FEB 25 Shooting for the Moon

Hello Journal & Friends,

I've been busy the last few days making plans, lists, reservations... I have a new short-term goal, and I think it will recharge my batteries, help me focus and offer me the incentive of a reward.

There is a saying I love, by motivational speaker Les Brown... I've actually quoted it often:

"Shoot for the moon. 

Even if you miss, 

you'll land among the stars."

My family is gathering this September in Southern California. My Dad is 89 and not doing too well, and we are all going for a visit. While there, we'll do the typical siteseeing (think... Mouse ears!). And since all I remember from my last out of town trip 7 years ago was the terrible physical pain of it, I am determined to make every day of these 6 months til the trip count.

I thought I was going to miss the gathering... it had been originally planned for around February. No way could I have gone then. I just wasn't physically able, and Jim couldn't get off work.

Well, now Jim is having to take early retirement in August, and the gathering was rescheduled for September. I have 6 months to get Lighter and Stronger! That's my goal. Lighter and Stronger... which translates to Healthier. :-)

I wrote down a list of exercises to do, and I tried to guesstimate how much weight I could lose. And I figured that if I aimed for it, no matter how close I came to those goals, I would be closer than if I did NOT have a goal. 

And then I got frustrated. :-O

And ate too much today.  :-O

I finally stopped and asked myself why???????? 

All I could see was this long list of stuff to get done every day, and it never gets done. Back to time managment issues and choices.

I can sit at the computer for hours every day, or I can get stuff done.

I'm choosing to get stuff done.

I LOVE writing my blog, reading and supporting other blogs...

But I need to choose. 

Seeing Daddy before it's too late is important to me. And to be able to go, I need to get Lighter and Stronger. At least 50 to 60 pounds lighter! For some of you younger folks, that would be no biggee. But I am aiming for it anyways.

So... all that to say I won't be posting as often for awhile. I will try to visit blogs... I've come to care about you all far more than I ever expected when I started. :-)

But realistically, I will need to cut back. This is not a swan song or anything... just saying I need to focus like a laser, work hard, and get stuff done.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the support you've so generously given me... and I will totally understand if you don't visit too often now... well, since I won't be posting overly often, that's a given, LOL!

I'm excited about My Big September Vacation. And it's been awhile since I was that excited about a goal. 

Altogether now:  "Goals are our friends."

From Dr Phil's book: "Change must come from totally within you. This is where the real power to create lasting results is found."

My verse for today: "Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me."

My quote for today: "If you can't afford a half hour three or four times a week taking care of the most priceless possession, your body, you've got to be sick...you're stupid!" --Jack LaLanne, at age 90

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 560

FEB 22 Circling Toon Tuesday

Hi Journal & Friends,

 

It was funny... lately I've been intrigued with circles. Concentric circles. Something about the completeness of a circle, the wholeness. And circles within circles... like our lives, with many layers and complexities.

Here is the first one I played with.

Then... I got to thinking about all of us here in Bloggyland. Some of you are more gentle and pastel...

Some of you might be more intense and dramatic...

Some are flamboyant and colorful!

Some are more blue...

Some remind me of camouflage colors, hiding, peeking...

Some are like the fantasy color purple, with active imaginations...

Some remind me of royal blue, strong and loyal and dependable...

Some are unique and unusual, definitely not run of the mill...

And some are just colorful characters, and too complex to pin down!

I'm real curious to see if anyone identifies with any of these... or do you see yourself differently??

Ha ha ha... I think I've finally got circles out of my system!

From Dr Phil's book: "The solutions lie within you."

My verse for today: "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."

My quote for today: "We don't know all the answers. If we knew all the answers we'd be bored, wouldn't we? We keep looking, searching, trying to get more knowledge." --Jack LaLanne

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 557

FEB 21 I'm A... Black Belt?!

Good Afternoon Journal & Friends,

A couple of days ago it dawned on me that I'm a master... an expert... a black belt ninja! Only I wasn't too excited about what KIND of an expert I am... 

I am an expert at Pain Avoidance. 

As I got out of bed, carefully moving to avoid making anything worse... I realized I had been doing that all my life. Both physical AND emotional pain.

The physical pain avoidance is obvious. But then there's the emotional pain. Yep, that where the Caloric Opiates come in, right? The food... the distraction... the temporary feel-good chemicals from the sugar high. Yes, I've known about this for a long, long time. But somehow, it seemed there was something new to learn here...

These thoughts occurred to me in a flash, right as I was practicing my morning Attitude of Gratitude. I was thanking God for all the times He has brought me information, ideas, corrections, new instructions, etc. And was thinking of how many times I stiffened and resisted, yet He never gave up on me. And I was feeling thankful.

And that's when this new idea hit me. I already KNEW that pain is not a good motivator. It's not good to state our goals like: I don't want to be fat and old and weak and in pain.

No... I find it much more motivating to word it in the postitive, like so: I WANT to be healthy and strong and mobile!

So, I have to ask myself: Why do I wait til I simply can't STAND the pain of something, either physically or emotionally, to get off my duff and DO something about it?

And the answer came: Some things I don't DO, in order to avoid pain. And again, other things I DO do, in order to avoid pain. 

It's all the same reason: to avoid pain. Whether physical or emotional.

Like... I finally started my latest Buns of Steel campaign to avoid the pain in my lower back and fractured tailbone. Yet... I was still resisting being consistent on OTHER exericse, because it was painful to get started. Pain avoidance.

And still, after all the times I've posted "Face Your Stuff, Don't Stuff Your Face", I tend to put off facing my issues. Pain avoidance, again.

And I even recently avoided watching a short video posted by a blogger that I highly respect. Why?? Because of the very TITLE of the post??!! 

It was titled: "Pain Is Good, Short Term Pain Equals Long Term Success" by Coach Dayne at Coach Your Mind. 

Can ya see why someone like ME, a ninja Master at pain avoidance, wouldn't want to watch that??!! Only... at the time I didn't realize WHY I didn't want to watch. Oh, I told myself "I'm too busy, I'll come back later." Uh-huh... didn't come back. In fact, right this instant, I still haven't watched it. Okay... take break... off to watch...

I'm back. And I have to say... Coach Dayne is a Secret Weapon. His blog has touched my life, and made a difference in my "mental game". You don't have to be a real athlete to glean terrific insights and strategies from him. If you haven't read his blog Coach Your Mind,  I highly recommend it, including the archives which are loaded with hidden treasure... really!!

(Image credit)

  

And his video confirmed I am on the right track, even though my first instinct was to resist.

All of my pain avoidance shows I was doing the very thing I have recently been studying: being reactive, instead of proactive. Reacting to the pain, by either DOing or NOT doing a thing... instead of taking charge and making my decisions based on what I WANT, instead of based on trying to avoid something. 

Going TO something, not running FROM something.

That's what I really want to learn... to be free from that old Pain Avoidance mentality, and instead choose to take action from a positive motivation.

So, like Coach Dayne says on the video, to overcome our barriers... to reach our goals and achieve our victories: Invite the fight!

PS: Thank you to all who asked... my Vampire Eye is getting better. :-)

From Dr Phil's book: "Change will happen because you make it happen."

My verse for today: "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."

My quote for today: "I don't care how old I live; I just want to be LIVING while I am living! --Jack LaLanne

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 556

Skeeters an' Gators!

Hidy Ho Journal & Friends,

What a weird week! 

My step-dad used to say... 

"If the skeeters don't get ya, 

then the gators will!"

Need to skip the face spackle til my eye gets better. This is day two of Vampire Eyes. :-O

Don't look if you have a weak stomach... LOL!

PS: I've had these before, though not as dramatic, and they say there is nothing to do but let it fade. Guess I'll go to church Sunday like a movie star, wearing shades!

From Dr Phil's book: "I want you to choose to feel very calm and very relaxed. Get up each morning, look at yourself in the mirror, and see yourself as the someone you will become, a person with a greater level of dignity and worth..." (right now it's cracking me up to look into the mirror!)

My verse for today: "But I trust in you, O Lord; I say "You are my God." My times are in your hands."

My quote for today: "Remember this: your body is your slave; it works for you."  --Jack LaLanne

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 554

FEB 18 Buns of Steel Campaign

Hi Journal & Friends,

 Quick update: I am feeling hopeful! My campaign to build Buns of Steel (to relieve the pressure on my tailbone) seems to be working. Thank you for the great ideas!!

True, it's slow. I AM being realistic. But after only 3 days, I can see a tiny bit of improvement, a downshift in the pain levels. I had originally thought to give it 3 MONTHS to see if it would work... so this is extremely encouraging! 

(Get it? Buns... bunny... oh well, it tickled my weird funny bone!)

From Dr Phil's book: "Make time for exercise... then protect that time. NO EXCUSES. Let nothing interfere, absolutely nothing."

My verse for today: "Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy."

My quote for today: "Too many people make excuses like I am too old, or I don't have the time, or it costs money. Then when they get sick they go to the doctor and want a shot in the backside to make them  healthy." --Jack LaLanne

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 553

FEB 16 No More!

Hello Journal & Friends,

That's IT! No more. 

I heard myself yesterday, and it was awful. I was whining and complaining and moaning and groaning... and realized that playing the victim was getting me NOwhere fast!

My low back is trying to go out again, and the pain in my tailbone area is getting worse... go to bed in pain, wake in the night in pain, wake in the morning in pain... and the tears were more from frustration and self-pity than the awful pain. As I was whining to Jim to please rub my back, I finally heard myself. Yuck!!

Then I remembered some stuff I'd been reading, and decided that's IT. No more victim. I'm going to DO something. And before ya'll nice people tell me to see a doctor... I did. And they chalked it up to the usual: Hey, you're fat. Well, put nicer than that, but it's the same thing. "It will improve as you lose weight".

Thing is... it's getting worse. Unbearable levels. Sleep-ruining levels. Don't wanna move or exercise levels. Grumpy levels. Oh poor me levels. 

So... I decided I've got NOTHING to lose by being Proactive. I wrote out a list of exercises that I hope will help, and started, that very day.

Yesterday I dusted off my Gymboss timer and my pink dumbbells!

If you missed my post about my Gymboss timer, it's great for timing interval workouts. Here's a link, and about halfway down the page, that explains the benefits of Tabata type timing in exercise. 

I also did PUSH UPS... well, wall push ups, hee hee. I saw a very large man on the tv show Heavy doing them, and thought "I could do that!" Also some stretching and leg lifts and other muscle building squeezes... you know, the glutes, where you SIT, ha ha. I'm hoping to build muscle to replace the missing cushion of fat, and ease the pain on my cracked tailbone. (Has anyone done this? Any experiences or advice about that??)

Here is part of what I read that inspired me and put my "suffering" into perspective, from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey... it was about the story of Viktor Frankl:

Frankl was a determinist raised in the tradition of Freudian psychology, which postulates that whatever happens to you as a child shapes your character and personality and basically governs your whole life. The limits and parameters of your life are set, and, basically, you can't do much about it.

Frankl was also a Jew. He was imprisoned in the death camps of Nazi Germany, where he experienced things that were so repugnant to our sense of decency that we shudder to even repeat them.

His parents, his brother, and his wife died in the camps or were sent to the gas ovens. Except for his sister, his entire family perished. Frankl himself suffered torture and innumerable indignities, never knowing from one moment to the next if his path would lead to the ovens or if he would be among the "saved" who would remove the bodies or shovel out the ashes of those so fated.

One day, naked and alone in a small room, he began to become aware of what he later called "the last of the human freedoms" -- the freedom his Nazi captors could not take away. They could control his entire environment, they could do what they wanted to his body, but Viktor Frankl himself was a self-aware being who could look as an observer at his very involvement. His basic identity was intact. He could decide within himself how all of this was going to affect him. Between what happened to him, or the stimulus, and his response to it, was his freedom or power to choose that response.

Between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose.

Frankl... began to devolop the first and most basic habit of a highly effective person in any environment, the habit of proactivity.

It means that... we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions... We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen.

Viktor Frankl suggests that there are three central values in life --the experiential, or that which happens to us; the creative, or that which we bring into existence; and the attitudinal, or our response in difficult circumstances...

My own experience with people confirms the point Frankl makes -- that the highest of the three values is attitudinal... in other words, what matters most is how we respond to what we experience in life. (end quote)

Well, there was more, but that's long enough! Time to be proactive... time to DO!

Edited later to add: I had an Angel call me. She had her own experience with a fractured coccyx, and suggested 4 different types of physical therapies I could try at home. I am so grateful I could almost cry! Only out of relief and hope, this time. Thank you SO much, You-Know-Who-You-Are!!

From Dr Phil's book: "Get off your duff and get moving."

My verse for today: "Be merciful to me O Lord, for I am in distress."

My quote for today: "Sitting around on your big fat gluteus maximus talking about the good old days... The good old days are right this second. You've got to exercise VIG-OR-OUSLY! Life is tough. Life is a challenge. Life is a battlefield... Life is an athletic event, and you must train for it."  --Jack LaLanne, at age 91

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 551