Tag: optimism

Last week I completed my fourth consecutive physical transformation challenge!

I wrote about the previous ones over the last year and a half.* All have been under the guidance of Body for Life fitness legend Bill Phillips, and his wife Maria, with personal coaching from Scott York.

The results have been spectacular!

I'm an athlete!

I’ve released about 60 pounds, packed on about 15 pounds of muscle, dropped at least one pants size, lost several inches off my waist, have made daily exercise my new habit, have a new eating plan, and feel like a new man.

While it’s taken commitment, persistence, and lots of perspiration, I have done it and am continuing to do it. I feel younger and stronger than ever.

I’m the new Hercules! (Or maybe one representing AARP.)

AARP's Hercules

Working on age 61, I may be in the best shape of my life since I was a teenager in high school training to become the world heavyweight boxing champion. (It was 1970 and I was so young.)

I don’t want you to think it was a breeze to get here, though.

During the last twelve week challenge, I found myself slipping.

I wrote the following for myself and the others in the same challenge as me:

A message to all those who have stalled or stopped…

Recently I had to reactivate my intention, goal, and purpose.

After being in three programs, and eight weeks into my fourth one, I started to get comfy. I looked back and realized I had released 50 pounds, added 15 pounds of muscle, dropped a pant size, made exercise a locked in habit, and heard praise from people like my personal doctor, who says he has known me for 15 years and has never seen me look so healthy.

I figured I had achieved a “good enough” stage of fitness.

Somewhere in there I got relaxed and let my eating slide. I never pigged out, but I’d give in to temptation now and then. It’s easy to do, as I live in a test kitchen and my wife is on deadline with her cookbook. Foods are everywhere and so is the hypnotic scent of fresh baked meals. Even though it’s grain-free and sugar-free, it still has calories. It still counts. I’d eat a little anyway.

I didn’t think much of it.

But then I took my 8 week photos and scale weight.

Shit.

I didn’t like that there was no change AT ALL.

I felt like a failure.

That’s when I had to regroup and recommit.

To me, motivation (mindset) is more important than ANYTHING else. When you have made a decision and commit to it, nothing will stop you. Any diet will work. Any exercise will work. Of course, what Bill and Maria teach is the best. But without mindset, you (or I) won’t do anything. We will simply give in to whims and temptations and instant gratification.

So I reviewed my goals and decided I was NOT going to stop or stall.

I thought about the payoffs for being even slimmer, stronger, and healthier: increased self esteem and inner power, inspiration to others and myself in the world, the chance of accomplishing something BIG in the area of fitness, etc.

I recommitted to my 12-week goal and my lifetime goal.

Instantly I felt better.

By the next morning I felt renewed strength.

My workouts, which have always been intense, are even more on target.

When my wife offered me a dessert she just made, I politely said no. She didn’t bat an eye and honored my decision.

Right now I’m wearing a muscle shirt. It’s tight, so my stomach shows, but so do my biceps. And they are something to behold.

I’m posting this to remind each of us that we CAN achieve our health goals. It begins with a decision, and then ongoing commitment to it, and every day action. Having support (which we have here) is priceless, as big dreams are easier when you have people rooting you on.

I’m back on track.

Join me?

After I shared the above, I made a decision and turned on the afterburners to my commitment to fitness.

I completed the challenge.

The results speak for themselves.

I don’t know what your own personal goals are, but I’m pretty sure you can achieve them, too.

Why not go for it?

Expect Miracles!

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – I fully endorse Bill Phillips. I am not an affiliate for anything he offers (he doesn’t know I’m writing this) but I fully recommend all of it. For more details, see  http://www.transformation.com/ or send an email to [email protected]

* My previous posts about Bill Phillips and my Transformation progress:

March 1 2013 http://blog.mrfire.com/transformation-on-demand/

May 16 2013 http://blog.mrfire.com/transformation-update/

October 22, 2013 http://blog.mrfire.com/transformation-part-three/

May 1, 2014: http://blog.mrfire.com/transformation-part-4/

I thought you might like to watch my first full scale music video, based on a song I wrote that was nominated for a Posi Award (the Grammy’s of positive music), off my album, Strut!. Please enjoy and share…

Click to read book for free

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“None of your books work!”

“None?”

“None!”

“I’ve written over 50 books. You’re saying not a one of them works?”

“Not for me.”

“Decades ago I attended a seminar that was supposed to be a turning point in my life. I thought it was a waste of time. After it, I met with a friend who pointed out that the seminar was designed to get results, and that it was getting results for others, so maybe it wasn’t the seminar, it was me.”

“Are you blaming me for your books not working?”

“I”m suggesting that you may have some issues about what I teach, and those issues will see to it that the books don’t work.”

“So you’re saying if I believed they would work, they would work?”

Expanding my beliefs, I'm now Saxman Joe

“Kinda.”

“So you’re putting all the work on me?”

“Well, I wrote the books, but I can’t do the work for you.”

“You’re like all the other authors!”

“If they are offering you methods that work, and they work for others, but you insist that they don’t work, then it seems logical that the issue is with you, not the books.”

“But others agree with me and say your books don’t work!”

Miracles Manual Vol 1 and Vol 2 now available for free

“Of course. I’m sure there are people who believe like you, and you are of course attracting them to you because of your shared belief, but there are many times more people who believe the books do work, and they are attracting evidence to support their beliefs. Both camps are proving the Law of Attraction.”

“Screw books! I’ll wait for the movie.”

“You mean like The Secret?”

“Saw it.  Didn’t work, either.”

“Have you ever thought that the common element in all of your complaints is you?”

“So?! I don’t want to change!”

“Ah. There’s the core of it!”

“Huh?”

“You don’t want to change, so of course nothing will work for you. You’ll see to it that it doesn’t.”

“That’s nonsense!”

Best book on Law of Attraction (The book that got me invited into the movie The Secret)

“In truth, you don’t fear change, you fear the unknown. If you knew change would be good for you, you’d welcome it.”

“But I’m tired of people saying I can have it all.  I can’t!”

“You just affirmed your own limitation.”

“What?”

“You said you are tired of people saying you can have it all and that you can’t have it all. That’s the belief that is creating the reality of nothing working for you. It’s actually all working — to give you exactly what you believe.”

“My head hurts.”

“You are just wrestling with a new view of life that doesn’t yet fit your current view.”

“So what do I do?”

“Read one of my books but this time apply it as you think ‘Maybe this stuff will work for me after all’.”

“It’s that easy?”

“Simple is probably more accurate a word.”

“What should I read?”

“I have numerous free books. Maybe Attract Money Now or pick up either Volume One or Volume Two of The Miracles Manual or if you want a quick read, look at The Abundance Manifesto.”

“Those are all free?”

“Yes. But I have numerous books you can buy at Amazon, too.”

“Free is good.”

“I thought so.”

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — The fastest way to create change is with the right help. Consider Miracles Coaching.

PPS – Volume 1 and now Volume 2 of The Miracles Manual: The Secret Coaching Sessions are still free for you at http://www.MiraclesManual.com but if you prefer the Kindle version to read on your iPad or Kindle or other device, it’s now available for you (for only .99) at —

US
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KGY70L2
UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KGY70L2
CANADA
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00KGY70L2
SPAIN
http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00KGY70L2
FRANCE
http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00KGY70L2
ITALY
http://www.amazon.it/dp/B00KGY70L2
GERMANY
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00KGY70L2
JAPAN
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00KGY70L2
AUSTRALIA
http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00KGY70L2

You can also get a printed paperback version of either volume (for about $10 each) at http://www.amazon.com/The-Miracles-Manual-Coaching-Sessions/dp/1496148584/

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One of my greatest passions and ongoing commitments in life is Operation Y.E.S. (Your Economic Solution) – a platform to end homelessness by helping people create their own economic solution.

Fortunately, I don’t do this alone.

In fact, I have some formidable partners as committed as I am. One of them is the State Homeless Coordinating Committee for Utah.

They’re on it, you might say.

Since 2005, when they enacted their Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, they’ve seen a decline of 74%.

That’s impressive.

In fact, it’s put Utah “at the forefront of the national effort to end chronic homelessness by 2015.”

Part of their success has come from their early adoption of the Housing First program, which offers housing without bias to the chronically homeless.

This means that instead of placing people into transition housing and requiring their participation in certain programs (such as for substance abuse or mental illness) before they can receive more help, Housing First recognizes housing as a basic right.

The homeless get off the streets first.

The homeless are given a place to live first.

What Utah discovered is that meeting this need increases stability – which in turn supports real change.

Oh, and it saves money — money the state (as taxpayers) would otherwise spend on emergency services and jail.

It’s a win-win.

But it’s not just the chronically homeless that benefit.

They’ve found that by focusing on this particular group it “improves coordination and planning for housing and services for all of the homeless.”

Call it a “trickle-down” effect.

Since families with children are often the victims of homelessness, I applaud this.

Unfortunately, it’s children who suffer exponentially when exposed to this kind of traumatic experience.

According to Utah’s 2013 Comprehensive Report on Homelessness, “Children are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of homelessness. Homelessness often interrupts schooling and the development of positive peer and mentoring relationships. Homeless children frequently experience dangerous or unhealthy environments and may be more likely to experience homelessness as an adult.”

I believe education is a key to ending homelessness, both for the ones experiencing it and those who are not. Having faced it myself, I know that a major stumbling block resides in the many myths surrounding it.

Not surprisingly, Utah’s got that handled, too.

In their report, they identified the top four myths:

Myth #1 – People who are homeless stay homeless for a long time.

False: Only about 3% are considered chronically homeless.

Myth #2 – Most are single men.

False: Only 29% – the largest number are parents and children.

Myth #3 – The homeless population is transient, migrating to cities with the best services.

False:  Nearly 90% were in Utah when they became homeless.

Myth #4 – They are to blame for their situation.

False:  Many come from situations of abuse, illness and trauma.

In my own efforts to end homelessness and help people become self-sufficient and empowered through education, I started “Operation YES.”

With the help of Craig Perrine, we did a series of interviews with some amazing people who offered their expertise and know-how towards this mission. This series later became a manual called Operation Y.E.S.: Your Economic Solution.

Yes we can end homelessness

Essentially, Operation YES is a 3-part formula designed to help people see beyond the limitations and the traditional categories. It’s all covered in detail in the manual, but the simple version is:

1. Raise or rebuild your self-esteem
2. Think like an entrepreneur
3. Leverage the Internet

If you have a desire to be a part of the solution to end homelessness, you can get your own copy of the manual at no charge at http://www.OperationYes.com

Oh, and if you’re traveling this summer, I hope you’ll stop in Utah.

Let them know they’re doing great things there…:-)

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — If you prefer a printed copy of “Operation YES,” it is available at Amazon for a small investment: http://www.amazon.com/Y-E-S-Visionaries-Reveal-Economic-Solution/dp/1499615426/

Resource: http://www.impacthomelessness.org/resources/docs/eis/Utah-Report-on-homelessness2013.pdf

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I’ve written about signs before.

I’ve explained that there are “flags” in life that give you clues to move forward, pause, or stop.

Green signs or flags mean keep going, yellow signs mean slow down and reflect, and red flags mean stop.

I look for signs all the time, to confirm my direction, or to warn me to reconsider, or to come to a complete halt.

These signs can be anything, from a line in a book to a street sign with a double meaning to a dream to a statement by a friend or from a movie character, or anything else.

But what if the sign is you?

Yes, you.

Let me explain with a story…

Saxman Joe (Art by Mike Denning)

I’ve been practicing the saxophone this year and loving it.

So far I have three vintage saxes: an alto, tenor, and baritone.

I know that Selmer made some highly collectible horns for around twenty years. They are called Mark VI and the prized ones have serial numbers from 53201 to 236000. They are considered the Holy Grail of saxes.

While I have two Selmer vintage saxes, I don’t have a baritone sax (which is what I play) from that specific golden era.

But one showed up on eBay.

Collectible Selmer Mark VI Bari Sax

I stared at it, researched it, considered it, wrote the owner a few questions about it, and more.

I also double checked the serial number on the sax to be sure it was from that magical Selmer period.

It matched.

But I couldn’t bring myself to buy it.

That troubled me.

I kept meditating on the purchase, cleaning internally on any doubts or concerns or uncertainties, but I couldn’t get a resounding yes to actually buy it.

I constantly looked for signs to buy it.

Nothing.

And – believe it or not – I even tried to force a sign from the Universe by consulting an I Ching app, an angel app, and a Magic 8 Ball app.

All said no.

Those were silly apps, I thought, so I was willing to dismiss them.

But I couldn’t.

They were signs.

But the biggest and strongest sign I was getting was from me.

And that sign was also saying no.

I kept feeling — for some unexplained reason — that I shouldn’t get this saxophone.

But I wanted the sax.

I could afford the sax.

I knew the sax was pristine and collectible. Even at the seller’s opening asking price of $10,000 (and his appraised price of $15,000), I could rationalize investing in it. The horn would only go up in value.

But my whole body wouldn’t let me go there, to actually buying it.

First Sax Album Coming 2015

I even got to the point where I typed in my bid on eBay, trying to override all the signs, but as my finger hovered over the key to make the $10,000 bid a permanent contract to buy the sax, my body said “No.”

What!?

It was strange.

My mind said yes – at least part of my mind – but the rest of me said no.

I was confused.

But I knew to trust the signs.

When you don’t trust the early warning signs, you can end up regretting something.

Since the sign was me, and it/I was saying “red flag,” I passed on the sax.

I trusted that it wasn’t for me, for reasons I may never know.

The auction ended.

I watched someone buy it for $10,000.

Gone.

Sigh.

What happened?

I had attracted the sax into my life for a reason, but apparently the reason wasn’t to own it.

So what was the reason?

Over the next day, I reflected on why I wanted that sax.

My 1952 Selmer SBA Baritone

As I meditated on it, I knew that the case the sax came in was original and complete.

The case I have, for my vintage 1952 Super Balanced Action Selmer baritone, is missing the handle.

I want a handle.

So I wrote to Chadd Berry at Worldwide Sax and asked if he could get me one.

He said yes, and did.

Green light.

That was a great sign.

I also realized that the sax for sale came with a metal mouthpiece.

I’ve learned enough about the sax to know the sweet sound comes from the mouthpiece, the reed, and the player. The sax itself just amplifies the sound, which you manipulate mostly with the keys. Some sax players spend a fortune on collecting boxes of mouthpieces, desperately looking for the right one for them.

I wanted a metal mouthpiece.

I did some research, determined one that could work for me, and ordered a gold one.

Green light.

That felt great, too.

Getting the gold mouthpiece (as well as the case handle) was easy, effortless, and almost instantaneous.

That’s how this process is supposed to work when all the flags are green.

And guess what?

I now felt complete.

It’s almost as though I were drawn to the sax on eBay to more deeply connect to my inner compass, and to further my sax playing by getting a metal mouthpiece, not an entire sax, to improve my playing.

For the record, both pieces arrived and work perfectly.

The vintage case is easier to look at and carry with a new handle, and my sax playing is smoother and easier with the gold metal mouthpiece.

And rather than spending $10,000 (or more), I spent less than $1,000 and got everything I needed.

The lesson here, as I see it, is that you have to pay attention to your entire energy system.

If your mind says yes but most of the rest of you says no, that’s a sign.

Explore it.

What is it here for?

Question it.

What could it mean?

Trust it.

You are the sign.

Trust you.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — A great way to fine tune your inner compass is with a trained objective person. Maybe see Miracles Coaching.

PPS — My favorite modern sax player is Mindi Abair. I’m going to have a private sax lesson with her tomorrow, which I am very excited about. She plays the alto sax rather than the baritone, but boy can she play! Her new album, Wild Heart, is a jazz-rock-sax masterpiece. Here’s a taste of her sound from a live performance a while back:

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