I have talked about loosing weight in my mind for several years. I know that I am slowly gaining weight or at least I thought I was. As I left college, I was a slender 170 lbs but since then the years and the lbs have slowly crept on my frame.
Now, I rest at comfortable 186.5 or at least that is what the scale said this morning. (They do lie you know! But that is another story.) This is where I am going to make my stand. Although, I feel like I am in the best shape that I have been in years. More muscle definition and better cardio. I would like to be able to loose a few pounds around the mid section and then drop to a better weight for my frame. At times, I feel a little sluggish and want to eliminate that feeling.
In my mind this feeling equates to gaining weight. I have been tracking my weight for a couple of years and I went back to my “weight spreadsheet” and found that I have been incredibly stable for the past two years. I was at 186.8 in June of 2009 and today I am just a little less. So much the the “slug theory”.
In effort to gain more energy, I am writing out a plan to exercise more as well as educate myself on the calories that I take in. Reading an article tonight about basal metabolic rate (BMR), I realized that exercise in the past has been an act in futility if I don’t pair it with good nutrition.
Thus the new plan starts on the eve of a monumental vacation on a cruise line for 10 days. Not a great time to start but if I don’t focus on this now than I know that I won’t be focused on this on the ship.
So with a IPad full of articles and my trusty heart monitor; off I go to conquer new lows for the past 5 years. With any discipline, I should be 20 lbs lighter by Christmas Holidays. We will keep you in the loop.
Every now and then you have to take a look at you life and determine if you are on the right track. Am I going the way I expected? Do I have a feeling of accomplishment?
At this time in my life I would have to answer that I have been successful. Have I acheieved everything that I wanted? Maybe not but at least I can say that I am a success. I have had three careers with each building on the others. I have started my own business and seen it thrive. I have been married for over 20 years to a wonderful women who supports me. I have some fantastic friends that I would consider my extended family.
All these things add up to one conclusion in my mind is that I have been a success. It does not mean that I can sit back on my hind end and watch for the rest of my life. I have other things that I would like to do. I would like to make more of an impact on people around me. I am constantly reading and learning.
Being on the board of directors for a local charity reminded me that we all have the best of intentions. It is only when action is applied that things begin to take shape. Too many ideas are left hanging in the conversation. These ideas could have an impact but really they are just dreams of the potential that could be.
My definition of success is dreams actualized. They may not turn out how you planned but at least they were fufilled. And, you know, the funny thing is that once they start to materialize you can change them and mold them.
Dreams don’t have to be static. They can be revised based on the current circumstance and developed to more closely resemble your visions. I believe that most people are afriad of making goals. They feel like they are going to be held accountable for an idea that was written in stone and can never change.
I don’t subscribe with a “go with the flow” philosophy but I am a proponent for a more fluid aspect when it comes to writing goals. When driving down the highway and faced with a construction delay; you don’t just give up and go home. You think of an alternate route and you proceed. Goals should be alot like this. Every person is going to have their own idea on how to get somewhere, but in the end we all arrive in the same place.
I have not taken the route that I original thought of when gettting out of college but I am pleased to say that I am slowly crafting a route to my success and along the way, I realized that the journey is the best part.
I had an interesting conversation about networking and business development last night with a friend. As an attorney he told me that he never sells to his clients or his prospects. When I quizzed him about how he develops his business, I realized that what he does and what I have longed to do are very similar.
It’s a matter of education. As he described the process, he made one simple comment that helped me to understand what I have been missing. The art of interaction. He indicated that his main goal was to put himself in a position to meeting and interact with as many people as possible.
Meaningful interactions is what he emphasized. Those where you have a conversation and ask questions about the other person; not out of politeness but out of genuine concern and interest. These interactions lead to friendships that can be cultivated.
Keep in mind that for an attorney in a small niche market, he was only talking about 4-6 people at each event. The key then becomes how many events can you go to and how do continue to maintain those interactions and connections.
Cultivating a relationship based on mutual interest is easy to do with friends. I always thought it to be a little harder with clients. Then I realized half way through dinner that some of my best clients were also good friends. I really don’t know which came first: Friendship or Client Relationship. It really is a blurred line.
Chris shared with me that he just sends quick notes or picks up the phone once he hers something that might concern one of his prospects (future friends) and clients. Everyone likes to feel needed and important. This simple gesture does just that. It shares that someone is thinking about them and their welfare.
This drove me to the conclusion that Facebook, while a nice way to keep in touch with those friends that you have not talked with since high school, it might not be the best way to develop business. Unless of course, you have sharing with those around your Facebook circle those ideas and concerns that were so valuable to each person. So I ask the question, is important to have a Gazzlion friends or just ones that you want to develop a meaningful interaction with.
Working on adding new information to the web is like poring a bucket of water in the ocean… Not sure that it has an effect.