer, and some steps will have substeps. We are actually creating a mind map for our goals. This will stretch your comfort zone a bit, but humor me. This works!

When you have all steps listed (and you may need to complete this at home) attach a due date to each so that you commit to completing this. My students need due dates, right? So do we.

Okay, we have done a lot today, and I know that you will finish this assignment. You chose to spend your free time here. You want to become your best self. You are motivated to work toward the goals you find important.  I believe in you. I know you can succeed!

On the MYST main web page will be the podcast logo and to the right of that logo you will see a box that reads “The Varsity Squad.” Click on it, and it will bring you to an application form. I only need your first name and email address. That will bring you up from Trevor’s Team to the Varsity Squad. When you do that, I will send you digital copies of the documents that we have been using, as well as an added SMART GOAL worksheet for personal or team use.

——————————–

Music composed and performed by Jason Shaw, courtesy of Audionautix.com

Voiceover courtesy of Matt Young. Matt is a professional voiceover artist. If you have any need of voiceover work, for your podcast, radio spot, or whatever, you can reach Matt by a variety of methods. He is on LinkedIn. On Twitter. And Google+. And you can read his really nice, contemplative blog. Matt was also my guest on MYST 54. Give his story a listen!

Some links (but not all) within these show notes may be Affiliate Links, meaning that I may receive a small commission when readers click on them and then purchase something. This does not increase your cost at all, but it does help me cover some of the cost associated with this podcast. Thanks!

MYST 68 Trevitorial: Coach or Cheerleader?

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” Bill Cosby

Epi 68 Altucher quote

As mentioned in this episode, LoseIt is my recommended weight loss method. Get Lose It! Premium because it works.
Get Lose It!

Music composed and performed by Jason Shaw, courtesy of Audionautix.com

Voiceover courtesy of Matt Young. Matt is a professional voiceover artist. If you have any need of voiceover work, for your podcast, radio spot, or whatever, you can reach Matt by a variety of methods. He is on LinkedIn. On Twitter. And Google+. And you can read his really nice, contemplative blog. Matt was also my guest on MYST 54. Give his story a listen!

Some links (but not all) within these show notes may be Affiliate Links, meaning that I may receive a small commission when readers click on them and then purchase something. This does not increase your cost at all, but it does help me cover some of the cost associated with this podcast. Thanks!

 

MYST 64 Trevitorial: Using Positive Peer Pressure

–Peer pressure and social norms are powerful influences on behaviour, and they are classic excuses. Andrew Lansley, British politician

–The conscience of children is formed by the influences that surround them; their notions of good and evil are the result of the moral atmosphere they breathe. Jean Paul, German author, 1763-1825

–My father taught me you have to believe in yourself and run on your own track. Jennifer Grey, Actress

–Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are. Julius Charles Hare, English theologian, 1795-1855

————————

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, by Novella Carpenter. A fun read about running a small farm in downtown Oakland, California. Since I am so obsessed with eventually raising chickens, I like reading books like this.

Meron Bareket’s “Inspiring Innovation” podcast can be found here.  He also has a free Podcast Tutorial Starter kit. You can also hear his story as my first guest on MYST 3.

Kary Oberbrunner’s podcast “Igniting Souls” can be found here. His book, “Day Job to Dream Job: Practical Steps for Turning Your Passion Into a Full Time Gig” is on Amazon. I bought it and it is a great book!

I used LoseIt! to lose my weight. Get Lose It! Premium because it works.Get Lose It!

—————————–

Music composed and performed by Jason Shaw, courtesy of Audionautix.com

Voiceover courtesy of Matt Young. Matt is a professional voiceover artist. If you have any need of voiceover work, for your podcast, radio spot, or whatever, you can reach Matt by a variety of methods. He is on LinkedIn. On Twitter. And Google+. And you can read his really nice, contemplative blog. Matt was also my guest on MYST 54. Give his story a listen!

Some links (but not all) within these show notes may be Affiliate Links, meaning that I may receive a small commission when readers click on them and then purchase something. This does not increase your cost at all, but it does help me cover some of the cost associated with this podcast. Thanks!

 

Are You Riding in Back, or Up Front?

Photo by Matthew Clark, via Unsplash.com
In the photo above, the person in the back is on a nice ride, but he has no control over where he is going. He doesn’t even have an oar in his hands. He is passively along for the ride. If he ends up in a good spot, maybe a sunny bank along the lake, then he chose wisely.
But if the front person is over-eager, and aggressively tries to paddle through the rapids of a river, the trip will probably end differently.
What does that have to do with weight loss, or any goal achievement? This idea builds on the concept of being your own person. Take charge. When you passively exist, you only receive what others decide for you. In the USA, we are soon going to have national, state and local elections. Vote! Take a stand. Choose a position. Make your choice. If you don’t vote, and you don’t like the election outcome, you are not in a position to complain.
If you are on a weight loss journey, you really can’t do it passively. It takes action, determination and drive to lose weight. Oh, well, actually you can do it passively, in a fashion. If you are using prepackaged meals, that is a relatively passive method of weight loss. But the problem is that it doesn’t let you learn how to eat healthy for the rest of your life. If you follow their plans, you will lose weight. Will it stay off? That is the real question.
When you are in control of what you eat, you make decisions every day. Hopefully most days are good decisions, but even on those days where you choose unwisely, you are still learning about self-control.
In that picture above, what would be the result if the rider in back were to grab an oar? First he could help steer the canoe. He would be able to exert some influence upon the direction he moves. But he could also help propel the canoe faster, and reach their destination quicker.
But no, he is simply riding. Passive. One could even say “useless.” That is never a descriptor of anything good.
What about getting on a railroad? That is a choice you can make, too, and with that choice, you know the end destination. Depending in the railroad and ticket, you have a reasonable assurance that you will disembark where you are planning. No rapids for the engineer to steer through, and if the train derails, it will have nothing to do with your actions.
But once again, you have no control over how fast you arrive and actually, your potential destination choices are also limited. This is like choosing a very restrictive weight loss plan, strictly limiting certain foods. Might that work? Sure. But will it take you exactly where you want to go, in the comfort that you desire? Maybe not.

Clint Eastwood said “Fate pulls you in different directions.” He’s right. Some things that happen to us are out of our control.

That’s why it is so important to take charge of all those parts of your life which are under your control.

———————————————–
If you would like to listen to this blogpost, this was the basis for a recent podcast episode.

———————————————–

Unsplash License:  “All photos published on Unsplash are licensed under Creative Commons Zero which means you can can copy, modify, distribute and use the photos, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.”

MYST 58 Trevitorial: Be Active or Live Passive

Active or Passive?
Active or Passive?

Photo by Matthew Clark, via Unsplash.com

Imagine two people in a canoe. The person up front digging hard with their paddle, propelling the canoe forward. The person in the back is along for the ride, but he has no paddle in his hands. He has no control over where he is going. He is sitting passively enjoying the ride. If he ends up in a good spot, maybe a sunny bank along the lake, then he chose wisely.

But what if the front person is over-eager, and aggressively tries to paddle through the rapids of a river? The trip will probably end differently—at the very least, it will be a much wetter journey.

What does that have to do with weight loss, writing a book, starting a new career, or any goal achievement? This idea builds on the concept of being your own person and finding—more importantly, using—your own voice!

Take charge. When you passively exist, you only receive what others decide for you. In the USA, we are soon going to have national, state and local elections. Vote! Take a stand. Choose a position. Make your choice. If you don’t vote, and you don’t like the election outcome, you are not in a position to complain.

If you are on a weight loss journey, you really can’t do it passively. It takes action, determination and drive to lose weight.

But you know, you actually can do it passively, in a fashion. If you use prepackaged meals, that is a relatively passive method of weight loss. If you try those special “fat burning, metabolism-boosting” pills, that is pretty passive.

But the problem is that it doesn’t let you learn how to eat healthy the rest of your life. If you follow their plans, you will lose weight. Will it stay off? That is the real question.

When you are in control of what you eat, you make decisions every day. Hopefully most days are good decisions, but even on those days where you choose unwisely, you are still learning about self-control.

In my first thought, of the two people in the canoe, what would be the result if the rider in back were to grab an oar? First he could help steer the canoe. He would be able to exert some influence upon the direction he moves. But he could also help propel the canoe faster, and reach their destination quicker.

But as it is, he is simply riding. Passive. One could even say “useless.” That is never a descriptor of anything good.

Railroad Tracks,
Straight Ahead, No Detours!

Photo by Antoine Beauvillian, via Unsplash.com

What about getting on a railroad? Isn’t that a passive choice? Sort of.

That is a choice you can make, too, and with that choice, you know the end destination. Depending in the railroad and ticket, you have a reasonable assurance that you will disembark where you are planning. There are no rapids for the engineer to steer through, and if the train unfortunately derails, it will have nothing to do with your actions, and you could have done nothing to prevent it.

But once again, you have no control over how fast you arrive and actually, your potential destination choices are also limited. This is like choosing a very restrictive weight loss plan, one where you strictly limiting certain foods. Might that work? Sure. But will it take you exactly where you want to go, in the comfort that you desire? Maybe. Maybe not.

Clint Eastwood said “Fate pulls you in different directions.” He’s right. Some things that happen to us are out of our control.

That’s why it is so important to take charge of all those parts of your life which are under your control.

Which choices are you making right now? And do you have the paddle in your hands, or are you riding passively.

That is always your choice.

————————————————————-

Music composed and performed by Jason Shaw, courtesy of Audionautix.com

Voiceover courtesy of Matt Young. Matt is a professional voiceover artist. If you have any need of voiceover work, for your podcast, radio spot, or whatever, you can reach Matt by a variety of methods. He is on LinkedIn. On Twitter. And Google+. And you can read his really nice, contemplative blog.

Some links (but not all) within these show notes may be Affiliate Links, meaning that I may receive a small commission when readers click on them and then purchase something. This does not increase your cost at all, but it does help me cover some of the cost associated with this podcast. Thanks!