"Chase down your passion like it's the last bus of the night." - Glade Byron Addams
I've found that when it comes to doing something that matters, you need passion. You have to believe in what you are accomplishing. I think that's why so many people fail at losing weight, they don't have that passion that helps them to carry on through the stumbling blocks that are inevitable.
I recall a story that has been shared by both Dave Ramsey & Dan Miller about a study that was done in the 1960's. A group of men were paid a good wage to dig a ditch then asked to fill the ditch back in. This was all they were told to do. The next day, 40% of the workers didn't show up. The wage was doubled and they were told to dig a ditch and fill it back in. The next day, another 40% didn't show up. This comes to the conclusion that you have to have passion in what you are doing, otherwise your efforts are futile and in vain.
Come with me, join with me. Let's encourage one another and stoke the fire of passion in eachother's soul. You can succeed, I can succeed. We will overcome and become the victors we know we are!
"Follow your passion, and success will follow you." - Arthur Buddhold
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, March 28, 2008
Friday, March 07, 2008
Appearance...
"Things do not pass for what they are, but for what they seem. Most things are judged by their jackets." - Baltasar Gracian
Too many times do we judge books by their covers. I find myself guilty of this time and time again. Many times I find that I have grossly mis-judged someone, thinking one thing and finding out something totally different.
Out on my walks I like to people-watch. It has become one of my favorite pastimes. Once I even sat and wrote down descriptions of people that I saw, hoping that the descriptions would one day make it into a fiction novel I will write.
I've seen many, many overweight people in my journies. And every time I catch myself with some sort of "air" about them - some deep-seated disgust. I don't know them. I don't know their life. They could have health issues that caused the weight gain. They could have some problems at home that they thought food could solve. But I stand there, thinking like some others may think - "laziness, slovenly laziness".
That's one thing I still struggle with, self-loathing. I hate being overweight and yet this hate is not motivation to keep going. I need to find focus on something else. Self-loathing behavior is not healthy or a self-esteem builder.
I will try harder...
"Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration." - Niccolo Machiavelli
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Too many times do we judge books by their covers. I find myself guilty of this time and time again. Many times I find that I have grossly mis-judged someone, thinking one thing and finding out something totally different.
Out on my walks I like to people-watch. It has become one of my favorite pastimes. Once I even sat and wrote down descriptions of people that I saw, hoping that the descriptions would one day make it into a fiction novel I will write.
I've seen many, many overweight people in my journies. And every time I catch myself with some sort of "air" about them - some deep-seated disgust. I don't know them. I don't know their life. They could have health issues that caused the weight gain. They could have some problems at home that they thought food could solve. But I stand there, thinking like some others may think - "laziness, slovenly laziness".
That's one thing I still struggle with, self-loathing. I hate being overweight and yet this hate is not motivation to keep going. I need to find focus on something else. Self-loathing behavior is not healthy or a self-esteem builder.
I will try harder...
"Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration." - Niccolo Machiavelli
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, February 29, 2008
Impact Resistance...
"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not." - Author Unknown
This week I found a pair of sunglasses on the side of the road. They looked like they were alright so I picked them up. The arms of the sunglasses fell apart in my hands, someone had run them over with their car. All that was left intact was the lenses themselves. Neither was scratched, only one lens had a couple of chips around the rim.
Impact resistance. Something I wished I had. It's easy to get off-track when the perils and problems of life rear their ugly heads. I felt that way this month when I got in the car accident and was unable to exercise for a few weeks. The impact of that accident impacted more than my spine, it impacted who I was and the goal I was striving for.
I was angry and depressed, I used food as a stress-reliever. It had taken 30 years of training to develop that stress-coping skill, it won't unravel overnight. But I will continue to strive for impact resistance, reminding myself of that pair of sunglasses...
"Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right." - Henry Ford
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
This week I found a pair of sunglasses on the side of the road. They looked like they were alright so I picked them up. The arms of the sunglasses fell apart in my hands, someone had run them over with their car. All that was left intact was the lenses themselves. Neither was scratched, only one lens had a couple of chips around the rim.
Impact resistance. Something I wished I had. It's easy to get off-track when the perils and problems of life rear their ugly heads. I felt that way this month when I got in the car accident and was unable to exercise for a few weeks. The impact of that accident impacted more than my spine, it impacted who I was and the goal I was striving for.
I was angry and depressed, I used food as a stress-reliever. It had taken 30 years of training to develop that stress-coping skill, it won't unravel overnight. But I will continue to strive for impact resistance, reminding myself of that pair of sunglasses...
"Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right." - Henry Ford
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, February 22, 2008
Blame...
"Most people are more comfortable with old problems than with new solutions." - Author Unknown
A few weeks ago I was in a car accident. A head-on collision with another vehicle that totalled my van. It also totalled my back & neck in terms of muscle/nerve strain ("whiplash"), which in turn totalled my exercise program.
I've been reluctant to get back on the exercise journey, partially because I had fallen into old habits and had been using the car accident as an excuse. I checked the scale and it said I had gained 8lbs over the past few weeks. This is inaccurate, I couldn't have conceivably done so unless I stayed in bed all the time and ate 10,000 calories a day. I chalk most of the gain to salt, but I do believe that I had gained back at least 3lbs due to the lack of exercise.
Last night I finally looked in the mirror and said, "Dude, you need to get back on track. Stop using the car accident as a crutch or excuse. You need to do this not only for yourself, but for your supporters as well." So I did, although I am sore - it felt good to get back out on the road again. Today was my first full exercise/walking day, jogged 3.5mi walked 3.5mi and exercised for 30min.
It's easy to place the blame on something. I think that is the reason we are such a "sue-happy" society. We refuse to put the blame where it belongs - squarely on our shoulders.
Don't play the blame game. Go out and do something about it!
"Stubborness does have its helpful features. You always know what you are going to be thinking tomorrow." - Glen Beaman
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
A few weeks ago I was in a car accident. A head-on collision with another vehicle that totalled my van. It also totalled my back & neck in terms of muscle/nerve strain ("whiplash"), which in turn totalled my exercise program.
I've been reluctant to get back on the exercise journey, partially because I had fallen into old habits and had been using the car accident as an excuse. I checked the scale and it said I had gained 8lbs over the past few weeks. This is inaccurate, I couldn't have conceivably done so unless I stayed in bed all the time and ate 10,000 calories a day. I chalk most of the gain to salt, but I do believe that I had gained back at least 3lbs due to the lack of exercise.
Last night I finally looked in the mirror and said, "Dude, you need to get back on track. Stop using the car accident as a crutch or excuse. You need to do this not only for yourself, but for your supporters as well." So I did, although I am sore - it felt good to get back out on the road again. Today was my first full exercise/walking day, jogged 3.5mi walked 3.5mi and exercised for 30min.
It's easy to place the blame on something. I think that is the reason we are such a "sue-happy" society. We refuse to put the blame where it belongs - squarely on our shoulders.
Don't play the blame game. Go out and do something about it!
"Stubborness does have its helpful features. You always know what you are going to be thinking tomorrow." - Glen Beaman
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, February 15, 2008
Remembering...
"Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us." - Oscar Wilde
On the way to work I passed a marker on at street corner that marks the spot where someone had died. You see them all over the country now, little roadside altars to remind people of tragedies. Even in the bible people had created altars from rocks to mark special places, piles of rocks & whatnot so that others that passed by it would see it and remember the reason for it being there.
I kept a pair of my old jeans and an old shirt. I keep them as reminders of what once was and (God-willing) will not happen again. I keep them to refresh my memory, to remember when I used to be over 500lbs. Sometimes I put the stuff on and it really hits me on how big I really was.
We all need reminders in our lives, reminders of where we have been and also reminders of where we are headed. My mom and also a friend of mine had mentioned the recent Oprah episode with the author of the book "The Secret". I need to check on the concepts talked about the book about a "dream board" or something where you put together all the things you want in/from your life. Not a bad idea, kind of like a road map of where you want to go in your life...
"The existence of forgetting has never been proved: We only know that some things don't come to mind when we want them." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
On the way to work I passed a marker on at street corner that marks the spot where someone had died. You see them all over the country now, little roadside altars to remind people of tragedies. Even in the bible people had created altars from rocks to mark special places, piles of rocks & whatnot so that others that passed by it would see it and remember the reason for it being there.
I kept a pair of my old jeans and an old shirt. I keep them as reminders of what once was and (God-willing) will not happen again. I keep them to refresh my memory, to remember when I used to be over 500lbs. Sometimes I put the stuff on and it really hits me on how big I really was.
We all need reminders in our lives, reminders of where we have been and also reminders of where we are headed. My mom and also a friend of mine had mentioned the recent Oprah episode with the author of the book "The Secret". I need to check on the concepts talked about the book about a "dream board" or something where you put together all the things you want in/from your life. Not a bad idea, kind of like a road map of where you want to go in your life...
"The existence of forgetting has never been proved: We only know that some things don't come to mind when we want them." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, February 08, 2008
Experience...
"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." - Auguste Rodin
Got into a car accident earlier this week. I'm a little sore yet and am not ready to resume exercise yet, but I am going to start slow next week and build myself back up again. Whether a car accident, job loss, family problem, or whatever - we can use these events to gain experience.
I am gaining experience through this accident as far as how insurance claims work. What forms need to be filed, who needs to be contacted for what, lots of little behind-the-scenes details that I was not privy to before. Sure it's a downer to be in an accident or have some other bad event happen. But it's our attitudes that will either make or break us. We can wallow and refuse to learn from it, or take a deep breath and look at the event with an outsider's eye and try to gain some nugget of wisdom from it...
"Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't. " - Pete Seeger
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Got into a car accident earlier this week. I'm a little sore yet and am not ready to resume exercise yet, but I am going to start slow next week and build myself back up again. Whether a car accident, job loss, family problem, or whatever - we can use these events to gain experience.
I am gaining experience through this accident as far as how insurance claims work. What forms need to be filed, who needs to be contacted for what, lots of little behind-the-scenes details that I was not privy to before. Sure it's a downer to be in an accident or have some other bad event happen. But it's our attitudes that will either make or break us. We can wallow and refuse to learn from it, or take a deep breath and look at the event with an outsider's eye and try to gain some nugget of wisdom from it...
"Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't. " - Pete Seeger
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, February 01, 2008
Raw Materials
"Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life." - Jewish prayer
Each one of us has been blessed with the "raw materials" needed to change our lives. It's up to us to decide what to build with those materials. We can use what we have an dig a dank dungeon, devoid of light or happiness - or we can build a castle tower that stretches into the sky.
I read over that prayer and also think about an email someone sent to me that touches on the subject of having the tools to change our lives. We need to step back and lay out a plan, just as a builder draws up blueprints before he begins building. Only when we can see the finished product can we know what "raw materials" are needed to complete the project.
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Each one of us has been blessed with the "raw materials" needed to change our lives. It's up to us to decide what to build with those materials. We can use what we have an dig a dank dungeon, devoid of light or happiness - or we can build a castle tower that stretches into the sky.
I read over that prayer and also think about an email someone sent to me that touches on the subject of having the tools to change our lives. We need to step back and lay out a plan, just as a builder draws up blueprints before he begins building. Only when we can see the finished product can we know what "raw materials" are needed to complete the project.
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, January 25, 2008
Vices...
"How like herrings and onions our vices are in the morning after we have committed them."
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Have your bad habits gotten the best of you? Have you given up on your lifestyle change (or New Year's resolution) because it became too difficult? Experts say that it takes 21 days to break a bad habit or form a good habit. I keep trying to pound this one truth home - falling off the wagon is not failure - failure is not even trying.
I have fallen time and time again, gone over in calories - refused to exercise or jog, and I have beaten myself up over it. Then I get right back onto the plan and start over again. Each day is a new day to start over. Why beat yourself up over past mistakes? Start with a clean slate and positive state of mind!
"It is good to be without vices, but it is not good to be without temptations." - Walter Bagehot
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Have your bad habits gotten the best of you? Have you given up on your lifestyle change (or New Year's resolution) because it became too difficult? Experts say that it takes 21 days to break a bad habit or form a good habit. I keep trying to pound this one truth home - falling off the wagon is not failure - failure is not even trying.
I have fallen time and time again, gone over in calories - refused to exercise or jog, and I have beaten myself up over it. Then I get right back onto the plan and start over again. Each day is a new day to start over. Why beat yourself up over past mistakes? Start with a clean slate and positive state of mind!
"It is good to be without vices, but it is not good to be without temptations." - Walter Bagehot
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, January 18, 2008
Hope
"You've gotta have hope. Without hope life is meaningless. Without hope life is meaning less and less." - Author Unknown
Hope. It all comes down to hope. Hope is one of the things that drives us. Drives our passions, drives our motivation, drives our being. If we have no hope, depression & gloominess, despair & lonliness invades our very soul.
Sure things come into our lives that cause pain and depression - but we should all have that hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, a rope or ladder reaching down into the depths of our depression waiting to lift us out.
How is your hope today? Are you hoping for a better future? Set your eyes on the prize and Go For It!
"Hope is grief's best music." - Author Unknown
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Hope. It all comes down to hope. Hope is one of the things that drives us. Drives our passions, drives our motivation, drives our being. If we have no hope, depression & gloominess, despair & lonliness invades our very soul.
Sure things come into our lives that cause pain and depression - but we should all have that hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, a rope or ladder reaching down into the depths of our depression waiting to lift us out.
How is your hope today? Are you hoping for a better future? Set your eyes on the prize and Go For It!
"Hope is grief's best music." - Author Unknown
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, January 11, 2008
Nowhere...
"Gotta get away from the day-to-day, everybody knows this is nowhere..." - Neil Young
So, how's the new lifestyle change coming for 2008? First full week is behind us with another 51 weeks ahead. Are you going to be in that 20% that sticks with it, or the 80% that gives up by January 31st? Dan Miller often talks about the definition of insanity being doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. Are you in a rut? Make a change, any change, however small, to get yourself out of that day-to-day grind.
So, come on. Are you gonna make this year the best ever? Or are you going to flounder in your rut, wishing and hoping?
"It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to." - Annie Gottlier
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
So, how's the new lifestyle change coming for 2008? First full week is behind us with another 51 weeks ahead. Are you going to be in that 20% that sticks with it, or the 80% that gives up by January 31st? Dan Miller often talks about the definition of insanity being doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. Are you in a rut? Make a change, any change, however small, to get yourself out of that day-to-day grind.
So, come on. Are you gonna make this year the best ever? Or are you going to flounder in your rut, wishing and hoping?
"It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to." - Annie Gottlier
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, January 04, 2008
Self-Discovery...
"Every one of us has in him a continent of undiscovered character. Blessed is he who acts the Columbus to his own soul." - Author Unknown
http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/index.php?ntid=263791
A neat story of self-discovery. A pastor in Ohio challenged his congregation with the parable of the talents from the book of Matthew. Adults were given $50 each, children were given $10 each and had 7 weeks to double the money in some way.
Elderly people rediscovered old talents like woodworking & knitting, little kids used their creativity of origami, others were inventive by offering motorcycle & plane rides, one lady may end up parlaying her creative talent into a business (she decorated flip-flops & sold them).
Not only is this a story revolving around a biblical story with a purpose - it can be grasped by the non-religious as well. Discovering what you can offer the world through your talents, that each person has something unique about them.
I may not be the most talented singer or painter, but I like to write and produce audio/visual material. Go on your own road to self-discovery. Find out what you have to offer the world. You may be surprised at what you find!
"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it." - Buddha
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/index.php?ntid=263791
A neat story of self-discovery. A pastor in Ohio challenged his congregation with the parable of the talents from the book of Matthew. Adults were given $50 each, children were given $10 each and had 7 weeks to double the money in some way.
Elderly people rediscovered old talents like woodworking & knitting, little kids used their creativity of origami, others were inventive by offering motorcycle & plane rides, one lady may end up parlaying her creative talent into a business (she decorated flip-flops & sold them).
Not only is this a story revolving around a biblical story with a purpose - it can be grasped by the non-religious as well. Discovering what you can offer the world through your talents, that each person has something unique about them.
I may not be the most talented singer or painter, but I like to write and produce audio/visual material. Go on your own road to self-discovery. Find out what you have to offer the world. You may be surprised at what you find!
"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it." - Buddha
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, December 28, 2007
New Beginnings...
"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." - Author Unknown
So, the new year is almost upon us. New Year's resolutions are on everyone's lips, the newspapers and news programs are talking about how to accomplish those resolutions, radio DJs are cracking jokes about breaking them before the new year has started...
80-85% of Americans that make resolutions for the new year fall out of keeping them within the first 30 days. I think it may have something to do with the non-focus of the resolutions and the half-hearted promise that is made in keeping them.
Do something different this year, try something new. Make a "Lifestyle Change" resolution instead. Have a goal, make a plan to reach that goal. Track your progress on the way to that goal. Be one of the 20% that succeeds in the new year...
"New Year's Day is every man's birthday." - Charles Lamb
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
So, the new year is almost upon us. New Year's resolutions are on everyone's lips, the newspapers and news programs are talking about how to accomplish those resolutions, radio DJs are cracking jokes about breaking them before the new year has started...
80-85% of Americans that make resolutions for the new year fall out of keeping them within the first 30 days. I think it may have something to do with the non-focus of the resolutions and the half-hearted promise that is made in keeping them.
Do something different this year, try something new. Make a "Lifestyle Change" resolution instead. Have a goal, make a plan to reach that goal. Track your progress on the way to that goal. Be one of the 20% that succeeds in the new year...
"New Year's Day is every man's birthday." - Charles Lamb
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Monday, December 24, 2007
Childhood...
"Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons." - Author Unknown
Christmas eve is here. Can't wait for tomorrow morning, I am a little more excited than my son is for this time of year. Excited to see the looks on his and my wife's faces as they open presents. When I was younger, I anticipated anxiously to see what I had received from Santa - the joy of receiving was all my little heart could understand.
Now that I am older, I am understanding the other side of it - the giving side. I hope my gift to you over the past year has been encouragement, comfort, and maybe a little wisdom thrown in for good measure...
May you and yours have the merriest Christmas ever!
Happy Holidays from Matty, Brenda, Javan, & baby Vander Plow (no name yet)
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Christmas eve is here. Can't wait for tomorrow morning, I am a little more excited than my son is for this time of year. Excited to see the looks on his and my wife's faces as they open presents. When I was younger, I anticipated anxiously to see what I had received from Santa - the joy of receiving was all my little heart could understand.
Now that I am older, I am understanding the other side of it - the giving side. I hope my gift to you over the past year has been encouragement, comfort, and maybe a little wisdom thrown in for good measure...
May you and yours have the merriest Christmas ever!
Happy Holidays from Matty, Brenda, Javan, & baby Vander Plow (no name yet)
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, December 14, 2007
Progess...
"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away." - Raymond Hull
Sometimes we try to progress in ways that really cause us to regress. Like trying to fit into someone else's shoes or lifestyle, for example. We all run our own races and have our own lives. My problems and trials are different from your problems and trials. I have my own idea of what success is, and that may differ from what you perceive success as.
Wherever you are on your lifestyle journey, remember - the only person you are competing against is the person you used to be. If you can beat that person each and every day, that right there is progress.
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." - Judy Garland
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
Sometimes we try to progress in ways that really cause us to regress. Like trying to fit into someone else's shoes or lifestyle, for example. We all run our own races and have our own lives. My problems and trials are different from your problems and trials. I have my own idea of what success is, and that may differ from what you perceive success as.
Wherever you are on your lifestyle journey, remember - the only person you are competing against is the person you used to be. If you can beat that person each and every day, that right there is progress.
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." - Judy Garland
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
Friday, December 07, 2007
Chances...
"If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance." - Andrea Boydston
Ever wish for a second chance at something? Guess what? Every day you wake up, you get a second chance. A chance to start over, a chance to begin anew. Fail today? Feel like a complete failure because you stumbled into that same trap you always fall into? Again, if you wake up breathing, you get another chance to try again.
Too many times we focus on the downside of life, the times we failed, the times when we were passed over, when we didn't catch a lucky break that we deserved or needed.
Buck up little camper, tomorrow's a new day filled with promise!
"Breath is Spirit. The act of breathing is living." - Author Unknown
Matty
http://www.iweighedmorethanjared.com/
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
Ever wish for a second chance at something? Guess what? Every day you wake up, you get a second chance. A chance to start over, a chance to begin anew. Fail today? Feel like a complete failure because you stumbled into that same trap you always fall into? Again, if you wake up breathing, you get another chance to try again.
Too many times we focus on the downside of life, the times we failed, the times when we were passed over, when we didn't catch a lucky break that we deserved or needed.
Buck up little camper, tomorrow's a new day filled with promise!
"Breath is Spirit. The act of breathing is living." - Author Unknown
Matty
http://www.iweighedmorethanjared.com/
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Hiding...
"Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power." - Clint Eastwood
Here's the deal:
The other night my son and I were in the van coming up to a red light, the vehicle next to us decided to run the light. Just so happened that a sheriff was on the opposite road and witnessed the whole ordeal. The light turned green and he made his turn, I was thinking that he was going to let it go. Next thing I see is bright flashing lights as he pulled the car over. Busted.
I relay that story to the fact that you always get found out, lies fall apart, falsities are brought to light. Sometimes people weave so many lies that they begin to believe them - I can look around at other overweight people and wonder that myself. Did these people just give up on life, believing the lie that they are trapped and doomed to be overweight the rest of their lives? Who gave them that Kool-Aid to drink?
I myself need to come clean, through secret snacking and intentional over-eating I have gained 25lbs over the past year. My pattern of nervous eating, frustration eating, stress eating has crept back into my life. I admit that, and that is the first step. It came to light for me when I had to go out to the used clothing stores to purchase some larger-in-the-waist pants (went from a 42 to a 44) but I didn't want to face it. The ordeal with the sheriff rang as an alarm bell in my head.
Self-respect and honesty are important to living a life of freedom, freedom from criticism and ridicule. Being forthright is more virtuous that anything else. So here I am.
Be honest with yourself, you won't regret it...
"Self-respect cannot be hunted. It cannot be purchased. It is never for sale. It cannot be fabricated out of public relations. It comes to us when we are alone, in quiet moments, in quiet places, when e suddenly realize that, knowing the good, we have done it; knowing the beautiful, we have served it; knowing the truth we have spoken it." - Whitney Griswold
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
(more honesty - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE buy my e-Book! It's on sale for $9.95!)
Here's the deal:
The other night my son and I were in the van coming up to a red light, the vehicle next to us decided to run the light. Just so happened that a sheriff was on the opposite road and witnessed the whole ordeal. The light turned green and he made his turn, I was thinking that he was going to let it go. Next thing I see is bright flashing lights as he pulled the car over. Busted.
I relay that story to the fact that you always get found out, lies fall apart, falsities are brought to light. Sometimes people weave so many lies that they begin to believe them - I can look around at other overweight people and wonder that myself. Did these people just give up on life, believing the lie that they are trapped and doomed to be overweight the rest of their lives? Who gave them that Kool-Aid to drink?
I myself need to come clean, through secret snacking and intentional over-eating I have gained 25lbs over the past year. My pattern of nervous eating, frustration eating, stress eating has crept back into my life. I admit that, and that is the first step. It came to light for me when I had to go out to the used clothing stores to purchase some larger-in-the-waist pants (went from a 42 to a 44) but I didn't want to face it. The ordeal with the sheriff rang as an alarm bell in my head.
Self-respect and honesty are important to living a life of freedom, freedom from criticism and ridicule. Being forthright is more virtuous that anything else. So here I am.
Be honest with yourself, you won't regret it...
"Self-respect cannot be hunted. It cannot be purchased. It is never for sale. It cannot be fabricated out of public relations. It comes to us when we are alone, in quiet moments, in quiet places, when e suddenly realize that, knowing the good, we have done it; knowing the beautiful, we have served it; knowing the truth we have spoken it." - Whitney Griswold
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
(more honesty - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE buy my e-Book! It's on sale for $9.95!)
Friday, November 16, 2007
Limits...
"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do." - Dr. Benjamin Spock
Limits. We all know our limits, we know how far we can go in pretty much any situation. But do we really? Dan Miller (www.48days.com) mentioned in one of his books a story about a high jumper. A high jumper never knows how good he/she is until they trip the bar. By tripping the bar, they know their limit at that point. They know what they need to work on to get past that barrier.
Have you tested your limits? Gone back to that restaurant that you used to go overboard at? Tasted that food that you previously couldn't get enough of? Have you stretched yourself in your exercise routine to see what your body can do?
If you fall and overeat or overexert yourself, you know your limit in that area and what you need to work on. Don't be afraid to test your limits, that's the only way you'll be able to grow...
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
Matty V.
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
Limits. We all know our limits, we know how far we can go in pretty much any situation. But do we really? Dan Miller (www.48days.com) mentioned in one of his books a story about a high jumper. A high jumper never knows how good he/she is until they trip the bar. By tripping the bar, they know their limit at that point. They know what they need to work on to get past that barrier.
Have you tested your limits? Gone back to that restaurant that you used to go overboard at? Tasted that food that you previously couldn't get enough of? Have you stretched yourself in your exercise routine to see what your body can do?
If you fall and overeat or overexert yourself, you know your limit in that area and what you need to work on. Don't be afraid to test your limits, that's the only way you'll be able to grow...
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
Matty V.
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
Friday, November 09, 2007
Rest...
"We live in a very tense society. We are pulled apart... and we all need to learn how to pull ourselves together.... I think that at least part of the answer lies in solitude." - Helen Hayes
Rest. That's what I think my body needed this week. I came down with a head cold that my loving son decided he needed to share with me. I started the week doing my usual routine, feeling a little rundown but in overall good spirits. Then the cold hit. I felt like I was bogged down, like suddenly I was in a groggy fog - not feeling like doing anything. Housework has suffered, my exercise has ceased, just an overwhelming need to sleep and rest.
Sometimes I think we need that - a time to just relax and regroup. A refreshment comes with rest, a time of reflection and possibly strategy for the future. But this is not the same rest that is talked about in Proverbs:
"A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber." - Proverbs 6:10-11, NLT
The rest talked about above is that of laziness. The rest of recuperation and regeneration is different than that of lax laziness. Rest for a short time but then get back to the program. Rest is good for the body, mind, & soul in limited quantities. Any longer than that and it becomes a detriment to our spiritual, mental, & physical health...
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." - John Muir
Matty V.
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
Rest. That's what I think my body needed this week. I came down with a head cold that my loving son decided he needed to share with me. I started the week doing my usual routine, feeling a little rundown but in overall good spirits. Then the cold hit. I felt like I was bogged down, like suddenly I was in a groggy fog - not feeling like doing anything. Housework has suffered, my exercise has ceased, just an overwhelming need to sleep and rest.
Sometimes I think we need that - a time to just relax and regroup. A refreshment comes with rest, a time of reflection and possibly strategy for the future. But this is not the same rest that is talked about in Proverbs:
"A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber." - Proverbs 6:10-11, NLT
The rest talked about above is that of laziness. The rest of recuperation and regeneration is different than that of lax laziness. Rest for a short time but then get back to the program. Rest is good for the body, mind, & soul in limited quantities. Any longer than that and it becomes a detriment to our spiritual, mental, & physical health...
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." - John Muir
Matty V.
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
Friday, November 02, 2007
Mediocrity...
"Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world." - Lily Tomlin
I heard somewhere that a rut is just a grave with the ends kicked out. Do you hate the "daily grind", the "rat race", the "hum drum existence"? In our weight loss journey, this is called a "plateau" - no weight gain/no weight loss. I hate it and I am sure those that experience it hate it as well.
We need to use this time, this feeling of mediocrity as a staging for daring to change - do something great, something challenging, something out of the ordinary. If we are not comfortable or like where we are in life, then we need to make a change. Dare to dream, dare to excel, dare to fly in the face of conformity and comfort.
I rally today to plan out a break from the mediocre. You and I were destined for more than that!
"Mediocrity is a hand-rail." - Charles Louis de Secondat
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
I heard somewhere that a rut is just a grave with the ends kicked out. Do you hate the "daily grind", the "rat race", the "hum drum existence"? In our weight loss journey, this is called a "plateau" - no weight gain/no weight loss. I hate it and I am sure those that experience it hate it as well.
We need to use this time, this feeling of mediocrity as a staging for daring to change - do something great, something challenging, something out of the ordinary. If we are not comfortable or like where we are in life, then we need to make a change. Dare to dream, dare to excel, dare to fly in the face of conformity and comfort.
I rally today to plan out a break from the mediocre. You and I were destined for more than that!
"Mediocrity is a hand-rail." - Charles Louis de Secondat
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
Friday, October 26, 2007
Halloween...
"There is nothing that gives more assurance than a mask." - Colette
The above statement is true, we tend to be more confident hiding our "true" selves behind a mask or illusion for fear of being ridiculed. I've hidden behind many masks and illusions over the years, portraying myself as the "funny fat guy" or the "trusted 3rd wheel".
We all could benefit from taking off our masks, tear down our illusions, and just contemplate our own person for a while. Get to know our "true" selves, learn to like our inadequacies, our quirks, the things that make us unique instead of trying to fit in with the world.
I feel the need to do this myself. I've been putting on heirs and have been trying to be something/someone I am not to try and fit in. But I can no longer deny who I am and if others cannot connect with me because of it - so be it.
We are all beautiful people on the inside and I have faith in knowing that if we truly believe that, the beauty on the inside will begin to emerge on the outside...
"When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,May luck be yours on Halloween." - Author Unknown
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
The above statement is true, we tend to be more confident hiding our "true" selves behind a mask or illusion for fear of being ridiculed. I've hidden behind many masks and illusions over the years, portraying myself as the "funny fat guy" or the "trusted 3rd wheel".
We all could benefit from taking off our masks, tear down our illusions, and just contemplate our own person for a while. Get to know our "true" selves, learn to like our inadequacies, our quirks, the things that make us unique instead of trying to fit in with the world.
I feel the need to do this myself. I've been putting on heirs and have been trying to be something/someone I am not to try and fit in. But I can no longer deny who I am and if others cannot connect with me because of it - so be it.
We are all beautiful people on the inside and I have faith in knowing that if we truly believe that, the beauty on the inside will begin to emerge on the outside...
"When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,May luck be yours on Halloween." - Author Unknown
Matty
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
"Dead Man Walking: A Weight Loss Journey" e-Book is now on sale!
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