Being the Hero of YOUR Life!

Fulfilling commitments

2011-06-10T20:30:00.000-04:00

When I started this blog, I committed to publishing a book by the end of 2011-

My book outline is currently in draft. I will meet my commitment.

I love my life, and am grateful for the opportunity to grow.

Dancing with the Stars... Heroes in Motion

2011-05-25T10:01:00.001-04:00

Long time since last blog.... but here I am....and this is a repeat of sorts of an earlier blog, but I think it bears repeating.... note original link here....

http://heroofyourlife.blogspot.com/2009/12/in-praise-of-ballroom-dancing.html

Watching final episode of DWTS last night, and thinking to myself, how amazing it is to watch the professionals perform, and realizing that there is far more here than simply talented dancers, performing for the entertainment of others....

I believe again, as mentioned in original blog, that they exemplify Ayn Rand's "concept of man as a heroic being" in an art form, in the same manner that the amazing greek statues do so, except that as opposed to the static form of a statue capturing a moment in time, dancers are continually and fluidly going from pose to pose, and as I gain a deeper understanding of dance, and realize how large a part having a "proper frame" is as well as the proper positioning of the hands and feet, things that are at first considered subtleties, but in the end become the confirmation of the saying, "the little things are the big things".

These are vital from a technical standpoint, but more importantly, it completes the entire package producing the image of man as he could and should be, and thus also showing life as it could and should be.

I know that all the "stars" who participate in this, are having the most rewarding experience of their lives, and although, the majority of them are already accomplished in their chosen field, being able to manifest utmost excellence in this physical, musical and philosophical manner puts them in touch with what they, as human beings were meant to manifest and experience as part of a truly fulfilled heroic life.

My hat is off to the producers of this program for allowing us to experience this art form, and in so doing, doing far more than providing superlative entertainment, (though in light of so much mediocre "reality" tv, this is such a breath of fresh air), but inspiring us by letting us truly see what the proper form of heroic human beings look like. See photo and youtube link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZdkMV150Ok&feature=related

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=778

Exercise: Different ways to same goal?

2011-03-20T08:15:00.002-04:00

First off a review of what I consider to be exercise and what I do not.

There are many activities that people call exercise. Some are sports, some are recreation, some are sheer nonsense. All of them, may or may not provide a stimulus for the body to make an adaptation that will be beneficial to us in terms of health and/or functional ability, the latter, being a priority as we get older to maintaining quality of life.

Very few of them meet the criteria of safety, efficiency and effectiveness.

Sports and recreational activities do not, and the proper reason for pursuing these activities is if the individual seeks the enjoyment of the activity and the fulfilment that comes with accomplishments within reaching goals within that activity or sport. One should do so with the knowledge that these activities will present varying degrees of risk of acute or long term injury. Life, however is meant to be lived, and avoiding all risks is likely worse than being reckless. On the other hand, if someone is engaging in these activities and they don't actually enjoy them, but are doing so because they believe they are beneficial to them, then I have good news. Stop doing this... you are doing yourself more harm than good.

Proper exercise will go a long way towards minimizing the dangers of said sports/recreational activities by making muscles, joints, ligaments and bones as strong and as resistant to injuries as possible. "You use exercise to help you perform a sport/activity better or safer, NOT do the sport as exercise per se."

Proper exercise does not include high force activities of any type including steady state activities of any type or any explosive movements such as plyometrics or most crossfit movement, so pretty much most of what the personal trainer at the gym will have you do. (The crossfit movement has discovered the principle of intensity which is good, but the safety of most movements as any of their online forums will attest with their thousands of discussions on injuries.)

Proper exercise has been defined as

"Exercise is a process whereby the body performs work of a demanding nature in accordance with muscle and joint function, in a clinically controlled environment, within the constraints of safety, meaningfully loading the muscular structures to inroad their strength levels to stimulate a growth mechanism within minimum time." Ken Hurtchins

"http://www.bodymastery.net/Articles/exercise_hutchins.htm

So with that preamble done, the topic of this blog is what are the different ways of inducing the aforementioned stimulus. Refer to previous blogs if you're not familiar with the fact that I believe such stimulus can and should be done with a minimum amount of volume and frequency; as little as 15 minutes a week, is not just something you can "get away with" but is necessary to allow the body the proper time to make the adaptation from the very intense stimulus.

One of the tenets of "deep inroad" is to exhaust the maximum number and types of muscle fibers, to provide the optimum stimulus, particularly the fast twitch fibers which have been shown to be most prone to adaptation.

One principle is that the set of an exercise should have a specific length of time, which may vary from individual to individual and even from body part to body part but usually falls between 30 seconds and as much as 3 minutes, in order to have an "orderly recruitment of fibers" starting with the slow twitch fibers and ending with the fastest twitch fibers but doing so before the initial slow twitch fibers have had a chance to recover and be used again. This makes sense. Finding the proper "time under load" requires some experimentation, and even though it has been suggested that each person has an ideal "tul", there is also evidence that there may be benefits with using different ones from time to time. I don't think we need to become overly obsessed with getting it perfectly.

Another principle is that the execution of the exercise should be such that through excellent form, and properly designed machines the targeted muscles receive a stimulus that is not only intense but that by not involving other muscles, small rest moments during the execution of a rep or set, the muscle will be stimulated maximally and most efficiently providing the highest quality stimulus, and theoretically the best results. Again, I believe this is valid, not only for effectiveness but also for safety purposes. This also in fact, may be very useful in research conditions that seek to eliminate variables completely in order to determine specifically how exercise affects and benefits us. However, in actual practice, a downside is that it requires the learning of such execution to become a fairly complex skill, special machines and usually a competent trainer to supervise the execution as even long time exercisers, will compromise form unsupervised as the exercise moves to the most difficult part of the set, as we get closer to muscular failure.

Finally, the principle that I like, is that by choosing certain exercises that are most demanding to the largest muscles of the body and challenge the body as a whole the most, will literally force the body to adapt because the signal that a "life threatening stress" (how your body perceives it) will be so strong as to kick all adaptive resources maximally into gear. I'm talking about exercises like the barbell squat, and deadlifts, particularly the trap bar deadlift. The most sophisticated machine with the most competent trainer and "perfect" form, may maximally stimulate fibers for the targeted muscle group, but I don't believe will ever provide the overall stimulus imparted for example by heavy deadlifts or squats. (Arthur Jones, inventor of Nautilus, referred to this an an indirect effect.) Again, however as with the two previous principles, there is a downside... one must approach these exercises with extreme caution and learn them properly to avoid injury. The trap bar deadlift is a huge improvement over the traditional barbell deadlift in this respect, however, it must be treated with the utmost respect.

One has to choose between their priorities of safety, effectiveness and accessibility to proper equipment and trainers.

I will conclude also by stating that the foregoing has dealt with the concept of the best stimulus to adaptation, but all this becomes "straightening deck chairs on the Titanic", if the organism cannot adapt, because the individual is sleep deprived, (very common in today's society) or their nutritional practices are terrible. (both being important, but the former taking precedence over the latter.) (See previous posts on sleep, and also highly recommend book: "Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival".

All for now, just some quick thoughts.

A great new game for keeping the kids busy on the highway....

2011-02-25T19:30:00.003-05:00

Who remembers either as a parent, or even when you were a kid, playing a game in the car on long trips to keep occupied, called "Geography"?

The idea is that you name a city, province, state, country or continent, and the next person has to name another using the last letter of the place named by the preceding player as the first letter of their choice. If you get stuck, you're out....

Well here's a twist on that.... let's play "Gratitude"

Here's how it could go: First of all, let's forget about the last letter thing.... (hey, this is my game, and I'm grateful that I can make it easy!!!) The only criteria, is that there has to be some link between the words that follow, and I'm not too strict about that... the fact that one makes you think of the other is close enough for me...

Health....
Happiness...
Safe Food supply...
Creativity....
Safe drinking water...
Hot showers and baths...
Sanitary indoor plumbing...
Gifted medical personnel...
Liberty...
Your children....(and their health)...
Nutritious vegetables and fruit all year long... (even if you live in Canada)
Great Literature to read....
Excellent music to listen to...
Shelter from the elements...
Reliable transportation...
Power brakes....
Power steering....
Car heaters and air conditioning...
Car audio including ipods...
GPS in cars...
Opportunities to see the world.... (when our ancestors may have lived their whole life in a 50 mile radius)
Internet... (where I can see the world virtually, and have relationships with people all over the world....)
Virtually unlimited access to information...
Education...
Diversity of ideas...
New technology every single day...
Opportunity to earn my living by socializing and thinking rather than with my back and muscles...
Fitness technology allowing me to stay fit in 10 minutes a week... (really! read other blog entries)
Dance lessons...
Leisure time to maximize relationships with loved ones thanks to technology...
Face time and video skype to see grandchildren...
Prime movers who think all this stuff up...
Toilet paper.... (don't laugh, imagine life without it...)
Toothpaste, dental care, all hygiene...
Vision....
Hearing...
Sense of touch...
Language...
Human beings.....

In the movie "White Christmas", Bing Crosby sings a song called "Count your blessings".... (ironically a Christmas movie where all the Christmas songs were written by a person who never celebrated Christmas, Irving Berlin). Bing tells us to do that if we can't sleep at night, and I've tried it.... way better than counting sheep... may or may not work, but instead of being frustrated with not being able to sleep, you'll soon feel grateful instead.

I have to add, in conclusion that virtually all of the blessings named above (which is only a very partial list) are made possible directly or indirectly, by the concepts of freedom and individual rights. These concepts unleash the most powerful force on earth... human ingenuity and creativity, and that is the seed of everything, but as with all seeds, it needs the proper conditions to flourish, which is impossible without liberty.

No coincidence that the degree of the quality of life in any place on earth is in direct proportion to the degree to which these concepts are understood, respected, cherished and protected....

So while at the same time that we need to feel grateful, we must also remember, as Tom Petty says, "Ain't no easy way to be free" and remain vigilant to protect our quality of life by defending it against those (usually our own government, but sometimes others) who would take it away.

All for now.... thanks for reading...

I won the lottery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-19T15:38:00.003-05:00

I can't believe my luck.... I know they always say the odds against it are astronomical, but I realize that I've actually won!!

I'm rich beyond belief!!! How did I ever get so lucky???

Which one? Well, actually it's one that has, amazingly enough many winners, who unfortunately don't realize they've won yet, and so are missing out on celebrating their amazing luck.

First off, I'm talking about wining the odds of being here at all. Scientists tell us that the odds against intelligent human life on planet earth developing were "one out of an unimaginable number".

I'm pretty fond of being alive, so already, I realize I'm way ahead of the game.

Next, I realize that for most of recorded history, the principle of individual rights has not been recognized, much less protected. So if man has been around for a few million years, I've hit the jackpot in being born at the right time. (not even mentioning that even in modern times, I'm one of very few generations of young men who have not gone off to war, being a Canadian baby boomer).

And even though I was born at the right time to enjoy freedoms, I also had to have the incredible luck to be born in the right country, because freedom is not something most people can take for granted. (ours is not full by any stretch and we need to be vigilant to maintain and improve it, but that's a subject for another blog entry).

As a result of these freedoms, the incredible potential of human creativity and innovation was permitted to flourish producing a standard of living unheard of in history, including, plentiful and safe food, shelter, health care, access to heat in winter, air conditioning in summer, clothing, indoor plumbing and clean water. Due to this technology, I have access to the greatest talents of today and of history, through literature, music, theater arts, sports and all forms of entertainment. I'm also connected to the world community in a way even my own father only one generation back, could not have imagined.

Now, if that isn't enough of a lottery win, I had the amazing good fortune to being born to great loving parents, and wonderful siblings, so that my formative years are full of great memories and great role models.

Today I find myself in a challenging and rewarding career that I lliterally stumbled on, meeting someone in a mall who I knew, and who told me about an opportunity I had never considered previously.

I also have 4 wonderful children, and 3 grandsons, all of whom I am very proudl of and who enjoy their health for which I cannot be more thankful.

Last but not least, I met and married the greatest woman on earth, who cares for me, and supports me in every way, so that I share every success and every challenge, and look forward to going home to every single day, and miss when I'm not with her.

Lorraine told me today, she bought a lottery ticket because the current prize is up to forty million. OK, whatever, I won't lie, if that ever happened, that would be great, but let's face it, I"m already rich beyond belief.....and now all I have to do is do my best each day, so that in some small way, I can try to do the impossible, show that I in some way deserve all that I have.

I can't see myself ever accomplishing that, but I will die trying!!!

Today's weekly 10 minute workout

2011-02-12T19:33:00.000-05:00

Trap bar deadlift
142.5*5
142.5*5
197.5*3
247.5*3
297.5*5
Nautilus pullover ultimate rep
182.5*1:55
nautilus torso arm
155*55 seconds

Feedback recently given

2011-02-06T08:20:00.001-05:00

Someone recently asked me for feedback and after replying I thought perhaps my response
summarized some of
my current thinking on exercise and nutrition fairly well so...

Ed,

Even though part of me knows that my genetics/age are limiting factors for gaining significant size, I am not going down without a fight.

If I was wealthy and didn't need to work, my first change would be to sleep 9 or 10 hours per day. I suspect very strongly that this would be significant and I've often thought that many debates about recovery in exercise are akin to straightening chairs on the titanic as 90% of the population is by definition sleep deprived.

Note that people who are in prison often display incredible physiques despite daily marathon training and less than optimum nutrition.

That could also be explained by higher testosterone levels in an agressive population coupled with higher motivation. (being considered weak in that society is a distinct disadvantage ) but I think the opportunity to train, eat and sleep lots must be a significant contributor.

I feel lucky to get 7 to 8.5.

For sheer size, I believe an emphasis on exercises like the trap bar deadlift, leg press and squat are essential. The combination I'm currently cycling is
Leg presses continuous 2 min or less to failure
Tbdl doing sets of 5 and 3 working up to a max weight for 3 reps
Lp using a 20 rep breathing squat/rest pause method*
Tbdl using a similar 20 rep method**

These are staples of weekly "big 3" which also include nautilus pullover (jreps and ult rep) dips, chins, nautilus decline press, torso arm and low back.

For eating, I like Kurt harris' "get started" section on paleonu.com with an accent on getting more calories from fat to help with growth. Check this link often as Kurt updates continually as he does more research.

My current strategy that I'm just starting is non workout days

Max 100 g carbs (if you go over do so with tubers)
Max 120 g protein
No limit fat (raw cream, coconut oil, raw eggs)

Workout day
Max 100g fat
No limit protein and carbs (though I will not eat junk) fruits, vegetables, tubers, raw honey, raw milk are preferred carb sources

I am trying this exercise and diet combination recently so cannot make any claims to effectiveness. Just my current attempt to go down fighting.

Other sources for diet that you could check out are leangains and dipasquale's anabolic diet. I don't fully agree with details but some good info.

I do like Chris masterjohn. (google or look for on facebook)

As for getting lean for competition, the "how to lose fat" link at the bottom of forementioned "getting started" link has good ideas I might go with more protein.

How lean? The mirror is the best indicator and odds are it is leaner than you think, significantly.

Truth be told, the current emphasis on extreme leanness as a judging criteria IMO is not "natural". I've read that our bodyfat serves a purpose in storing toxins, which in absence go to our organs. I cannot vouch for scientific validity of this but food for thought.

In the last week to 10 days before a competition there is also a manipulation of water retention that takes place by using various tactics of water intake (drink lots), sodium and pottAssiun and carb intake.

A bodybuilder who is not holding enough water will look small and stringy, just enough will show vascularity and muscle fullness and too much will make the person appear smooth or even bloated.

Much of bodybuiding is illusionary and good posing which is a lot harder than it looks can serve to make a lesser physique win over a better one by emphasizing strengths and hiding weaknesses. Finally, judging is extremely subjective depending on what judge shows up.

* first 10 reps with 5 second pause with knees just short of locked followed by 10 second pauses for next 5 reps and 15 second pauses for last 5. If that is not failure then do as many additional continuous reps over 20 and raise weight next time.

**5 reps and 25 second break putting trap bar down then 5 reps and 30 second break then 3 reps and 35 seconds, 3 more and 40, 2 and and 45 and then final 2. If I can do more in good form then I keep going. With deadlift, failure is when form suffers. Take time to learn this exercise properly
-butt down
-eyes up
-hand position in line with ankles
-think pushing feet through floor rather than lifting with back

Part of the reason for pauses is to give yourself a chance to reposition for perfect form. I start to do this while there is still 10 seconds left in planned break.

Can you do things wrong, and still get results?

2011-02-02T18:07:00.003-05:00

Absolutely!

As much as we all buy into the idea of success being linked to hard work and the proper application of sound principles, there is also an unquestionable amount of luck, or perhaps a better word would be randomness.

Hard work and the proper application of sound principles, increase the probability of success, but randomness can create challenges even in these instances, especially if the expectation is unrealistic. What I mean by an unrealistic expectation, usually has to do with comparing your results to someone else's, particularly someone who has achieved very significant results, but who you may perceive is not applying sound principles.

Your expectation then may be that your sound approach will yield vastly superior results.

A prime example of this is exercise, in which the variance in results varies dramatically between different individuals.

The randomness of genetic potential is immense, and some people are very muscular who don't even do exercise, or who perform exercise which is sub optimal, or even counterproductive.

Arthur Jones, the inventor of Nautilus strength training machines said something to the effect that a true ectomorph will not appear muscular even with 20 years of training, and that a true mesomorph will appear muscular even if totally untrained.

Genetics however, can seem like a bit too much of a convenient explanation (albeit accurate in most cases) for why someone achieves enviable results despite what appear to be sub optimal methods.

Results come from progressively overloading muscles, proper nutrition and adequate rest and recovery.

Another aspect of proper exercise is safety meaning that it should not produce either an acute injury or long term wear and tear to joints, ligaments, tendons, or even hurt someone's overall health in the long term by over stressing the body repeatedly over time.

However, another aspect of randomness other than genetics is survivor bias. In other words, the Olympic gold medallist who appears to have done everything right, (he won the gold medal!) may be one of a thousand people who followed similar methods, and the only one who did not suffer a career ending injury as a result, either through sheer luck or again, being genetically gifted to take on the abuse. (Although many athletes pay a high price later in life because of the very methods that allegedly helped them to achieve their peak performance.)

The science suggests strongly that most athletes do far too much overall exercise than what is needed or optimal. (note here, that I'm referring to conditioning, not skill mastery, which inevitably does require hours upon hours of proper practice)

However, when someone does a large volume of exercise, much of it, is by necessity, going to be of low intensity. So critics of high volume will cite overtraining as a likely result, but in fact, if the volume exerciser is doing most of his exercise at a low intensity then he may not be taxing his recovery ability enough to make a significant difference.

Assuming that on occasion, that person attempts a maximum or near maximum effort, then from the sheer volume of exericse, he happens by chance to actually stimulate his muscles to grow, and because he does it only occasionally, he does in fact avoid overtraining.

He will then conclude that his results are due to the many hours he spends exercising, when in fact, his results may only come from less than 5% of what he is doing, and the other 95% is irrelevant or may be even holding him back from getting even better results, but obviously the other 95% is not enough to actually prevent the results.

I'm using exercise as an example, but in fact the oft quoted Pareto's rule (the 20/80 rule) is at work here, and in fact probably in many cases is more of a 5/95 rule, where a very small part of what we do in any endeavour is responsible for the vast majority of our results.

Interestingly, sometimes the perfect can be the enemy of the good. Other people refine the adatation stimulus to such potency that there may be very little margin for error in the proper dosage. Intensity in exercise is akin to the potency of a drug. If a drug's potency is relatively low, then whether you take 30 or 45 ml of a cold remedy may be fairly irrelevant, but if the potency is high, then the diffence between optimum and toxic may be very small. So going back to the 5/95 principle, if you discover the 5% that is most effective, and you choose to focus primarily if not exclusively on that 5%, you may achieve amazing results but if you are overly zealous, you may do more harm than good, and be left wondering why your optimal methods did not produce the superior results to the individual who appears to you to be wasting countless hours of irrelevant or counterproductive effort.

Sometimes, you are just at the right place at the right time, or born to the right parents, or try so many things, that sooner or later, you stumble on something that works...(the harder I work, the luckier I get?)...

In the end, the point of this blog, is that we should be weary of "learning from other people's success" or comparing ourselves to others in general. We need to consider anecdotal evidence, but we need to consider it very critically and jump to conclusions very slowly. We also need to always think for ourselves, and not give undue credit to "experts".

Remember, exercise, in this case is being used to exemplify principles that apply to all natural systems, whether it be having a successful harvest, having a strong relationship or building a successful business.

Best to all, and thanks for reading!

Wheat is bad /&/(;!!!

2011-01-28T02:32:00.000-05:00

Click title for interesting link!!

Most recent workout. Click on title for great link.

2011-01-25T02:52:00.004-05:00

20 rep "breathing" leg presses
dumbells shoulder presses
Nautilus low back.

Did 24 reps with 310 lbs. Not bad for a 52 year old who does less than 20 minutes of weekly exercise.

Are you wasting time, wearing out your body or getting injured for no good reason?

Integrity.... part 3

2011-01-22T15:34:00.002-05:00

In my last entries, I've talked about the physical, and the mental aspects of being integrated, and with short blog entries, it is impossible to do anything but piece meal it, as I believe there are too many aspects, so for today, rather than move on the the social and philosophical, as I mentioned in my last entry, I will refer to the interdependent nature of each aspect, and how, failing to recognize this interdependence, and so, focusing on any one or two aspects to the exclusion of others, is doomed to failure, or at best, a mediocre result.

In a previous post, entitled, "He who is Good with a Hammer, thinks that Everything is a Nail", I talked about how people who have had success with any one aspect tend to attach too much importance to their particular area of focus, and assume that they can attribute their results to this, when in fact, they may be creating a desired result because of many other aspects they are not even aware of, and even, in many cases despite what they think is giving them success. (nothing fails like success.) For more on this, I suggest the book "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell.

What I will do is take each aspect and give an example of why its absence, will limit if not completely undo the good done by the others.

Physical: If we are sleep deprived and as a result our neurotransmitters/hormones are off, (serrotonin, dopamine, melatonin) then our moods will be seriously affected, and our resolve to reach our goals will be seriously undermined. If we eat wrong, and with just one example, produce too much insulin, this can cause, obesity, inflammation, etc. etc., and all the best intentions in the world will not change this. If we have allowed our muscles to atrophy, whether in combination with the above (sleep or nutrition) or not, we will find our energy low, be more prone to injury and again, we will limit our results. Conversely, if we do too much or the wrong type of "fitness activities" (too much and the wrong type are the norm), then we can actually break down our body, and do far more harm than good. (In fact, tragically, the saving grace for most people when it comes to the current state of exercise, is that they don't stick too it long enough to experience acute or chronic injury.) On the physical side, of course, I'm not even mentioning how the use of drugs, alcohol, and other poor lifestyle choices can make any success impossible, but again, even getting off drugs, for example and actually transitioning to a balanced life is multifactorial and cannot be achieved simplistically. Not being physically "integrated" will undo our best efforts despite having all the knowledge or philosophy below.

Mental: If we don't research and discover the knowledge that we need to reach a fitness goal, acquire a certain skill, succeed in a certain area of business or have fulfilling relationships, we will make "innocent" mistakes, and fall short again and again. This again, will occur, as we will not even be aware of the need and the methods to achieve the physical above and the philosophical below.

Philosophical/spiritual: We must take the time to scrupulously choose our values, and in so doing, acknowledge the supremacy of objective reason, recognize our worthy purpose (achieving happiness) and develop the self-esteem that makes us see the justice of earning the rewards that we properly seek for ourselves and our loved ones. If we don't, we will be constantly held back by self-doubt, "like a ball and chain, where our mind's wings should have grown" (quote by Ayn Rand) Therefore, even if we have the physical and the mental, lacking the philosophical base will also hold us back.

Social/Emotional: A truly integrated person does not "need" other people, but recognizes that his life is enhanced by being able to share his journey with people with whom he shares basic values. He does not see any other person as "saving" him from a life of loneliness, and he does not feel dependent on anyone, nor is he attracted to someone who is "needy" looking for someone else to prop them up. Having said that, without someone to share their life with, while being able to achieve happiness, they will fall short of the ultimate that life can bring, and while the other three aspects, will still allow a person to live a truly happy life, it will fall short of the enrichment that the social aspect can bring.

So, like a garden, which objectively needs to have water, seeds, fertilizer, sunshine, shelter from frost, as well as having weeds removed, etc., what must be recognized, to be truly "integrated" (to have integrity), is that it is not so much a matter of one aspect such as water being the "secret" ingredient to a great harvest, but rather to recognize that we need it all (and in the proper balance) and that is not easy, but, there is no getting around it. There is no quick fix. The sooner we accept that, the more we are on our way. Scott Peck.... said "Life is hard, once we recognize that, it gets easier."

In the end, my purpose in writing this, is because of my own experience (mistakes) and seeing people with truly great intentions set out with strategies and worthy goals, that I know because of the exclusion of certain parts of the above, will end in frustration, and then they possibly resign themselves to "settling" for a "pretty good life", which is a tragedy, when a proper "integrated" strategy can really lead them to a "HEROic" life.

Integrity (continued)

2011-01-01T08:36:00.006-05:00

So far I've touched on how integrity is about making and keeping promises/commitments you make to yourself. I've also said that achieving this is a process of "integrating" ourselves physically, mentally, philosophically/(spiritually) and socially.

Last blog, I touched on the physical aspect which is foundational because if we are sleep deprived, malnourished, (under, over or poor choices) or unfit (from too little or too much activity) our results on the other aspects will be limited, or non-existent.

Arguably some would say with a great deal of validity that philosophy should be the foundation as, determining out purpose in life would be the starting point but in fact all aspects are interdependent as any one missing will often undo the good of the others.

For now I will touch on the mental. Reading/learning is to the mind what proper physical care is to the body. Always seek to discover knowledge and weigh it against what you think you already know so that you don't stagnate.

Two quotes I like are

"The most important things we learn are those things we learn after we think we know everything."

The other one, from a scientist, is, "50% of what we think we know is wrong, we just don't know which 50%."

When we read we should always think critically and not simply accept what the writer tells us.

For now, I will recommend books/websites on the physical aspect that I spoke of in the last blog. It is a great place to start as doing the physical wrong, as is all too likely with the misinformation that is rampant in this area will be counterproductive to achieving the goal of integrity.

On a side note, simply cultivating these habits as with the formation of any good habits, will make it that much easier to form habits in other areas of our lives.

The sources I recommend not only give valuable information but do so in a fashion that requires you to think critically and not just take their word for it.

Body by Science by Doug McGuff and John Little. Bodybyscience.net

renaissanceexercise.com

garytaubes.com and his books, Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat, and What to do About it.

Already too long of a post, see you soon to discuss, the philosphical and social aspects, of being "integrated".

Integrity (part 2)

2010-12-31T06:24:00.002-05:00

See part 1 below.

"willpower" will not get you far if

-physically you are not integrated because you are eating the wrong foods or wrong quantities or your sleep pattens are out of sync. "Proper" exercise which bears little resemblance to 99% of what is called such these days. All these will affect your hormonal environment which will in turn affect your energy levels and erode your commitment.

This is why your first "commitment" to integrity is based on this foundation.

A good foundation but still only start. Future blog on mental, emotional and spiritual/ohilosophical. All of them are needed in order to be "truly integrated".

On physical crucial first step: get to bed earlier in a cool dark room (dark as possible) and wake up at similar if not exact same time each day.

Integrity

2010-12-30T06:40:00.002-05:00

Integrity is the ability to make and keep commitments to yourself!!

Master this and you master much of your destiny!!

See stickk.com

hint: developing this is far more than just a matter of willpower (whatever that is)

beating up on yourself for lack of said willpower is not productive.

Getting to work finding out what it to takes to develop integrity is far more productive and involves alignment physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Stay tuned.

Nov 13, Nautilus Pullover and what's the deal with attitude?

2010-11-13T13:54:00.003-05:00

Well, finally, I'm posting again.... if you click on my title you will see the "one set" workout that I did today. In a future post, I will go into detail with my current workout strategy.... but for now....

Attitude.... positive? or something else.

When I first started this blog, I spoke about how much of what passes for "self-help" is often just repetiton of many age old platitudes. This is not to say that there is not some definite value to much of the material, but that there is very little original, and much of what there is, is superficial and overly simplistic.

One of those things is this whole idea of having a "positive attitude". Certainly, optimism can be vastly superior to being an eternal pessimist, but also it can be misconstrued as meaning that you have to always be happy and accepting of everything that comes your way. It also implies that this "attitude" comes out of thin air, in the sense that, one just decides to be "positive" because it seems to be self-evident that it is a better way to be, and that somehow great things will come to us as a result.

However, there are many who preach that we should have a positive attitude who may have an agenda as to some sort of advantage they wish to have over us, and they will use our "positive attitude" against us, by accusing us of being negative if we refuse to put up with their agenda.

A proper attitude isn't just something that we choose to have in a vacuum. A proper attitude is the result of having deliberately chosen certain values, principles and philosophies after having carefully considered alternatives, and having made that choice, are prepared to defend our values, with our lives if we must.

This type of attitude may not always come across as optimistic or "positive" or "nice" and in fact people who have the attitude that comes with havng the courage of their convictions, may come across to some as fighting against status quo's, suffocating bureaucracies and injustices. They may not always be appreciated, and frankly they don't really care.

Patrick Henry displayed this when he said, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" The British didn't think he had a positive attitude.

Athletes and businesspeople who have what I call "fire in the belly" or even the "killer instinct" may not be poster children for "positive attitudes" but they are the ones who make things happen in the world.

Ted Nugent, exemplifies it, when he screams out at his concerts, "God Bless, the (expletive) attitude!"

Angus Young, at 5'2"" when he looks out at his audience, and does the famous Chuck Berry duckwalk, shows this attitude....(one of the reasons, AC/DC is one of the top grossing acts in the world.

While some people, will be offended by this attitude, nothing of any value was ever accomplished by anyone trying to please everyone.

Cary Mullen the Olympic skiing champion, talks about "lunging forward" on the hill and in life.

While being positive, can definitely be a part of the formula, people who have the proper sense of life, display an attitude that could be characterized by the statement "Life is short, I plan to make the most of it, and I will not put up with anyone interfering with my right to do so!"

So if you see things around you, that you feel are not correct, don't get duped into the idea that you have to put up with it, by displaying a "positive attitude". Speak out! But, and here is the qualifier... make sure you know what you're talking about! Don't misconstrue my message to mean that we should complain every time things don't go our way, especially if we haven't taken the time to know the facts, and even more importantly, taken the time to carefully choose what it is that we strongly believe in. Most people never do, taking the attitude, "who am I to know?" If we take that stance, then we have just renounced our right to stand up for anything. (since we don't know what it is that we believe in!)

John Cougar Mellencamp's lyrics say, "if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything!"

Once having done the internal work, that we all have the responsibility to do, that will allow us the courage of our convictions....(you must have convictions before you have courage!), then we have the right, indeed, the responsibility when we see injustices to, "raise a little hell!" (or a lot)

Workout on Nov. 7

2010-11-07T09:06:00.002-05:00

Click on title to see video on youtube...

The plan was to do chins, dips and "stiff" legged deadlift. Goal is to do one big compound pulling, one big compound pushing and one compound lower body movement as part of a weekly "big 3".... (see bodybyscience.net for more detail).... The technique attempted for upper body was a 90 second, 30 down, 30 up and 30 down. As you will see I came very close with chins but was short with dips but finised with a couple of partial negatives. For lower body, accent was on hamstrings and lower back... even though the exercise is named "stiff legged" deadlift, I do it with knees unlocked and at a slow smooth speed for greater safety. It is also done with a trap bar and 45 lb plates, so range of motion is limited... 20 reps with 132.5 lbs. Failure is defined as when form starts to suffer. Deadlifts of all types are arguable the most effective full body workout you can get both for stimulating muscle mass and getting your heart and lungs going at an incredible rate.

Will be posting more often soon!!!

The Art of Balance

2010-10-08T14:19:00.003-04:00

You can call it balance, or time management, prioritizing or what have you.... but in the end, it is not easy. Of course, there is some irony in that I've actually found myself getting obsessive about being balanced.
Is being "extremely balanced" an oxymoron?
Part of it requires being focused, and by that, I believe that few people, certainly not me, can juggle the various parts of their life by "going with the flow"... it requires planning and also progress tracking, the latter being another way of saying journalling. Everyone has heard the cliche, "if you don't have a destination than any port will do" to speak of the importance of goals and planning, but also, if you don't look back as well as monitor where you are now, you can't tell whether you're getting closer to your goal or not.
All this, of course, will be resisted by many as losing the spontaneity of life, and in fact, that is why part of my mission statement, refers to "focusing AND having fun", (in order to avoid being obsessive about being balanced)
The other risk, I believe is to allow one's self to become stressed because, inevitable interruptions ("Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." John Lennon)seem to make it impossible to even start on some of the priorities that you have painstakingly established for yourself. Those are times where I have to remind myself, that I am accomplishing things, just not the ones I originally set out to do, and perhaps some of these may be even more important. But then again, perhaps they are only distractions from what is truly important and the "art" is knowing when to guiltlessly abandon your plan, and when to exercise self discipline in sticking to your guns.
All of these involve an ongoing evaluation of what is truly important, and being true to the values and principles that you've established, and commitments that you've made. After all, most things "work if you work them" by which I mean to say, if you make a commitment, do not let things distract you, but remember, "easy does it" should also mean, make commitments very carefully and ensure you can keep them.
Three principles that have served me well, Reason, Purpose and Self-Esteem can be used as compasses to always check one's actions and direction. To hold reason as an absolute, means that you refuse to engage in any type of rationalization. Remembering your ultimate purpose, always reminds you of what your true priortities are. (I am assuming that a person has taken the time to identify what that is for them specifically, but in a general sense, your purpose is to have a happy life.) Self-esteem reminds you that you deserve to be happy, and that working to that end is right and should not create any conflicts in your mind.
Being happy means juggling, family, health, finances, creativity, personal growth etc. Not easy, but worth it, and hey, I will never get it perfect, but I will have fun getting closer and closer!!!

Five observations from today... (or just random rambling)

2010-08-12T20:18:00.005-04:00

1. Sleep is the most important factor in overall health, above nutrition, above exercise, because even if you're doing great with the latter two, sleep deprivation will undo that good, and may even make them detrimental. Exercise without rest will eventually kill you. Also sleep regulates neurotransmitters which have an extremely powerful effect on mood, so all the positive thinking in the world won't do you much good if you're sleep deprived.
2. Purpose rocks! When you have something that excites you, the day flies by!
3. Communication first and foremost involves the willingness to not judge people solely by their actions, but taking the time to find out what their intent is. (and what they may be struggling with at the time.) If someone takes an action with bad intent, they deserve to be judged, if someone makes an error of judgement with good intentions, it can be forgiven... but you have to take the time to find out which it is, before you judge.
4. Referring to 3., if someone seems to behave irrationally, see 1. Sleep deprivation is often the cause of that as well. (note most "chemical imbalances" cited for causes of depression, bipolar etc. are neurotransmitters that get regulated during proper sleep, and which psychiatrists try to artificially bring back into balance using drugs.) Sometimes, we just need a good nap. :o)
5. Sleep deprivation or bad judgement, note, still don't justify bad behaviour, but they make it more understandable, and that knowledge can be a tremendous first step to correcting.

Oh and my grandson's cute eh? (that's at birth, he is now 21 months old! :o)

Honesty.... what is it really?

2010-08-05T19:03:00.004-04:00

Most people would probably say that they already know the answer to this question.

It would certainly seem to be self-evident. People will speak of not lying, cheating or stealing, and of course, that would be hard to argue with.

However, on a deeper level, I would suggest that honesty means "loyalty to the facts" and that means that we are honest, most of all with ourselves. It has been said that, of all the people we can fool, the easiest is ourselves.

Many times, facing stark reality can appear to be quite daunting. We will minimize our shortcomings, for example, so we can feel better about ourselves, (and also because it saves us from doing anything about them.)

We will rationalize and justify those behaviours that deep down we know we should change.

In the end, though, this behaviour may seem advantageous, and arguably it is comforting, in the short run, but the price to pay in the long term is very high.

Once formed, the habit of evading reality, can lead us to disaster, including, but not restricted to, losing touch with the distinction between reality and illusion as well as a total loss of self-esteem.

People will speak of the need to develop acceptance, when it comes to reality, and I would agree that this is a great first step. Of course, people always say acceptance is the first step towards change. However, I would suggest that we want to go further, to realizing that reality is our greatest friend and ally, and the quicker we deal with it head on, the greater the odds of a favorable outcome, so I will sugggest, not "accepting" but "cherishing" reality. The good stuff is awesome, but the scary stuff is all sources for personal growth so bring it on!

Alternatively, avoiding dealing with reality will only make things far worse in the long run, and that is why one of my very favorite quotes...(I may have used this in a previous entry) is "I'm not brave enough to be a coward!" (Ayn Rand)

Heroes live Life on Life's Terms!

The Harder I Work, the "Luckier" I Get!

2010-07-26T18:40:00.005-04:00

Two books I would highly recommend, The Black Swan, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

Both books for me had a similar message: there is a lot more luck, or randomness, if you will, to life and "apparent" success than we would like to admit. This was quite challenging to me at first.

Like many of us, I really bought into the idea of the "self-made person" who "succeeds" because of following some given formula for "success" and happiness.

Both books show that many "successes" or "outliers" can be shown to have, in many cases been in the right place at the right time. That is not to say that these people did not work very hard or not deserve their success, but rather, that many others worked just as hard or harder, were just as talented or more so, but simply did not become household names with their respective level of success. They may have achieved very significant results nonetheless, or in some cases not at all, but those who became household names, the Bill Gates', Michael Jordan's, or Wayne Gretzky's had in many cases many circumstances that worked in their favor.

You would have to read the forementioned books to truly appreciate my point, but for one quick example, consider that Bill Gates happened to go to a high school in the late sixties that actually had computers, and just happened to have a teacher that allowed him access to these computers with his own key 24 hours a day. Without taking away the fact that he spent literally thousands of hours on them, others may have as well, but simply did not have the opportunity. Very few high schools had computers in the sixties.

Taleb refers to Black Swans, (unpredictable events that change the world, or, on a smaller scale, change an individual's life) some of which are bad (9-11, World credit crisis) and some of which are good (Google), and points out that a strategy for living in a world of randomness and in which there is far more that we don't know than what we do know, involves a couple of simple instructions.

First off "insure" against bad Black Swans, which is interesting, because as a financial advisor, it struck me that with insurance I am in the "bad Black Swan" business. After all, most people who purchase insurance don't believe they will ever need it, or tragically, most people who don't purchase it.

Secondly he suggests we should try to "get in the way" of as many "good Black Swans" as possible. What does he mean by that? Get out of the house! Meet new people, make new connections. The next person you meet may change your life completely... if not them, then the person you meet through them, or the person you meet through the person you met through them. Maybe today, or maybe in 10 years from now!

This is why I named this entry, "The Harder I Work, the "Luckier" I Get". I used to think of this saying as a mockery of the concept of luck, but after having read these books, I believe it may be literally true.

I've heard it said, "Activity, even the right type of activity will not guarantee success, but success is impossible without it!"

Please note that above I used the term "apparent" success, and I put the word "success" in quotations. The reason for that is that I believe the actual goal of living a Heroic life, is not the actual "success" that it brings as in how we may surpass others in a given field, or how much money we make (both of which are worthwile goals to have) but to be truly HAPPY.

Leading a Heroic life greatly increases the "odds" of achieving "outer" success, but no guarantees on that, however, here is the really great part in all this:

If you live a Heroic life, you will be happy regardless of any actual outcome, simply in the knowledge that you've done your best, because what you will achieve, regardless of circumstances, is your own personal growth which is truly life's greatest reward.

The person who relies on outer evidence of success for their self-esteem is left with nothing if they ever lose those things.

The person whose self-esteem is based on their own knowledge of their adherence to their carefully chosen values and principles, enjoys all the "rewards of success" they may earn, but even in their absence remains whole and intact and most importantly happy!

So can all of us become multi-millionaires and achieve every goal we set for ourselves. Sorry to all the people selling self-help advice who may claim this, but, no, there are no guarantees.

But can all of us lead truly happy lives? You bet! (get it luck... betting...)

Best of LUCK to all reading this and as far as work, I always love the quote: "It Works if you Work it, so Work it, You're Worth it!"

Travellin' Man!

2010-07-24T08:24:00.005-04:00

I'm off in a few days for a new adventure. After 5 wonderful years in Moncton, New Brunswick, my career is now taking me to Ottawa, Ontario.
While this is a terrific opportunity, and the people I've met there so far seem great, as I am now just days from actually driving away, the reality of what I'm leaving is becoming extremely clear and a little scary.
My time in Moncton has been truly amazing. I had my greatest career successes, made some true friendships, had and recovered from major surgery and also competed and placed in bodybuilding contests! And this only a partial list.
I have much to be truly grateful for, mainly for the fact that in my middle age, my life continues to improve!
Now, I take off for a new adventure, and while it is exciting, it is also daunting in leaving the familiar for the new and untried; it is also sad, in that I am leaving people that I love, and, although I know we will keep in touch, there is no denying the nature of our relationship will change. In short, Lorraine and I are beginning a new chapter in our lives. ("The Continuing Adventures of Rick and Lorraine!")
Years ago, I learned that it is important to continually remind myself to "Do my very best, just for today." This has served me well so far. No one knows what their future holds, and there are no guarantees in life, but I have always found comfort in the knowledge that whatever challenge or reward I encounter, the answer is always the same, "do your best just for today"....
This has prevented me from wasting time pondering, "what will I do, if "blank" doesn't work out?.... or what if "blank" goes wrong?... because the answer is always the same: "do your best just for today".
The title of this entry is from the song by Bob Seiger, and the lyric that reminded me of how grateful I am to have experienced what I am leaving now, and what I've left behind with other moves, is
"Those are the memories that make me a wealthy soul"

I'm a very lucky man.

I'm back!

2010-07-19T20:05:00.003-04:00

I have been delinquent in blogging and am getting back to routine as of today.... Recently found out that I'm relocating to Ottawa, and life has been chaotic, but... enough with excuses... will be striving to blog more often but shorter.... Three things today that came to mind:

1. Seek first to understand, THEN seek to be understood.

2. Align myself with cherishing reality, so that I may be aware of, and profit from all aspects of reality, especially those golden opportunities that could be disguised as problems or hardships.

3. I'm a creature of habit, and I need routine, or I am in danger of losing focus.

"Seek first...." I messed up today, didn't know all the facts, filled in the blanks and lunged out at someone verbally, only to find out that person needed support, not criticism. I should have known better. Now I have some amends to make....

"....golden opportunities that could be disguised as problems or hardships...." I realize in the last week, of trying to juggle my job from two different areas, selling and buying a home and helping out at home while my wife recovers from achilles tendon surgery, that I am capable of far more than I was honest with myself about. I wasted a lot of time, especially in the morning..... this is extremely valuable insight that will serve me... thank goodness for challenges!

"... I NEED routine...." I simply can't just go "with the flow"... I have to continually create accountabilities for myself, and I suspect, I'm not alone.... daily inventory of my actions to see if they are aligned with my values, mission and goals is indispensable! (example of reminding myself, one more time, of things I already know, but sometimes allow myself to lose sight of...

Best to all in your HEROic exploits!

What is a HERO and .... Are HEROES happy?

2010-05-09T14:15:00.003-04:00

Webster defines a hero as,

1 a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b : an illustrious warrior c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage.

When I speak of being the HERO of YOUR life, am I using the term in the same sense as above?

Essentially, yes.... let me take the definition one part at a time;

"Mythological or legendary figure" might imply that a hero has been created as in literature or folklore or that exploits have grown over time as the legend grows. The literal precision of the description of such a character or his (use of male pronoun from here on or in any of my writings implies both genders, but leaving in male to make writing/reading less tedious) is besides the point that the reason myths and legends endure of heroes, is because they exemplify the best that man can and should be, and that we all, deep down, aspire to be. Whether we have the courage to do so openly and purposely is another matter.

"Often of divine descent". My spiritual convictions are of a very secular nature, however, I do believe that for man to even perceive of a supreme being, is very revealing of his own true nature in striving to reach for the highest possible value. My only distinction would be that man is reaching for this highest possible value WITHIN himself, rather than OUTSIDE of himself.

"Endowed with great strength or ability". Whether we are referring actual physical strength, strength of character; ability as in developed skill or ability to act with consistency to one's principles, these are obvious traits of HEROES. My book will deal with the best methods to develop each of these.

"An illusttrious warrior". The nature of life, survival and happiness is such that all values are accomplished by overcoming adversity or challenge. As such, the term "warrior" is certainly apt.

"A man admired for his achivements and his noble qualities". While this is true, one point to make is that the admiration of others is never a hero's main or even important motivation, except if in a leadership role, because this will be an important aspect of having others wish to follow a vision that he considers worthy for all concerned. In fact, in many cases, the very essence of heroism is to act with integrity despite being ridiculed, and attacked for doing so.

"One that shows great courage". Courage is, as cited above, an essential element of being a hero, because, tragically, the proper philosophy of reason, purpose and self-esteem is rarely understood and even more rarely practiced. This leaves the hero to "swim upstream" in most cases.

To the second query in this post's title, Are HEROES happy? .... When I speak of reason, purpose and self-esteem, I do so in the following context:

Reason: The hero recognizes that the full use of his reasoning mind, which is his tool of survival and happiness means that he accepts reason as his only absolute.

Purpose: He also accepts that his highest purpose is his own happiness. Because his means to this end is reason, he fully realizes that he can never achieve true happiness through any type of fraud or exploitation of others.

Self-Esteem: His purpose in achieving his own happiness can only be possible with a self-esteem that assures him that he truly deserves this happiness.

In fact, heroes choose, very early on, to love life and they choose happiness as their natural state. Even when faced with hardships or challenges, any pain they feel does not disturb this basic view of life. Howard Roark, the main character in Ayn Rand's novel, The Fountainhead, when asked how he is able to deal with personal losses he is continuously subjected to in the story, responds, "it only hurts to a certain level" (paraphrased from memory). When asked by Ellsworth Toohey, who has been the cause of many of his setbacks, to honestly tell him what he thinks of him, he responds, "but I don't think of you".

A hero does not see pain as an essential element of life, but rather a temporary annoyance in an otherwise joyous existence, that joy being the result of his consistent application of logical principles.

So, summarizing: HEROES ARE happy by definition.... the idea of a self-sacrificial hero, living some sort of miserable existence as though his misery made him more virtuous is a contradiction in terms.

Being the HERO of YOUR life is the means AND the end to living on earth!

Stay tuned for next entry which will deal with acknowledging the full challenge of obstacles to doing so, and why underestimating these by thinking that one can overcome them through sheer willpower rather than through the proper application of reason in knowing how to properly deal with each one is one of the main reasons why people fail in their quests.

I would also like to acknoweldge my debt to the philosophy of Ayn Rand in the ideas expressed above and highly recommend all of her writings.

What is Financial Planning really about, Alfie?

2010-04-17T07:47:00.007-04:00

There have been countless books and articles written about this topic.

What I'd like to talk about today, is what is the ultimate purpose of financial planning, (and the ultimate obstacle). Financial Planning are buzzwords in themselves, so why not just say, what is the ultimate purpose of (and obstacle to) achieving financial security?

Some may say that the purpose is self-evident, and to some degree it is, however, as with many goals in life, they are not ends in themselves but simply means to ultimate ends.

As we spend our short time on this planet, the ultimate goal is to be happy, period! While some will argue about the need to make a difference, or to create empires or find cures for cancer, or produce great works of art, in the end, all those are simply means to the ultimate end of living a happy life.

It is not politically correct to admit to having selfish ends, and some argue that goals are more worthy if they have selfless ends. That argument, however, is so easily disproved as to make it laughable; because if helping others with "no regard for yourself" makes you happy, then you've defeated the argument. Helping others, (or any other goal) would have to actually make you unhappy to be truly "selfless".

Unless you believe the goal of life is to suffer (some people do!) than I think you'll see the obvious fallacy of reaching for "selfless goals."

So achieving financial security is simply another of many stepping stones, albeit a crucial one, to achieving our happiness. Financial security simply means to be self sufficient, and not need to rely on others for our survival! And that brings not only happiness but dignity.

Some will argue that family, health and ethics are more important than money. The problem with these arguments is that they represent false dichotomies. In other words, it's not 'either/or' its both! To provide for your family requires money. The biggest cause of divorce today is financial stress. One of the biggest causes of health problems is stress, and a major cause of stress for people is financial worries. Health care, of course, costs money! Ethical considerations will show that whenever people compromise these, they will rationalize and justify doing so, because of the need to provide for their families financially. Happiness is achieved when all aspects of life are in balance and money which is simply a way to measure our individual productivity plays a part in all of them.

How do we achieve financial security? Well first and foremost, we must be productive in some way, shape or form. Each of us has some talent or skill which uniquely endows us to produce some value that other people are willing to pay for with the money they have earned by producing a value with their own unique talents or skills. Once we produce the value, then managing it is next. (I acknowledge that some people may be born with physical or mental limitations to this, but they are very rare, particularly in our modern age of technology where almost everyone can contribute; for the unfortunate minority who cannot, they are the responsibility of their parents, and will also benefit from the volitional aid of compassionate individuals)

The three threats to personal financial security can be summarized simply in the following: dying too soon, living too long, or becoming ill or injured somewhere along the way. One or more of those events will be part of every human being's existence.

Additional risks include loss of property through fire, natural phenomenon or theft.

Dying too soon results in someone's productivity being cut short, as well as the resultant income. If no provisions have been made through insurance for this, that person's dependents or life partners will be seriously impacted. In fact, our earning power, is our largest asset. Many people will think of young people starting out, as having no significant assets, but it is at that point in our life when our future earning power is greatest.

Living too long, is a matter of outliving our savings. When a person retires from productive endeavours, if they so choose, then again, income stops. If adequate savings have not been accumulated, then that person will be forced to continue working beyond the age they had hoped to stop, and quite possibly in failing health, often contributing to a reduced life span or see themselves dependent on the charity of others in their final years. None of these outcomes are conducive to living a happy life.

Unforeseen illness and/or accidents can limit or terminate a person's ability to be productive, and again, if no insurance is in place for this, the result is that any accumulated assets will need to be used for bare necessities and will not be available for their stated purpose. (usually to provide for the eventuality of living too long stated above). Not only will those assets be squandered to replace lost income but also in the attempt to finance the additional medical costs that are invariably associated with these events. This loss of assets will lead to the same misery outlined in the last paragraph, which no one wants.

I also mentioned the loss of assets through fire, natural phenomenon or theft and again, failure to insure against these losses can also result in major impediments to financial security.

Now, none of what I've mentioned above will be new to many people, but what may be new, is "keeping it simple". So much of what is written about financial planning dwells on whether mutual funds are better investments than stocks for example or what type of insurance is better than another. These topics have some validity however, I will suggest that they are to financial planning what the choice of colors or options are to the proper choice in purchasing an automobile. These are generally the small details!

Most people who fail to achive financial security don't fail to do so, because of these details. (this is a generalization that admittedly has exceptions, but is true far more often then not, I assure you.)

Most people who fail to achieve financial security are defeated by the very same enemy which prevents most of us from living full, happy lives in virtually every aspect of our lives and that enemy is PROCRASTINATION.

I mentioned in an earlier post that it is a sign of intelligence to think LONG TERM. I did have a comment from a reader that some people believe in "living in the moment" or "one day at a time" in an attempt to show that my statement was not necessarily true for everyone. The fact is that, living "in the moment" does not, in any way, contradict the concept of humans thinking long term. Animals live in the range of the moment, because they do not have the mental capacity to evaluate future consequences of future actions (or inaction), but humans have this capacity and need to use it. (or suffer the consequences) Living a happy life requires in fact, that we are grateful for and enjoy the present, but also that we plan for the future.

It is a topic for another post, as to why, in fact, procrastination is so common, and whether or not people "should" not do this; for now, I would suggest simply that it is a fact, that it is extemely common, not only for financial planning but health choices and in relationships and the consequences are serious in all aspects of life.

This is the main reason that people use "coaches"; other people who will make them accountable and save them from their own tendency to procrastinate or not to give their best effort.

Ironically, the people who are the most self-disciplined, and are less guilty of this then most, are most likely to recognize that they still haven't mastered procrastination, and who will actually seek out coaches to "push them" just a little harder than they are already pushing themselves. Witness that world class athletes virtually always have coaches.

Tragically, many of us, who are less disciplined and actually have a greater need for this, resist very strongly someone "telling us what to do" and avoid what we need the most.

In the field of financial planning, that "coach" is the financial advisor, who, while educating us to the proper choices in the "details" mentioned above, most importantly helps us to avoid the procrastination that is the true obstacle to our reaching the financial security that will give us happiness and dignity we all seek.

As such, good financial advisors contribute significantly to people achieving happiness and dignity and avoiding misery which is the alternative. Many people are extremely grateful to their advisors for helping them to reach their goals and consider their partnership with this individual to be critical to themselves and their families.

The fact is that procrastination is so common that the vast majority of life insurance and retirement savings programs are the direct result of an advisor "selling" someone on the idea of putting these prgrams in place sooner rater than later. (avoiding procrastination)

Knowing this, one would think that advisors would be in high demand. They are in fact, in extremely high demand by financial services firms like Sun Life with which I am associated, because these firms appreciate people's tendencies to procrastinate and realize that consumers will not, in the majority of cases, purchase our products of their own initiative, and so they need advisors to show people a "sense of urgency" in planning for the future.

Because of this same procrastination habit, advisors also face, from their prospective clients, on a daily basis, rejection! The very people who have the greatest need are the ones most prone to procrastination. Successful advisors are able to deal with this and in so doing, provide a great value to their clients, thus maximizing their personal productivity through exchanging value for value.

That is why in a recent post, I referred to advisors as heroes, and talked about our financial centre's vision of HEROES, CHANGING LIVES FOREVER!

Thanks for reading..... The title of this has a link to my personal web page including video testimonials of people who have chose this great career!

Everything is Amazing... nobody's happy! Click this title for great clip!

2010-04-11T15:09:00.002-04:00

Salespeople, Leaders, Parents, Coaches, HEROES!

2010-04-04T15:07:00.003-04:00

The first four terms above have many commonalities. For example, they are buzzwords that are frequently used. Secondly, there are no shortage of books, courses and presenters aimed at teaching people how to be better at all of the above. As such, there are no shortage of "experts" in each field to whom we are to look for direction in each area.

One of the things, however, I noticed some time back, is that in many if not most of the material on these topics, you could simply substitute either of the words, "salsperson, leader, parent or coach" and the material would still make perfect sense.

This made me realize that, in fact, they are all referring to the same thing using different terminology! Interestingly, each term has varying levels of prestige associated with it. Being a leader for example, sounds a lot cooler than being a salesperson, and yet, if you look at what either one accomplishes when done properly, you will see that it is virtually identical. (as would be the case with coaching or parenting)

Another disctinction that I've made in my life, is that, virtually all of us, already know, at least in principle, many (most?) of the things that we need to do in order to lead successful, happy lives. Our challenge is generally not ignorance, it is procrastination!

Leaders/Salespeople/coaches/parents roles are simply to get us to do the things we already know we should be doing but are putting off till later!! (OK, in the case of parenting of small children, there will obviously be a factor of education as well.)

This is accomplished through various methods including inspiration, motivation, making people accountable, values clarification and role modelling.

The latter, role modelling, is one of the most powerful; we all know the saying, "lead by example"... and in previous posts, I've talked about "the greatest gift one human being can give to another is the sight of an achievement". Seeing someone role model, the "ideal man", the "hero", opens up the possibility for us to do the same, and helps release us from the self created bonds that are at the root of the procrastination habit.

That is why I suggest a better term for all of the above: HEROES! (my blog is called this for a reason!)

Ayn Rand's quote, " My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.", summarizes everything I am trying to say better than I ever could.

With that, I will end by making a shameless plug for my efforts in recruiting "Heroes, Changing Lives Forever" (the mission statement for my Financial Centre.

This blog entry is a perfect description for the type of men and women Sun Life pays me to find, in order to be make available to them the career opportunity involved in the very noble activity of helping people reach financial security by helping them "to do the things they already know they should be doing but are putting off."

It is a given that the more intelligent a creature is, the more long term is their perception of reality. Animals live in the range of the moment, as unfortunately some people seem to as well, but wise men and women look to the present and the future, having both short and long term goals, and it is difficult to think of a more noble activity then helping those people to reach the financial goals that will change not only their lives, but those of generations to come.

All those interested in finding out more should go to www.sunlife.ca/richard.chartrand

If you are reading this from another province, just go to www.sunlife.ca and if from another country, look into many of the fine financial institutions in your country who may be offering a career opportunity that has been called by many in our industry, as "one of the best kept secret opportunities anywhere."

Sleep: even more important than you think!

2010-04-01T06:07:00.002-04:00

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-sleep/

or click on title

Running make you Ill?

2010-03-27T21:56:00.002-04:00

Title is link to good article. Comments are especially interesting.

Earth Day?

2010-03-26T19:45:00.003-04:00

"Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform." Mark Twain

follow the link that this blog title "Earth Day" leads you to.

Why we shouldn't eat Wheat!

2010-03-18T13:03:00.002-04:00

Check this great article out... click on title.... or http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2010/3/12/the-argument-against-cereal-grains-ii.html

He who is good with a hammer thinks that everything is a nail!!

2010-02-27T19:02:00.004-05:00

As I write this blog, in preparation for an upcoming book... (presumably of the same name... "Being the Hero of Your Life"), I've struggled with the fact that my subject matter is so diverse, and whether not I should focus on a narrower scope.
However, upon greater reflection, I believe that the way to achieve "being the hero of your lfe" (meaning achieving your personal best, with the ultimate goal being to achieve happiness which I believe is our ultimate purpose on this earth), must be multi faceted,
There are, of course, no shortage of people offering an endless variety of "success formulas", many of whom are simply spouting platitudes and repeating the same old messages from countless self-help books written in the last several decades.
Admittedly, many of these people, do in fact offer some useful information, however, it is most often biased by their particular field of expertise or personal experience. (he who is good with a hammer thinks that everything is a nail!)
While the motivational speaker will talk about the power of positive thinking, the member of the clergy will expound on spirituality and the philosopher will talk about having a proper grasp of reasoning and reality. (I'm kind of partial to the latter).
The athlete will sing the praises of physical fitness, the recovering addict will promote the 12 steps and abstinence while the dietitian or nutritionist will speak of proper diet as being critical. And there is considerable evidence in my opinion that proper sleep and alignment with circadian rhythms have a considerable effect on virtually everything in our lives. Of course, the psychologist and/or psychiatrist will speak to their field and the physician will talk about health care.
In the end, I think I have a unique perspective in that I am not an "expert" in any particular field, and I have come to the conclusion, that while all these forementioned contributors have something to offer, it's not a matter of them being wrong or right but being incomplete because of their personal biases and myopic perspective.
I'm not claiming ot have it all figured out just yet. I continue to make additional distinctions, and believe I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.
I remain confident however, that the distinctions I have made thus far in my life, will present an original and more importantly, effective approach to achieving happiness, both because of the diversity of sources, and because of revolutionary (I believe this not to be hype) ideas in many of the areas that will be discussed in the book.
As I had hoped, as I write more entries in the blog, my final vision for the book continues to be clearer all the time.
Thanks for reading....

Leadership in Dance, Business and Life

2010-02-19T14:26:00.004-05:00

Recently, I heard someone say that a leader's job is to take responsibility for solutions. Often, when there is a problem or challenge, there is a tendency to look to who caused that problem.

However, unless that particular information will form part of the solution, the energy spent assigning blame is a complete waste at best, or actually contributes to delaying the solution or even compounding the original problem.

This made perfect sense to me, but then it occured to me that this applies not just to business organizations or non profit organizations which is the context this particular speaker was referring to, but many other things as well.

In fact, as my wife and I engage in ballroom dancing, I could see the parralel in that, being a strong lead as part of a dance couple was a perfect application of these same principles. From that, I realized that ballroom dancing is an amazing opportunity to learn and apply leadership principles that will carry over into all aspects of my life.

The thing about dancing is that the feedback as to whether you're an effective leader or not is instantaneous and blatantly obvious. (if you take responsibility) When your role in business or as a parent for example demands leadership, your effectiveness in that role, or lack thereof, may not become obvious until you have the benefit of hindsight to evaluate your results. In fact, when the results are less than optimal, it is even easy with the deceptive perspective of significant time passed, to rationalize that the lack of results was justified. (Of all the people you can fool, it is easiest to fool yourself!)

Now, in dancing, I have often seen couples, and I must admit, I've been guilty of this more often than I would like to admit, stopped on the floor, debating which of them is making a mistake. (I've actually seen people storm off the floor!)

This, in fact, as with levying blame in business.... serves no purpose and only makes things worse.

The leader doesn't care whose fault it is, he simply takes responsibility for the solution. If I'm leading, (and I maintain this proper frame of mind), if the dance isn't smooth, it's my job to correct it. Now some of you may suggest that I'm taking more than my share of responsiblity as perhaps my wife is the one who has made the mistake.

I would respond to this in two ways..... first, I would say that, that information, regardless of whether it is true or not, is totally besides the point I'm trying to make. Secondly, those who know a little about ballroom dancing (especially the women) will know that, in fact, if my lead is "perfect", my partner's role becomes relatively easy; actually, it will be more difficult for her to make a mistake then to do it right. To do it wrong would require that she go against my lead to do it incorrectly which will feel very unnatural and forced to her. Conversely, when my lead falls short, the result is not neutral for her, it is an added challenge over and above her just knowing her steps, and just as she would have to resist a good lead to do it wrong, she now has to compensate for my errant leadership when my lead is weak in order to get it right. (almost impossible)

You see, one way or another, I'm always leading her in some direction... that is either in the right or wrong direction, never a neutral one. A leader is always helping or hurting... food for thought.

"Leadership would be easy if it weren't for people!"; "They're so irrational and difficult to deal with!". You may have heard these complaints, only half in jest.

When a musician makes a mistake, he doesn't blame his instrument.... it is an inanimate object.... alternatively, dealing with people is a greater challenge because they are far less predictable, (perhaps however, not as much as most people think.)

Learning to play a musical instrument is, in many ways, far easier than learning how to lead in dance. A friend of mine once told me, "my guitar is always in the mood".

But leadership is not about leading inanimate objects, it's about leading people with all their wonderful diversity of moods and motivations, and, in dancing, the person you are dealing with is right in front of you, and it is a wonderful opportunity (sometimes very humbling) to see just how good you really are with people. (as much or more than how good you are at dancing.)

If you tell your dance partner when something goes wrong, "my fault, I think I can get it better this time.", more often than not, she will say, "no, I think I messed up there, too." Your willingness to take responsibility will bring out her willingness to at least share it. I think you can guess what reaction assigning blame will create. (especially if you happen to be married to your dance partner.)

So, if, as a manager of the Financial Center with Sun Life, I get frustrated with my advisors for not behaving in the way I think they should be, I have to realize that as a leader, their behaviour is a mirror of my own shortcomings as a leader and I have to take responsibility for improvement. As a father, when I catch myself criticizing my adult children's behaviour, if I truly consider myself as a leader/father, then I better be careful in that department as well!

Certainly human beings have free will, and I'm not suggesting that one take on sole responsibility for everyone else's actions but.... as a leader, I will do my best not to waste time on assigning blame, but to look within when it comes to finding the solution.

A bumber sticker that reads "Dancing is Life"... might be closer to the truth than we might, at first think.

Thanks for reading!

Figures Don't Lie, But Liars Sure Do Figure

2010-02-12T18:18:00.004-05:00

One of the cardinal rules of management is "What gets measured, gets done!"

There is a lot of validity to this statement, and, in fact, keeping good records is very important. Measuring progress allows us to evaluate what is working better for our desired objective and what may actually be detrimental. Without proper measurement, people can fool themselves by being busy instead of being effective.

However like many things, even measurement itself can be abused, and in fact can become counterproductive.

I debated whether to name this entry as I have, or something along the lines of "Don't confuse measurement with reality."

By becoming overly concerned with achieving a certain measurement of progress, we can start to manipulate the measuring itself, in order to convince ourselves that our progress is greater than what it actually is. When I state that "liars sure do figure", I would state that in many cses, they start by lying to themselves.

Let me give you some examples.

Success is often measured by financial gain. Financial gain, is in fact, a valid measure of a person's progress in a chosen endeavour, however, if that individual, gets caught up in the measure, in this case, financial gain, then they can start to compromise their integrity in order to achieve the measure, and in so doing, be complete failures. That is obviously the case, if someone achieves wealth through dishonest methods, even though they may have achieved the "measure", their loss of perspective has changed them to someone they would never have started out to become.

Progress in an exercise program is often measured by performance of a certain physical feat, such as lifting a certain weight a certain number of times. This would indicate an increase in strength, logically. However, again, if the person gets caught up in the measure, they can start to compromise the integrity of the form used in the given movement, using momentum, loose form, or "cheating" methods in order to achieve the "feat". In so doing, a best case scenario is the person simply deluding themselves and as a result using ineffective methods to achieve this "false progress". In the worst case scenario, the person, using too much weight unsafely, suffers a serious injury, that delibitates them, and, as with the financial gain example becomes a complete failure in what they originally set out to accomplish.

Finally, in the corporate world, where companies are publicly traded, success is measured by quarterly earnings and balance sheets. We have already seen the headlines where "creative accounting" has caused many scandals and contributed to world economic turmoil.

In the end, there is cause and effect. Again, Ayn Rand, stated that people fool themselves by attempting to reverse cause and effect. In the examples above, people think, if they can get the effect (measure), it will give them the cause (in the examples above, personal worth, strength, or a solid company).

We have to make sure that we use measurement properly, as a tool to facilitate success, and not as a delusion that can have the reverse effect.

In managing a financial centre, for Sun Life, I must remain continually vigilant to ensure that the many measures we use to evaluate progress, are kept in the right perspective in order to ensure that we manage with the utmost integrity, in order to provide rewarding careers for our people enabling them to help change their clients' lives forever which is the true measure of success in our field.

Thanks for reading!

The Gift of The Sight of An Achievement (in defense of Tiger Wood's accomplishments and others)

2010-01-31T12:06:00.004-05:00

Ayn Rand said the greatest gift one human can give another is the sight of an achievement. That is one of my favorite quotes of hers. When one person shows us what is possible, he or she clears the path for the rest of us, if you will, provides us inspiration and helps us to believe in what we can do personally.

One of the things we tend to do to people who give us that gift, unfortunately, is to put them on a pedestal and assume that their achievement in this particular area of their life somehow obligates them to meet that standard in all they do, so they don't disappoint us.

We are then the ones responsible for setting ourselves up for that disappointment when this person doesn't live up to expectations that we have created for them. However, we don't take that responsibility but instead forget the gratitude we had for the incredible gift they gave us in the first place while we are busy pointing the finger.

I believe that achievements stand on their own as entities separate from those who achieved them. They are a testament to what is possible when certain principles are followed by human beings, and how when some one's efforts are well aligned with their passions, something incredibly powerful is unleashed. Finding our own particular passions and aligning our best efforts with these passions, is what helps unleash our true potential and as such is quite possibly THE experience that makes life worth living. That is why, in my opinion, we are so inspired by other's accomplishments, because we can see how fully they are truly living, and the best part of us wants that same experience more than anything else. (which is why the sight of an achievement is the greatest gift)

George Martin, spoke of the Beatles' music as being "bigger than they were". (that is the quote that gave me the idea for this blog.) The Beatles' were kids really, who got involved with drugs, had (in my opinion) naive political views and wound up breaking up over petty immaturity's and jealousies. (actually, considering what they were exposed to in terms of fame, adulation, riches etc. at such a young age, quite understandable, and pretty amazing actually that they stayed together as long as they did.)

Tiger Woods' current headlines speak of his fall from heights, and this blog is not meant to comment in any way on his extramarital behaviour. The point I'm trying to make, in fact, is that it is wholly besides the point. I don't seek to judge him; I don't know him, in fact I don't even want to speak of him, but of his accomplishments as quite possibly the greatest golfer that ever lived. (Incidentally, I'm not even a golf fan)

Whatever, his current behaviour, it does not change what he accomplished as a golfer and the gift that he has given us, in showing us a level of excellence previously unmatched. He, as a person, I don't care to discuss, however his accomplishment in and of itself, remains an incredible gift for which I will always be grateful.

The best within us is inspired by the accomplishments of others to reach for.... well, the best within us.

That part of us that seeks to tear those people down when they fail to live up to some standard we've set for them, (which is their job, not ours) is something lower within us, that seeks to justify and rationalize our failures by bringing others down rather than to seek to bring ourselves higher.

Let's focus on the best!

Will's Wisdom

2010-01-05T18:18:00.003-05:00

This guy is cool... pure and simple.... I may not agree with every last thing he believes, but I love that he knows exactly what he believes and is willing to die for it.... Very cool!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLN2k0b3g70

Dec 16 workout.... follow up to Dec. 4 blog entry

2009-12-16T17:23:00.003-05:00

This is a follow up to post of Dec. 4... another example of a short workout.... please see post of Dec. 4 and add comments.... (here or there)

In Praise of Ballroom Dancing

2009-12-12T09:37:00.004-05:00

My wife and I have been taking ballroom dancing lessons for about eight years. This is one of the best decisions we have ever made.

In an earlier post, I talked about being people who are spectators rather than performers and watching life go by rather than living it. Dancing (or not dancing) are prime examples of this.

First off, as a social activity, dancing will put you in contact with a lot of great people. Typically, great people have great relationships, and couples who fight all the time are unlikely to take ballroom dance lessons.

From the point of view of an activity as a couple, this truly qualifies as being "as a couple"... few things are truly done together..... if you go to some event with your spouse, you are often experiencing it individually, and in some social events, conversations are with many people other than your spouse, and you may only actually talk to each other at the end of the evening to ask whether you had a good time. In some cases, men watch the game while women converse among themselves.

Ballroom dancing on the other hand is, by definition done together, you will spend time enjoying each other, and that includes some good and bad times, because you have to work as a team in a coordinated fashion or it won't work, obviously! Yes, this can be challenging as well as rewarding.

Now, I have good news and bad news for the men. Ballroom dancing is the last bastion of male dominance left in our society. When you're the man, it is your job to lead and the woman's job to follow. That's the good news, but before you celebrate too much, I need to tell you the bad news. When you lead, you have a lot of responsibility. If you make a mistake with your steps, it's your fault, when your partner makes a mistake, well, .... it's still your fault, because you didn't lead right! I'm only half joking here. For the woman, if she has a strong lead, her part becomes much easier, but if she is not being led properly, it is virtually impossible for her to do well.

The woman is the beautiful painting, and the man is the frame. The woman is the guitar, the man is the player. A guitar, even the finest instrument, can't play itself. A good guitar player will tell you that a fine instrument is, in fact, a joy to play and actually easier to play, but the very best instrument will still sound terrible in the hands of a mediocre player, and a great player will do wonders with a department store child's guitar.

What guitar players are taught is to have a "light touch", where they have a certain firmness but not overly rigid. New drivers are taught something very similar when it comes to holding the wheel. So it is with leading in dance. In this case, though, the instrument is far more wondrous in her intricacies as well as inner and outer beauty.

What one discovers when they go from being a spectator to being a performer, when it comes to music, is that to play music, sing, or dance, gives one a feeling of harmony with the universe. (perhaps that is true of going from being a spectator to a participant in anything?) What I've said to my wife Lorraine, is that I think there is a reason dance has been a part of human culture even from the most primitive tribes. It just seems like something our bodies were meant to do.... (ok, not at first, but after you start to get the hang of it), and that feeling of harmony, (the only word I can use to describe it), especially when shared with someone you care about is a truly magical feeling. Incidentally, singles can dance with other singles, with whom they have platonic relationships and often do, and although this relationship may always be platonic, you will still care about each other because you will be sharing true joy together.

At this point, I should point out that yours truly is still mediocre as a dancer at this point.

There is a joke about going to the circus and seeing an animal act where a dog walks on his hind legs. You're not impressed that he does it well, you're impressed that he does it at all! That pretty much describes my dancing talent! :o)

I have however progressed to the point where I can start to see the potential and appreciate what it holds, enough that I want to continually improve and to dance for as long as my physical abilities allow.

Finally, the point that motivated me to make this entry. Dancing is heroic! Ayn Rand often refers to man's proper nature as a heroic being, and when one thinks of the concretization of what a hero would look like, it is embodied so well, in the proud stance of great ballroom dancers, who display, the grace, the strength, the pride of a hero, in a way that glorifies human beings and what they are capable of. One might refer to this as "bigger than life" but it isn't bigger really.... this is how we are meant to be, and this is within all of our reaches. The accompanying video is of professionals but even when going to local dances, when I see the dancers who have taken the time to practice and improve the finer points of poise, hand positions and grace, it is truly inspirational and it just seems right that people should do this.

Going back to my earlier post about watching life rather than living it.... if you want to take a real bite into truly experiencing one of the greatest things in life, I cannot recommend this highly enough!

Look forward to comments!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2BEabWFZBE

This morning's workout and follow up to post of Nov 14....

2009-12-04T05:58:00.018-05:00

On, November 14, my post, "Exercise, A quick introduction of things to come", I promised that in future posts I would cover,

"-why 90% of what you hear about exercise is not only inaccurate but actually detrimental to your health and safety.

-why 95% of people will never look anything like the fitness models used in marketing no matter what they do.

-why the actual rewards of exercise while not as marketable are far more important.

-why overdoing exercise is something we get addicted to psychologically because we need to feel good about ourselves and impress other people, when most of what we do is unnecessary and detrimental.

-why so called "cardio" is based on inaccurate premises.

-why your exercise program should take less than an hour per week... (far less in most cases)

-why the continual achievement of goals in your exercise program will help build your character in ways that will cross over into every area of your life (your fitness program consisting of taking on and overcoming challenges and adversity is a miccrocosm of all of life)

-why health and fitness are NOT synonyms.

-why exercise per se is perceived by your body as a threat to its survival, and as such, your body seeks to protect you from this threat... so more is definitely not better.

-how proper exercise technology, like many technologies takes many years before it becomes mainstream, because of the resistance of existing misconceptions being so strong for so long. Most groundbreaking technologies from inception to mainstream, take as much as 20 years or more."

However, before doing so, I need to position why, I would have the audacity to be certain that my knowledge of proper exercise is more accurate than that of countless jocks, including professional athletes, coaches and even the vast majority of physicians and physiotherapists.

Well first off, I can simply recommend a book, which, arguably is the best book ever written on the topic, "Body by Science", co-authored by Doug McGuff M.D. and John Little. I would point out that many of the ideas in that book are certainly not new, as the authors acknowledge, with Arthur Jones, the inventor of Nautilus machines, citing many of the same principles in his writings of the early seventies, and even he did not claim to be the originator of many of those principles.

The point I want to make in this blog, however, is simply why the incredible confusion does exist in this field in the first place and why it is actually perfectly logical that it should.

First off, three words: Selection Bias and Genetics. Let me elaborate. In this case, I will be referring to the results from strength training, sometimes also referred to as bodybuilding or weight training. In later posts, I will show that proper strength training is by far the most beneficial of exercise modalities and, some would argue, the only modality that actually qualifies to be called exercise in the first place.

Right from the start, I know I've alienated the cardio crowd, and you will have to wait for why I believe my preceding statement for a future post.

For now, one of the other reasons I'm going to focus on strength training, is because results from this type of exercise can most easily be measured in terms of either appearance through actual increases in muscle size and/or through increases in strength as demonstrated by the ability to lift increasingly heavier poundages.

Consider that in the general population, the actual percentage of people who exercise consistently over time is very small. For my upcoming book, I will do some research to come up with some more reliable statistics, but I believe I can make some reasonable estimates which, even being conservative, will show my point.

By exercising consistently, over time, I don't mean people who will tell you, "I used to be in great shape in college" or "a few years back, I was going to the gym diligently and got in the best shape of my life"; I'm referring to people who actually have been exercising regularly for years and still are today.

Of that small group, let's say, generously, 10% of the population, you then eliminate the folks who engage in exercise modalities other than strength training such as jogging, pilates, yoga, stretching, swimming, aerobic dance etc. Let me suggest that you will be left with 2% of the population, maybe.

The point here is not whether my statistics are perfectly accurate or not, anyone will agree that it is a very small minority of the population that engages in strength training over time.

First off, why are there so few people consistently participating in an activity that is largely considered to be beneficial. The quick answer that many people will give is that people are lazy or undisciplined. While there may be a considerable amount of truth to this, it does not fully explain this.

Interestingly, women often avoid strength training, because they fear developing large muscles, and men most often don't stick to it, because they don't produce these large muscles quickly enough (or at all).

Another reason is that many people wind up injured when they attempt a fitness program. This is increasingly true with an aging baby boomer population who try to regain former youth, by trying to do what they did when they were younger (and lighter) and wind up injuring themselves.

This brings us back to selection bias and genetics.... the people who tend to stick to it over time, do so because there is a larger percentage of them who achieve results quickly. Positive feedback for their efforts, keeps people coming back.... lack thereof gets people to quit. This is habit formation 101.... reward positive behaviour and ignore or punish negative behaviours.

Many people simply believe that the reason some people have large muscles is because they have knowledge of and apply proper exercise. The facts however don't agree with this. The ability to develop unusually large muscles is largely genetic, and very few men possess this trait and even fewer women, (which is why their fear of this is unjustified). The truth is, that, of the 2% or so of the population who strength train over time, there is a far higher percentage of individuals whose genetics allow them to progress quickly than there is in the general population.

Nassim Taleb in his book, "The Black Swan", in pointing out the errors we make cognitively, points out that the books we haven't read are more important than those we've read. When someone achieves success in a given field, be it business or athletics, they may well share how they achieved that success in a book or on a speaking circuit, and people will be eager to pay to learn their "secret", which those individuals, making the same cognitive mistake as we are, may believe they can sincerely offer.

However, there are usually thousands of individuals who may have employed very similar, if not identical strategies, only to fall far short of that success, or, in the case of athletics, suffer career ending injuries as a direct result of those same strategies, but their names will never be known, as there is not a large market for books on how people failed!

An example of how much successful athletes may owe more of their success to winning a "genetic lottery" than from knowing what they're doing comes from the animal kingdom. Below are photos of a Belgian Blue, cattle that has been bred in such a way as to maximize large muscles and yield more meat per animal, and, of an overmuscled whippet. Note that the bull's exercise program consists of grazing and lazing around. This whippet is not a racing dog but just someone's pet with a genetic defect.

Everything most people think they know about exercise is based on the experience of the very small percentage of the population I cited above.

As a result, most of what people think they know is wrong and simply does not apply to the general population. Much of athletic success is achieved despite the modalities utilized and not because of them.

What most people think is that conventional exercise programs help people to be fit and healthy, because they make what seems to be the logical connection that world class athletes appear to be extremely healthy because they have achieved supranormal levels of fitness (note I said, appear to be healthy). So here are a couple of challenging questions:

Does conventional exercise make people healthier, or are healthy people simply more likely to engage in conventional exercise? (or as I've said above, genetically gifted people are far more likely to stick with inefficient, often dangerous programs because they are the only ones capable of progressing on them, and remaining injury free enough to continue?) (note I didn' t say injury free, but "injury free enough to continue" because if you talk to most jocks, if they are honest will tell you they are dealing with chronic injuries... this is especially true of the cardio crowd)

Genetics is a huge part, and without taking anything away from the dedication of world class athletes, the fact is that even the greatest coach/trainer in the world will not create a world class athlete from even the most dedicated person who simply does not have the genetics.

In high school, I ran a 100 yard dash, if memory serves, in about 14 seconds. No amount of practice or dedication would have even had me win the local high school track meet, much less, achieve any type of national or international prominence. Sorry folks, despite "Rocky type, cheer for the underdog" stories that we would love to believe in, it is what it is. World class athletes are 1 in 100,000 or less. (probably closer to 1 in a million.)

99% of professional athletes are in the top 1/10 of 1% of the genetic pool, and most people who stick to exercise over time are at least in the top 20%.

However, here is the good news... all of us can achieve great benefits from proper exercise, and we can do so in far less time than is normally believed. In fact, it is not that you can get away with doing less, but doing less is an actual requirement.

The stress put on the body by proper exercise is such that the body requires sufficient time to recover properly from this.

Below is my workout of Dec. 16. A similar workout is what I do on a weekly basis or less and I am aware of people making great progress on even less frequency.

This post is already pretty lengthy so I will end it here, but note that those whose curiosity I may have peaked can get more information at previously mentioned sources or the links on the side of my blog.

Look forward to your comments.

My Mission Statement

2009-11-29T19:43:00.009-05:00

One of the things I try to do each morning, usually as I'm walking my two grehounds, is to "connect to my mission" (See Stephen Covey First Things First, 6 step weekly planning process), which usually consists of talking to myself as I'm walking down the street. It is usually pretty early in the morning, so I'm counting that not too many neighbors are up or at least are not looking out the window to see me doing it. I recite my mission, (sometimes in the shower if not walking the dogs) out loud, and use it to try to get the day off to a good start to remind myself of what is truly important in my life. What follows is the actual mission statement and in brackets, credit for the sources for each part of it. My mission statement is a mosaic, if you will, of different ideas from different sources and has been about 15 years in the making, and continues to evolve today.

In future posts, I will elaborate on different parts of it, as my whole idea with my future book is really a more in depth look at all the areas covered in the statement and how to apply them in every day life in order to live to the fullest.

So here goes:

"I am the hero of my own life. (Andrew Bernstein) I have high energy, I have the ability to energize others around a common goal. I have the edge to make tough, yes or no decisions. I have the ability to execute those decisions and get results. I have passion." (Jack Welch)

"Today I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically, live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence." (James Redfield, Stephen Covey, Ayn Rand)

"I will be proactive (Covey) and grateful so that I may remain aware of, and profit from, all aspects of reality, especially those golden opportunities that could be disguised as hardships or problems."

"I will begin always with my mission in mind, (Covey) so that I may continually evaluate what the true priorities are in my life, taking care not to be a second hander (Ayn Rand) or a people pleaser." (12 Steps)

"I will keep those first things first (Covey, or 12 steps) every day, by choosing to think rationally (Rand) and choosing to act in accordance with reason, purpose and self-esteem." (Rand)

"Asking with intent, listening without excuse, acting with courage." (Covey)

"Think. Decide. Act."

"By doing this I will be adhering to the following spiritual principles, rationality, integrity, independence, honesty, justice, productiveness and pride." (Rand)

"From these will naturally follow, open mindedness, (12 steps), courage, (Rand) optimal state management (Tony Robbins), willingness, conscience, imagination, self-awareness, serenity, style and grace." (Covey, 12 steps)

"I will think and I will live in the spirit of win-win (Covey), earning rewards for myself by bringing true value to others, but I will never live my life for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." (Rand)

"I will seek first to understand, then seek to be understood, synergizing (Covey) with other worthwhile ideas and energy (Redfield) in order to multiply, with other people of ability (Rand) what I could produce alone."

"I will continually improve myself, by keeping proper balance between producing, relaxing, having fun and achieving personal growth, physically, financially, emotionally, mentally, spriritually and socially which features being loyal to the absent." (Covey)

"I'm not brave enough to be a coward." (Rand)

"I will die try trying my very best, with style and grace." (12 steps and movie "Life is Beautiful")

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, dance like you do when nobody's looking" (source unknown)

"Choose to be happy. Smile when you're speaking." (source unknown)

"Lunge Forward!" (Cary Mullen)

"I am the hero of my own life. I have high energy, I have the ability to energize others around a common goal. I have the edge to make tough, yes or no decisions. I have the ability to execute those decisions and get results. I have passion."

Climate Change

2009-11-28T16:07:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnipKZAhgW4&feature=player_embedded

Capitalism, Freedom, Morality, Entrepreneurship....

2009-11-20T05:49:00.000-05:00

So far in this blog, which is my vehicle for putting down my thoughts for future book, I have touched on a few of the topics that will form part of the book; self-help, fitness, philosophy, which will all be elaborated on in future posts and of course, in the book.

Today, I would like to touch on politics and economics, or more specifically, how people should treat each other in society.

I am an avid proponent of capitalism, in fact, what is termed laissez-faire capitalism, which doesn't actually exist today, as countries that are referred to as capitalist systems, are more accurately mixed systems at best, as true capitalism means little if any government intervention in the private marketplace (other than providing rule of law to prevent fraud and violence, a critical component)while socialism, communism, theocracies or other dictatorships represent government run, or outright government owned economies.

Interestingly, capitalism is controversial and seems to have been from the outset, however one thing that everyone agrees on is freedom. As I mentioned in a previous post on exercise, there is a lot of confusion in that field, and there is at least as much confusion when it comes to capitalism.

The thing is, for me, capitalism and freedom are synonyms. Whenever someone criticizes capitalism, they are criticizing freedom per se, although they would loudly deny this. However, they can't have their cake and eat it too. Anything short of FREE enterprise means some government control of private citizen's activities, and that very simply means less freedom, period.

The very concept of individual rights, is so self-evident that I would challenge any opponents of it, to go spend a year living in a dictatorship and tell me how they feel when they get back (if they are allowed back, or lucky enough to escape).

As self-evident as it is, individual freedom, is a very recent development in human history. For the majority of man's history, he has been at the mercy of rulers, whether it has been kings, popes, or some other dictator, and the ruling has been done by force. People were always treated like beasts of burden under these systems, where they were forced to produce for the benefits of their rulers, and left enough of the crumbs to barely survive. (and to hopefully discourage overthrowing the rulers)

This has led to a series of uprisings against tyrannies, but unfortunately without the concept of individual freedom, the uprisings only seek to establish more "benevolent" dictatorships, (at least that is what the masses are told to support the uprising) but as Shakespeare has said, "power corrupts" and even the best intentions (giving huge benefits of doubt here) eventually just wind up being the next tyranny. ("Meet the new boss.... same as the old boss..." Pete Townshend)

Ruling men by force can in fact produce quite a lot, as, when threatened with their lives, people will do quite a lot to survive, however, it has one critical limitation: what you cannot FORCE people to do, is to be CREATIVE!

The introduction of individual freedoms, which started with the philosophical ideas of the Renaissance, led to a form of government, that is servant of the people and not the other way around, and includes a rule of law established not only to protect citizens from violent acts or fraud from other citizens, but as importantly, to protect citizens from abuses from their own government. Individual rights such as freedom of speech and choice of religion are often defended, but to me, the most under rated of these is simply property rights, where a person has the freedom to actually keep the fruits of their labor which are rightfully theirs. (the alternative would be slavery)

With this, the motivation to be CREATIVE began to exist, and the incredible power of the human mind and its creativity was unleashed, and the rate of progress in all fields accelerated exponentially, after several centuries of virtual stagnation during what is referred to as the dark ages.

And yet, despite the unprecedented progress and improvement in human quality of life it produced, capitalism, and freedom by extension, remain controversial. What is the moral foundation for opponents of this?

Well, here is my take on it: Capitalism is based on the premise that people are fundamentally good. Government controls are based on the premise that people are morally flawed and as such, need to be controlled.

This may sound simplistic but if you take time to think about it, no other explanation makes any sense to justify one person or group of people taking away the freedom of another person or group of people.

Now, first of all, let me clarify that when I say that people are fundamentally good, I don't mean that every single person is beyond reproach. There are of course many people who, unfortunately perform immoral acts, (a future post can explain, why in many cases, this is due to a lack of a proper philosophy where people are confused as to what is actually in their best interests) and let's face it, acts such as holocausts and other atrocities make it difficult to argue against the existence of pure unadulterated evil. However, the fundamental nature of an apple is to be sweet, juicy and nutritious, and no matter how many rotten apples may be out there (rotted by an improper philosophy?), it does not change the fundamental nature of an apple!

Secondly, for freedom to work, there must be a proper rule of law. While some will say this is a contradiction, it is not any such thing, in fact. Freedom for one means freedom for all, so our freedom does not allow us to infringe on anyone else's freedom, and (again with a proper philosophy), there can exist no true conflict between rational people. However the rule of law need not be complex or very encompassing. It need simply protect people from the initiation of force or fraud that will limit their freedoms. The proper role of government is to provide this protection, and a proper government has checks and balances to protect its citizens from any of its own potential abuses.

Now, to the idea that people do need to be controlled because they are morally flawed... it is very easy to defeat this argument even if I were to accept that people are morally flawed (which I certainly don't!).

Who is to do the controlling of these morally flawed people? Other morally flawed people?!!! If we accept that people are flawed, then where are we supposed to find the "better" (??) people who are qualified to do the controlling?

I am simply touching the surface on these concepts, and for a fuller explanation, I refer you to "The Capitalist Manifesto" by Andrew Bernstein, or "Capitalism, The Unknown Ideal" by Ayn Rand (in fact, any of the works by either of these authors, which you can find in links to the left)

Finally, I would like to present the concept that entrepreneurs or businesspeople are the heroes of a proper society. I must first give credit of course, to scientists who are the creative minds who make new technologies possible, and I will suggest they are also entrepreneurs but may not think of themselves that way.

Entrepreneurs are the risk takers who stake everything to develop an idea in pursuit of their passion for the rewards available to them under a proper system. (and while money is one of those rewards, as it should be, for many entrepreneurs it is their passion for creativity and a sense of accomplishment that are their greatest rewards) When people point out crooked businesspeople as a criticizim of capitalism, they are making a huge mistake of reasoning.... a crooked businessperson is not practicing capitalism, he is simply practicing immorality.... the concept of business is based on the concept of free trade between willing participants, pure and simple. Anyone choosing to act in a deceitful manner is guilty of fraud or force, both of which need to be outlawed (and those laws enforced) in order for a free society to function.

As a trader, I make you an offer, you either accept or you don't, after negociating, and we move on, either agreeing to a transaction, or agreeing to disagree and go seek another potential prospect....

The market dictates the value of my offering. If no one is willing to exchange the value I am asking in exchange for what I am offering, I must lower what I am asking, because by definition, my offering is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.

However, I would like to add also that while we all recognize self-employed individuals as entrepreneurs, we must realize that employees are not slaves of their employers. They offer a value, their skills, and willingness to work, in exchange for a value, the wage and/or other employee benefits offered by the potential employer.

As such the employee and employer are also traders. An employer who seeks to abuse his employees by underpaying them, will simply end up with the poorest quality employee as his competitor willing to pay more for better quality will take from him his best people, thus producing a superior product and likely putting him out of business. Remember, there truly is no conflict between rational men.

This post is, like my initial posts on other topics, simply meant as an introduction of a topic that will be included and elaborated on further, in future posts and in the book.

My passion for this topic comes from working in financial services managing financial advisors who are self-employed and earn their livelihood by using their work ethic, ingenuity and people skills, to help their clients achieve financial security, (providing a tremendous value) and in exchange for this earning unlimited income potential, personal growth and the satisfaction of helping other people to achive their goals (receiving a tremendous value!)

Working with these folks, over the last 20+ years has continuously reinforced my conviction that entrepreneurs are the heroes, the Atlases, if you will, that hold up society on their shoulders, and it has been a privilege to be associated both with them as colleagues and with many of their clients who are also entrepreneurial.

Even the clients that they have who are not business owners, share a critical quality which is the ability to be long term planners and thinkers. By definition, the more a person uses his intelligence, the more he separates himself from the animal whose perception is extremely short range, and as such accomplishes the long term goals that cumulatively form the progress of the human race.

Look forward to all comments!

In Bahamas on Cruise right now...

2009-11-17T07:20:00.000-05:00

.... so no time to write an article...(or choosing not to would be more appropriate) but thought this link to Dr. McGuff's latest post would be very informative.... enjoy... http://www.bodybyscience.net/home.html/

Exercise... quick introduction of things to come...

2009-11-14T09:27:00.001-05:00

Exercise and Fitness are extremely misunderstood.

There is an incredible amount of hype that surrounds the field making it extremely confusing to sort out what is true from what is deceptive marketing. (or just outright ignorance)

We must remember that there is no shortage of people willing to exploit people's fears about dying prematurely, and so since the days of the proverbial "snake oil*" salesmen and before... we continually look for someone to give us the magic potion that will help us live forever, whether it's the latest contraption, supplement or exercise routine, we open up our wallets willingly over and over again.

Probably as many people are looking for ways to "look good"...(see earlier post on "appearance vs. reality"), and of course there is no shortage of people willing to exploit that.

In future posts, what I will cover are:

-why 90% of what you hear about exercise is not only inaccurate but actually detrimental to your health and safety.
-why 95% of people will never look anything like the fitness models used in marketing no matter what they do.
-why the actual rewards of exercise while not as marketable are far more important.
-why overdoing exercise is something we get addicted to psychologically because we need to feel good about ourselves and impress other people, when most of what we do is unnecessary and detrimental.
-why so called "cardio" is based on inaccurate premises.
-why your exercise program should take less than an hour per week... (far less in most cases)
-why the continual achievement of goals in your exercise program will help build your character in ways that will cross over into every area of your life (your fitness program consisting of taking on and overcoming challenges and adversity is a miccrocosm of all of life)
-why health and fitness are NOT synonyms.
-why exercise per se is perceived by your body as a threat to its survival, and as such, your body seeks to protect you from this threat... so more is definitely not better.
-how proper exercise technology, like many technologies takes many years before it becomes mainstream, because of the resistance of existing misconceptions being so strong for so long. Most groundbreaking technologies from inception to mainstream, take as much as 20 years or more.

If you're impatient, check out the links of interest on the side... but look forward to hearing comments on this and other posts.

*note that the original fish oil came from sea snakes and was rich in Omega 3, so may well have been quite beneficial, but with the money being made, oil from other snakes was marketed with no similar benefits.

2009-11-11T12:04:00.000-05:00

Quck post.... just a pic from my recent competion in Toronto, 4 days ago.... note, I achieved this with less than 15 minutes of weekly exercise. (not counting walking the dogs, some ballroom dancing and taking the stairs at work)

Watching life go by, rather than living it!

2009-11-11T07:24:00.000-05:00

I read that natives used to fear getting photographed, because they believed that the camera actually stole a part of their soul which wound up on the photo.

At first, when I read this, I thought, how primitive and superstitious, but then after a while I started to wonder about this.

Before photography, and mirrors were common place, consider that most people rarely got to see their own reflection unless they happened to be staring into still water.

What I believe this caused was people who were more concerned with who they actually were, rather than who they appeared to be. With photography, film, etc., I believe we've become a group of people who have confused appearance with reality.

You will hear people say things like, I don't want to "look foolish" or dress a certain way so they can "look sharp."

Shakespeare said that "all the world's a stage", but have we become "actors playing a part", rather than actually trying to be someone who personifies values that we've chosen for ourselves?

And if so, have we actually lost our "souls"? as the natives first thought.

When someone becomes more concerned with how they appear than how they actually are, and worse, doesn't even realize they're doing that, life can become very hollow indeed.

I've heard very old people claim that you reach a certain age where one of the greatest freedoms achieved is when you actually stop caring what other people think. As a sales manager, I see many advisors struggle with fear of rejection, which is of course, an irrational concern with how they appear to others.

I use the term irrational because what people are doing when they engage in this type of behaviour is they are accepting the deception of what I believe Ayn Rand called "reality by consensus". Reality by consensus is where one believes that what "they" say makes it true. If I can manipulate people to believe I am cool, then that makes me cool. If people reject me, then I am less then. (the crux of peer pressure with adolescents, but do most people really outgrow it?)

Reality, of course, is not up to a vote. As Jack Welch's mother used to tell him, "don't kid yourself, Jack, it is what it is!" and Aristotle long before said, "A is A".

Objective reality logically dictates that causes have effects. What people do when they work on reality by consensus is they reverse the two. If I have a lot of money, the effect, that will make me the type of person who has what it takes, which is the cause. (even if that money is obtained in some fraudulent manner) If I only had Mr. or Mrs. Right on my arm, the effect, that would make me an attractive (physically and otherwise) person, the cause.

So we tend to go through life, in a state of confusion about the true nature of reality and filled with insecurities of all kinds about whether we "appear to be" rich enough, thin enough, cool enough, muscular enough, smart enough, etc. etc.

Part of this problem is caused also I believe by television and other mediums where we "watch people living". The book, "This is Your Brain on Music" by Daniel Levitin brings up an important point. Levitin makes the point in reference to music, but it carries to other areas of life as well.

He points out that the phenomenon of superlative performers being on a stage with spectators watching them is relatively recent in human history. We've come to think of certain people as performers and the rest of us as spectators.

He cites someone who spent some time with primitive tribes who encouraged him to participate in singing with them. When he replies, "I can't sing", the natives are confused about his reply thinking he has some sort of physical defect, as they are unfamiliar with the concept of "I can't sing" because in their culture, they don't have "performers and spectators".... everyone sings, and of course before television, families and friends would participate, everyone sang, or played a musical instrument and danced. The idea, that "I can't dance" or "I can't sing" really means, "I can't do this publicly because I will "look foolish" because I'm not good enough at it, for people to watch me.

So we watch our sports heroes, movie stars and talented musicians, sometimes thinking how lucky they are and how we wish we could be admired as they are. There is nothing inherently wrong with watching and admiring them, because these people give us an incredible gift by showing us what is possible for people to achieve, and the proper reaction should be for us to be inspired to go after our own goals, not to have a feeling of envy for people we mistakenly think can enjoy life on some level unavailable to us.

The truth is that most of us will not have the inherent gifts to become world class, (but we might) but all of us can live our lives much more fulfillingly by being "doers" rather than "spectators". What we can achieve in comparison to others is actually irrelevant, it is how much we can improve personally. (others should simply inspire us or we should inspire others, competition is for fun, worrying about "beating" others or being "beat" is just another symptom of worrying about how we appear.)

If we let go, of how we appear, (get our souls back!) and focus on the pure joy of doing (achieving) and "being" (how we really are rather than how we look to others) our lives will be far fuller.

We will cease to lead what Ayn Rand has called "second handed lives" (living according to what we believe are other people's expectations) where we are filled with insecurities for not meeting some artificial standard and resentment for not doing what truly makes us happy, and lead the lives of "prime movers" people who think for themselves rather than let other people do that for them...(if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything!) and who focus on being rational (not confusing cause and effect, or thinking reality is up to a vote) and as such, will feel secure, fulfilled and achieve the happiness which is, after survival, what we are all here for..... look forward to your comments and passing this on....

A History of Self Help/My Own Journey to Where I am!

2009-11-09T21:03:00.000-05:00

One of the first books I read of a "self-help" nature was "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. I believe I was perhaps 20 years old at the time. The book is a classic of the genre. I later read "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

I have said at times that those two books were written and then every other book of the genre just repackaged them and sold them under different titles. Whether that's true or not, it certainly seems like a lot of the books sometimes referred to as "pop psychology" seem to say a lot of the same things over and over again.

Some will state that they simply repeat platitudes that are obvious. While I can see why some would say that, I'm not quite there and do believe there are some good points made by this material, and I would definitely recommend the two books named above. (but don't stop there)

Later, I discovered Tony Robbins' material and what I particularly liked about him that I thought was a step forward from most material I'd read to that point, was his insistence on applying his material immediately and not just listening to it or just reading. I can still remember listening to one of his tapes where he prodded the listener, "if you're not going to actually do this, turn the tape off, put it back in the set, and give it to someone who will actually take action!" (I paraphrase from memory)

I agree with much of Tony's work, but definitely not all, but I think his greatest strength is his ability to "sell" the material and for me, in any case, convince me to actually take action.

In fact, as a result of listening to Tony, I took steps towards buying a house after a divorce when I had no down payment, by contacting a realtor to see if he could find a seller, willing to hold a second mortgage for the down payment, which I wound up doing. The interesting thing is that same realtor eventually referred me to a lady as a recruiting lead for my financial services organization. I met and eventually recruited this lady, but more importantly, I eventually married her and Lorraine has been one of the main reasons I've been able to grow in my personal life and my career, so I could literally say, as hype would have it.... "Tony Robbins changed my life!" Corny, I know, but nevertheless, taking "massive action" as Tony would put it, did lead from one thing to another to another that led to the best decision I've made in my life!

Later, I read "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. Covey made the distinction between the "character ethic" and the "personality ethic" where he differentiated between "techniques", for example on how to win trust (win friends and influence people) as opposed to actually having the underlying charater trait of trustworthiness.

I felt this was a major step in going beyond the superficiality of much of what I'd read before. I eventually read virtually all of Covey's works, and actually became certified to facilitate the "First Things First Time Management/Life Leadership" material.

Also, his emphasis on "prinicples" that were timeless, universal and self-evident went deeper than Carnegie, Hill and Robbins, and I thought, OK, here it is I've transgressed "pop psychology" to something of substance.

Along this journey, I began to engage in my fitness program, and in so doing, discovered the works of Arthur Jones, Ellington Darden and Mike Mentzer....(more on fitness in future blog, a critical part of self-development that will be integral to this blog and my future book).

Mike Mentzer's continual references to Ayn Rand in his writings seemed to me, to be besides the point in strength training material, and I patiently waded through these references to get to what I really was looking for, the actual material on exercise per.

Then one day while visiting my cousin, I noticed a paperback copy of Atlas Shrugged, Rand's most famous book, and asked if I could borrow it. Frankly I had understood little of Mentzer's references to her in his book, but he'd peaked my curiosity so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I would recommend reading her fiction before her non fiction or especially anyone else's non fiction about her or her works. (Many if not most of her critics have never actually read her material)

To say that Ayn Rand's work is revolutionary is not hype; in fact it is an incredible understatement. As a result she is very controversial as she should be, because she will challenge everything you think you know about morality and that is just the beginning.

Through her work, and Objectivists (people who ascribe to her philosophy of Objectivism) would likely wince at the thought of having her listed along with "self-help" authors, I discovered the underlying flaw in all the previous works, which is a proper moral base. The title of this blog is "Being the Hero of YOUR Life" with the word YOUR in capitals, and in my first post I talked about putting the "self" back in self help.

Altruism, the idea that the highest moral ideal is to sacrifice to others is unortunately virtually universally accepted as being self-evident, however, how can one seek SELF-fulfilment when on another level they believe that to be truly moral they should be totally selfless. In fact, if they achieve self-fulfilment, often their reward will be to be labelled as selfish, causing them to feel they've "climbed the ladder of success only to discover it was leaning against the wrong wall."

Usually and tragically, they will never get to the top of any ladder because along the way, they will be plagued by "self-doubt, where their mind's wings should have grown".....(note Napoleon Hill did not die a rich man.) Enough for today... it will take several posts to elaborate on Objectivism (a philosophy for living on earth) and of course, I will not do it justice, but will refer you to the actual works of Ms. Rand. Coming up....more on how a proper morality based on reason can set you free... as well as why you only need a few minutes of exercise a week to be in optimum physical condition and why more will actually be counerproductive....stay tuned....

Beginning of a journey

2009-11-08T08:14:00.000-05:00

This is a trial entry as I begin this blog, the goal of which is to share ideas that will eventually form part of a book that I have committed to write and self-publish by December 2011.

The message of the book, as the title of this blog says will be how to live a full life, using ideas to maximize results in all areas of life; physical, mental, financial, social, emotional, spiritual.

The underlying premise for all will be a rational philosophy encompassing the principles of reason, purpose and self-esteem. THE main distinctive feature of this blog will be the underlying philosophy which I believe is missing in all other so called self-help material.

You might say, I want to put the SELF back into self-help, and replace the rampant mysticism with rationality, so people will understand what realistic results they can achieve and, importantly, understand why they work, and contrary to the hype in this type of material, it will be a matter of showing that the true rewards of leading a fulfilling life are far greater than what is normally promised.

Stay tuned for more.... Best to all in Being the Hero of YOUR own life!!