Failure does not work

 

First we start off with the spark of an idea, we then plan and at long last we take action and the journey begins filled with all sorts of adventures and pitfalls. I’m not writing about a new adventure film or novel, the action here is all of a personal journey to make that small spark of an idea become a flame that you can share or take pride in.

So many people are within a stones throw of reaching their goal when they are set upon with what they consider to be failure. Failure is not a permanent state unless you allow for this. Failure only happens when you stop working and surrender to this brief moment and make it your status forever. My constant rebel yell is “change your thoughts and change your life”!! I once saw a cartoon in Mad magazine of a man digging for treasure. He had dug pits everywhere and found nothing, the cartoon revealed in all of the pits he was only a scoop away from finding his treasure. This is how failure works, we listen to the voices of doubt in our own mind, we allow energy vampires to suck the joy out of our work towards a goal and we become tired and fed up and quit. This is the difference between the man who finds the treasure and the man who does not. What is your goal? How do you reach it and how long will it take?? Do your work, investigate everything you can on this spark and build your fuel for your fire. Some people will try and stop you and tell you “you can’t do that!!” what they are really saying is they can’t do that and can not stand the thought of you doing it.

I make new goals all the time and for the past decade have been some of the best times of my life. Inspiration can be found in so many places, read about the efforts of the people who reach their goals and you find all of them had endless struggles to fight up hill against all sorts of odds when the fates seem to be against them. The trick is to keep on working towards your goal. Failure to me is the lack of work.

I’m working on a new CD  of original music and my goal is to make a CD that impresses me! I tried this a few years ago trying to impress other people and I regard that as a failure on my part. My aim was not on the right target,I should have made it for my taste. Lesson learned, so I am starting again. I have several tracks finished and each one I listen to again and again and If I am not moved by the music it goes in the bin. The result of my efforts this time will be a success because I have made a CD that brings me joy, if it sells and other people enjoy it how wonderful for my ego and my bank account .  Whenever I think back on my past failures each of them carry the same handle –I quit working on them!

Do the work, never give up on what you believe in and enjoy your days!

Peace and Love all!

Good bye Scale!

 

In my journey into better health I have to remind myself to watch out for anything that does not serve me along my way. Recently I added a fitbit to track my daily steps and I found this to be a very useful tool. I can see just how active or lazy I was in a given day. Do I really need to have a gadget on my wrist to inform me if I was lazy or not?, no but I do enjoy the reminder and I find I feel better when I have walked at least my 10,000 steps. Some days I don’t do as well so I might move more the next but most days I have no problem with 10,000 steps. In short its fun and useful to me, I would not be lost without it but I have it and I will take the little atta boy it delivers on a good day.

Now comes a subject touchy to many of us and I have decided today its time to step off the scale. The common bathroom scale has some valid points as a reference guide but it does not tell the whole picture. It will tell you how much you weigh at this given point in your day. I have weighed myself several times in one day (absurd when I think about it out loud) and I have seen almost 10lbs of difference in a day. Down 3lbs and I feel great,gain back a 1lb and my mood is shot for the rest of the day. I am a very sensitive person and so I have come to terms with the scale just does not serve me. I have seen so many examples where the numbers just don’t add up to what is really going on. I have added kettle bell work outs to my life and as I add muscle I am trimming down more and weight seems to be the same. Less fat more muscle, clothes are loose,I feel stronger so why should I bother anymore with this wee machine??!!

 

I have problem areas of too much fat around my stomach (love handles) but I do take a tape measure and check that once a week. Now this is a tool to pay attention to, measure your widest area around your belly once a week, men should be under 40 inches and women under 35 inches for better health. I know at one point my belly was something like 58 inches and now thanks to paleo eating and primal workouts my gut is around 42 inches. I have away to go but I am no longer going to judge my health by the number on the scale.  I feel the same way about age, If we did not have calendars what age would you call yourself? I feel very young at 50, I remember thinking that thirty was a very old age at one time, then I turned 30 and it was just another day. I look forward to improving my health  and my mental well being, so every now and then I stop and look about and see what works for me and what does not. Make a check list perhaps of your daily habits an see if they are good for you.

I’m spring cleaning my life, I no longer want to have burdens that pardon the pun weigh me down. So for me its time for the scale to go, I was going to make a big deal of when I dropped below 200lbs but I am choosing to live in the present and celebrate each day that I am doing my best. 

Wishing everybody the best in your search for what is healthy and I hope my little insights help someone out, I know I stand by the thought of challenge everything you are told and find out for yourself.

 

Peace and love all!