Rain Check

As I said in the other blog life operates in seasons. For the moment I feel for me it is time to take a break from writing to do other things. There are a number of other things that I have put aside to facilitate the time spent writing. I have decided that for this season I will focus on them rather than writing my blogs.

So I did not come to this decision easily, but feel it is the best for me. Thank you all my loyal readers it has been a privilege to be able to share with you. I will reevaluate my decision in February 2018.

Know what you know in you knower

There are plenty of people in this world who would like to tell you what to think, what to believe and what to do. In fact people like me who write blogs are doing it all the time.

However it is your prerogative to a decide what you would chose to do, think or believe. I would suggest to this is an important part of you truly becoming real with yourself and others. To develop your values and beliefs is a crucial part of maturity. If that was all that was necessary to become mature than that would be straight forward. For me however the case is not so simple as making decisions or thinking things through. This becomes of little value unless it informs your life and your actions.

I am not really just talking about conventional beliefs such as faith, morality and integrity. It can be as simple as saying a person, a place  or possession is valuable to me. Even in writing last sentence I had to change it around because I put possessions first and to me people are much more important than possessions.

1968 Ford Mustang

Now a case in point, I am a bit of a car buff. I like cars and have owned lots of cars in my time. I have always aspired to own a Ford Mustang.  They are great looking goes really well and are culturally iconic. This would be a kind of hobby, a keeper if you will, a car that you look after carefully and is precious to you. So you can imagine everybody's surprise when I made next decision.

A similar Toyota Levin

My youngest daughter is going to Europe for an extended period so decided to sell her car. A 1996 Toyota Corolla Levin that we have owned for 10 years. We bought the car with 33,000 km on the speedometer and now it has a 163000km on it. My daughter an I have spent an extraordinary amount of time in that car over the last 10 years doing things together. So I decided that I would rather have the Corolla than a Mustang because there is such an emotional connection to the car. I put my value of my family and people first,  so I find value in this car. The cars has dents, faded paint and scratches some of which I helped put there. It holds so many memories for me. So many would say this is not really a smart choice, giving up my dream, but for me it is the right choice because I can cherish it and will  keep just as it is.

No matter what anybody says to me I know I have made the right choice because I know what I value, I believe in and what I want to do. You see I had already made a choice once before and bought an iconic car that I had always wanted since I was teenager. It was great in some ways, but once I had owned it for a while I hardly ever used it because I had no emotional connection and in the end sold after a couple of years. The Levin makes me smile whenever I get into and I will just drive around the corner in just for the sheer joy it.

Know who you, are and live that way.

"All the world's a critic"

The saying goes "All the world's a critic" and to a certain extent it is true. We all have to deal with criticism in our daily lives
Some of it well done and others not so well done.
Some of it will seem to be personal attack and it may well be.
Others will feel like a personal attack but is not intentional just done by someone who lacks personal skills.

We can not control the way the criticism is delivered or the intent. All we can do is control how we respond to the criticism. Will it grow us, will it wound us, will it wound us then eventually grow us. This reminded me of an old story:

The Donkey and the Well: A Fable for Our Time

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out a way to get him out. Finally he decided it was probably impossible and the animal was old and the well was dry anyway, so it just wasn't worth it to try and retrieve the donkey. So the farmer asked his neighbours to come over and help him cover up the well. They all grabbed shovels and began to shovel dirt into the well.


At first, when the donkey realised what was happening he cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down and let out some happy brays. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well to see what was happening and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was shaking it off and taking a step up. (Shifting)

As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he continued to shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, to everyone's amazement, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

We are all going to receive criticism. Some of it we deserve, some of it we won't, but in the end it is what we do with it that counts. Will we we allow it to be a springboard to growth or will we allow it to wound us or stunt us?

So next time you feel or know you are being criticised remember the Donkey and Well. Will it bury you or will it be a stepping stone to growth. Ultimately the responsibility for your choice is yours not the critics.

Well ...........what's next?

As  a coach I spend al lot of time helping people come up with plans. However for the procrastinators amongst us,(Myself being one) this can be where we rest, if we are not careful. We feel we have achieved when we have made a plan. The emphasis is on feel. However we can not rely on our feelings, they can be deceitful. I have had to learn this lesson the hard way. We must allow the rational mind to start to at least ask some questions.

Such as: What is the the next step?



This opens up a whole new world because no matter how good or bad it looks there is ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE A NEXT STEP.




I just love Winston Churchill's great words:

"Success is nor final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts"




So what is you next step?

Look around you, there is something that can be done.

They are usually small steps, but some may feel large. If it seems too big break it down to smaller steps.

If life is bad. What can I do today, no matter how small. Can I move forward? Then tomorrow may become easier.

If I can't answer this question. Who can I ask for help that may make this next step more obvious, more achievable or just a little less lonely!

If life is good how can I capitalise on my momentum?


Well what's next for you? Remember you only have 24 hours in day. What can you possibly achieve today?

Learning our ABC's

As a coach it is important understand the cultural and technical context we function in. Our cultural and technical world is constantly changing so it becomes increasingly important that we keep up. There is a high probability that we may chose to operate within a certain societal sector or vocational sector. However I still believe however we should have a reasonable idea of what the rest of our society is up to.

Hence my statement that we need to keep up with our ABC's. 

Always

Be

Current (as you can)

This in someways seems easier said than done as you get a little older. Especially in the field of technology. Everything seems to be constantly changing and I must say I struggle to keep up on occasions with technology. The idea of having people who help you in this area makes a lot of sense. There are also times where you have to change mentors. My youngest daughter has usually taken the role for me in technology. However I have made the move across to a Mac based platform with mac computer, ipads and iphones interconnected. Which means I now need the support of my son who is the "Mac Whiz". It has proved an amazing shift having all my devices in sink. I have been a long time i phone user but have had a Samsung laptop and android tablet. This made connectivity between platforms difficult.

I must say it has a lot a freedom that I did not understand before. Because the rest of my children are high end Apple users we can now have a family calendar which is much easier to use. My youngest daughter is now going to Europe and Britain for an indefinite period, but having made this technological upgrade it doesn't feel quite so bad as we will be able to stay in touch much more easily. Now I do not claim to be a digital native but having started a new journey feels good.

When we step beyond technology and into general New Zealand, we may not agree with all that happens around us, but sticking our heads in the sand won't change anything. There is a statement that "knowledge is power," so making efforts stay current  is very useful. You can't agree or disagree with something you don't know about!

Whether we like it or not change is a constant so at least have an informed decision process while being true to who you are and and your own values.

(Written on a Mac)

One foot in front of the other

When you are working as a coach there is so much that you know that you kind of forget until you have to use it again on yourself. It is not as often when you get older that you get to try something that you have never attempted before. Something genuinely new! (Unless it is technology)

Well I had that experience this weekend. A really close friend of my daughters who we look upon as part of the family, another daughter if you will, asked me to take her wedding as the celebrant. This was something I had never considered before, but felt that it was the right thing to do. So I decided to give it a go.

I had had some experiences that were going to make this task easier than starting from scratch. So it became a matter of drawing on those experiences to help me in the situation. The first thing I had to do was actually go through the legal process of becoming a wedding celebrant.This was a matter of just working through the the procedures that were necessary.

I have literally just completed Loree's wedding and we had a fabulous day. Some of that was down to using the resources around me. I have a friend who is a celebrant and she was able to mentor me through the process. She shared resources and checked through preparations that I had made. I had worked through the process well by the time that the day arrived.

That is my point we need not fear new situations if we have done our preparations well. When we have done everything we possibly can going into a new situation, it helps to build confidence. This means that we have done all that can be done with what we have, before we start. For me this meant having completed a script of what I was going to say, compiling folders for my script and for the two certificates to be signed in.  Having both of the folders checked by my mentor meant that the procedures had been checked the necessary equipment had been checked.


I had done all that was possible in that situation and in the end the result was fabulous. This with all the preparations complete it just came down to using the particular skills and experiences already had to ensure that the experience was successful. There are very few situations you can not find and apply previous experience and skills to help build your confidence and prospects of success.



Previous skills and experience + sound preparation = confidence to do well.

Note I do not say guaranteed good result, just optimized conditions.

A simple kind word.

 

I was reminded the other day about the importance of our words. Words can either build up or tear down. Our words are extremely powerful they can last a lifetime for someone else either positively or negatively.

Counsellors and psychologist spend an awful lot of time trying to rectify the damage done by ill-chosen, nasty or downright evil words. It can take years to get over a throwaway line!

I recently had the privilege of spending time with my children, their spouses and my grandchildren. I was able to sow “words of life” to each of them about who they were and the qualities I so appreciated about each of them. I was so amazed at how profound the impact was of a few simple well directed words. Like water on a parched riverbed bringing forth life.

There are so many things out there waiting to tear down those you love, those you like or even those you just spend time with. You can part of the solution or you can be part of the verbal destruction out there, your choice!

It does not take much give a kind word and smile to those you love and those you meet. “I took the road less travelled and it made all the difference”. You may never know the impact your positive words have on others, but I will you tell that you will notice the positive effect it has on you!

A little SSSSSStretched?

There are times as a coach you just need to coach yourself. I am quite serious, there are times when your circumstances can appear and feel overwhelming. At present with my wife being in hospital there are a lot of little extras added to my day as well as visiting her in hospital.

If I stay with just what it looks like and feels like it is easy to get overwhelmed and want to stop. The urge to hunker down and allow the world  to go by can get pretty strong for me. There is nothing actually wrong as I said a couple of weeks ago, stuff happens, this is the essence of life.

How do we cope with the things life throws at us, things we weren't expecting?

The answer may come from an unexpected source.................Pixar. To the immortal words of Dory.

"Just keep swimming."The essence of this is a truth of life we must keep moving just to maintain where we are if we are "against the current." If we don't, we will be swept away. If we are with the current we will get there all the faster.

If you are up against it today, just keep moving forward even to hold your own. Your situation will likely change at some point and then you have even greater momentum going forward. Just remember if you stop, you risk all that you have gained in the recent past.

Just keep swimming...............Just keep swimming!

Sometimes simple is useful!

There is a lot to be said for wisdom that has been proven over time. I can testify to this from my experience this week.

I have spent a lot of my time in and out of our local hospital, after we had to rush my wife there late Tuesday night in an ambulance suffering from acute abdominal pain. It has been potentially a very stressful time. I have been able lessen, but not eliminate my stress by following these simple but profound wise words. 

They come from what is commonly called the Serenity Prayer, which goes like this.

What this has enabled me to do is to focus my emotional and mental energy on the things I can change. Not things that may annoy me, make fearful or angry that are beyond my ability to effect from my position. This was not always easy, but proved a fruitful process for me and my wife. Giving full energy to the things I could do to improve her and my position in this difficult situation.

Yes, she is on the improve at the moment. Thank you.

Sometimes simple is useful!

How wet can you get?

This weekend Auckland had the most amazing weather. We had a “weather bomb” of intense rain. The rain was torrential for 3 days, which is unusual for our part of the world. Parts of the city and other areas in the North Island flooded and were cut off.

 

This sets the scene for a decision making process. I have lost 12 kgs since August last year and have been around my goal weight for about 3 months. I maintain my weight by checking it every day, watching what I eat and walking. Now with the weather it made a small dilemma was I going to walk or not. Now the easy answer is to not to walk. I mean why would you?

There certainly weren't this many people out there!

Well the answer to that is I can’t afford to be put off by the weather with winter coming if I want to maintain my weight where it is. So it comes down to the basic statement as my wife put it “once you’re wet you are wet”. Basically when you are soaked to the skin you can get wet no further and in that rain it did not take that long to achieve that status. So the dog and I went out for a walk for 50 plus minutes.

 

So what is the point of all this:

·         You can’t allow unforeseen things to stop your plans.

·         To achieve your goals you will have to put up with undesirable circumstances and being uncomfortable.

·         These circumstance will tell how important your goal really is to you.

The good news for me is my weight is still within the range I am happy with. I didn’t melt and being wet was nothing that a hot shower and dry clothes didn’t cure afterwards

Stuff happens.

There is a saying that goes “stuff happens,” which is true. A lot of things that happen to us good and bad we just weren’t expecting. Most of the time this event is not the only determinant of what the final result may look like. It is how we decide to deal with it.

Here are 2 simple thoughts:

React or Respond?

Reacting can be as simple as a “gut” call, something instinctive. Often an emotional response as something just happens. From here we may get overreaction when everything can get out of hand quickly. This is not always the way but we run the risk of things turning pear-shaped pretty rapidly if we are not careful.

So what is responding it can be as simple as taking to take a breath and look at the issue from a bit of time distance. Which may be as little as minute or as long as it needs to take the emotion sting out of the situation and respond with the rational mind. This is hopefully a wise place, but no guarantee, you can take all the time in the world and still make a dumb choice!

Problem orientation or solution focus!

It is all about the focus. Where is your mind focussed; on the problem itself or potential solutions to the problem.

When we focus on the problem we can go round and round in circles looking at this issue. Sometimes we get into the blame game and start look something or someone to blame for the problem. Now as a starting place these may have a useful life span of about 5 minutes then after that we just get bogged down, taking huge amount of energy for little viable gain.

If we are solutions focussed the problem just provides the parameters and the solution is where the energy goes. We end up with choices or at least an understanding of why may have only one answer even if we don’t like it. It engages the rational mind into the process and opens up communication, which is always useful.

So when stuff happens, not if stuff happens, you can chose to react or respond. Then chose to problem or solutions orientation. The choice is in fact yours, this is your point of power stepping, away from being victim into the assertive.

Which will you route take? It takes practice but it does work.

 

Valu-able

One of the current trends in coaching and some counselling is the discovery of personal values  which you build a lifestyle framework upon. I personally like this style of planning, living out of your values makes perfect sense to me.




So when it comes to making choices and decisions on of the top priority questions is how does this fit with my values. Do I have to compromise what I believe in.

So the identification of ones values becomes key to forming your framework.

The basic question is what do I value? They may be as varied as appreciation and wealth. This will mean the we value appreciation of ourselves but we also appreciate others. So our decisions on a daily basis will mean that we show appreciation of others as much as possible, it also means that we seek out people who appreciate us. If we were to look at wealth. We might make decisions on how does this effect our existing wealth or will it make us more wealth. We may respect and appreciate people who are wealthy.
Sometimes some of the values would appear to be very similar such appreciation and recognition. The same to have the same basic concept but to me the subtle difference is that appreciation is a private process while recognition may be a more public validation.

So what would be the benefits of this process? There are a couple of key ones for me:

1. This tends to a holistic process that can be overlaid over most aspects of life.
2. It is a process that means we don't have to ruled by our emotions or desires. We apply rational thought to our decisions.
3.  Most the identification processes tend to rank the values in top ten or top five order. This allows you to prioritise decisions when values may appear to be competing. For example when you might value wealth and integrity and your opportunity requires you to bend the rules or law a little. There is a clash of values. So which do you value most your integrity or acquiring wealth. Different people come up with different answers depending on which of the values holds a higher personal standing.

As I said I find this a great way to do life and make decisions it allows to maintain my inner self respect and balance more easily.

The new three R's

Our times are full tension, pressure, hustle and bustle. We are not going to survive well or for long if we can master the new 3 R's. What are they you may well ask, I better know if I am going to learn the them.

I think they are rest, relaxation and refreshment, if we can not learn to master our down time it will disappear like a puff of smoke.



Stop before you drop!!

We live in an age of excess high speed, adrenaline charged activity in work and in play but is that the whole story. Much of this will stimulate the body and the mind. Some may be eager to escape our problems or occupy our mind with something other than what we normally do from the highly charged to the most mundane.

But is this activity the essence of how we are designed? Are we designed live on the edge constantly? Is going till we drop, then collapsing the heart of rest relaxation and refreshment. I think not because these activities are designed to bring life not just survival. We can exist in this frantic mode for a while, then we begin to self destruct.

We need to develop a new rhythm of life that brings life in a way that is sustainable. I am not against activity that gets your adrenaline going. I personally love motor racing, but I don't believe it can be the whole story.
Lets look at the definitions of these words and see if they enlighten us:

Noun: Rest

1.the refreshing quiet or repose of sleep:

a good night's rest.

2.refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or 

labour:

to allow an hour for rest.

3.relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs.

 

Noun: Refreshment

1.   the act of refreshing or the state of 

being refreshed.

2.   something that refreshes, especially 

food or drink.

. Noun: Relaxation

1. abatement or relief from bodily or mental work, effort, application, etc.

2. an activity or recreation that provides such relief; diversion; entertainment.

3. a loosening or slackening.

4. diminution or remission of strictness or severity.

 

I believe there are some major keys in here and each is slightly different.

Rest is about allowing regeneration of the body and mind to happen. Most common in sleep but also other ways, 
just being still and quiet brings a new dimension in a noise soaked world.

Refreshment is about connection and community with friends and family. We were designed to be in community food and drink can be wonderful focuses that allow us to enjoy each other in a healthy way. Notice I am not talking about excess.

Relaxation;  just doing it different: the hobby, the garden, the club, the sport, the pastime or the activity that simply brings life.

How are you going at mastering the new 3R's?.................it could save your life. 
 

I had a plan but..................

As a Life Coach I spend a lot of time working with people to identify vision, make plans and walk them through periods of life. If it always worked out every time, life would be simple. However most things don't go off without a hitch, no matter how well we are coached or planned. Now when that doesn't happen we must engage a skill that can't really be taught. It can be encouraged and coached, but it must be learnt by practice.

That skill is called resilience. Those who succeed have it spades.

The ability to overcome despite the odds, to keep going when it gets really hard. To keep trying experimenting until you get it right. Sounds easy, but so difficult to do and not be discouraged and finally give up. The difference between the winners and the losers. Notice that I used the term loser not beaten. If you are beaten you finally succumb to an overwhelming force, circumstances or situation. Most of us however just give up because we more uncomfortable then we are prepared to deal with. We decide the prize, the vision or final destination in our opinion is not worth the pain. We lost our will or our drive to succeed.

The only way to acquire this skill is the hard way. Through practice, in fact overcoming one day at a time, reaffirming each day that the prize is worth the pain.

So keep practicing with the little things and celebrate your successes, large or small learn to overcome adversity on a daily basis. You never know where you could end up.

Superbowl 51 Magic

I've just watched one of the all time great games of American football in The 51st NFL Super Bowl between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. It was to coin a phrase a "Game of Two Halves". The half time score was 21-3 to the Atlanta Falcons, while the final score was 34-28 to the Patriots. At one stage it was it was 28-3 to the Falcons.

Tom Brady: First Quarter Back to win 5 Super Bowls

The Patriots took their chances and took their half chances to see them through in the final quarter to a 28-28 tied game at full time. For the first time in history  a Super Bowl final went into overtime. Tom Brady led his team home in extra time. As with the All Blacks, the game in this case is played for the full 60 minutes and you have to be 70 minute team to be great. When the Falcons were tiring the Patriots were driving forward, it made all the difference.

So as an observer what do I take from this Fairy-tale ending.

1. The game is not over till it is over.
2. Well practiced skills and experience are vital assets.
3. Most things are team activities very few people win on their own.
4. We need to seize the opportunities and chances we are presented with.
5. Strong leadership matters.
6. It is as much about mental fitness as physical fitness and in any endeavour if we are going to make a long term difference, we need both.

These skills are as much needed in life as on a playing field.

And so the dominoes fall

I find it funny when a friend of yours will say something in a conversation that makes quite an impact on you, because it starts you thinking and they have no idea about what they said.

I was chatting to a friend of mine who runs marathons about my decision to change to walking rather than keep running. She said "Oh I read that in your blog and it is probably more sustainable long term. As a coach it started me thinking about sustainability. We make so many decisions and plans that are not fulfilled because we don't take into account sustainability. How sustainable is this plan or idea. More to the point how does this effect practice and plans that already exist in how lives. This is like the domino effect when one thing changes it has a carry on effect to other things around it! And so the dominoes fall.

I will use the running/walking as the example. When I came back off the cruise boat, I was on holiday, so the decision to run/walk was not under much pressure. Because I had more time. However when I went back to work I needed to find an extra 50-60 minutes in my day  4 or 5 times a week if I am going to sustain this new activity. Easier said than done. What do I need to consider............... well I still have to work, maintain relationships, do chores and not to mention write two blogs a week. Is this sustainable??

 

The before this new decision traffic!!

Well the answer is yes. I chose a time that would have the least impact on any other activity. That centred around when I get up and go to work. If I leave work at 6.00am it can take me between an hour to an hour and a half to get there. To do that I get up at 5.10am shower get ready and leave. So what I now do is get up at 4.55am get my walking gear on and in the car by 5.05am. Then my trip is between 50-55 minutes. Which means I arrive at work at 6.00am, warm up and be on the road by 6.10 walk for 50 minutes. I am lucky to have a shower at work so I can have had breakfast and showered by 7.30am ready to go at my normal work time. I get up only 15 minutes earlier, have a much easier commute and I am fitter and healthier to boot.  

 

The after this new decision traffic............. a no brainer!

The flow down effect is good all round. It is sustainable in the foreseeable future. It only came by looking at the big picture. Where was this likely to cause the least  flow on effect to make the chances of sustainability higher. Then the dominoes may wobble but probably not fall.

 

Next you have to make a lifestyle decision check its theoretical sustainability first. Then experiment should be less frustrating and  probably more effective!!

An assumption???

I don't know about you but there are times when you get things in your head that "I don't like this or I am no good at this and that is that." It doesn't matter how much anyone tries to persuade you that it's not true it makes no difference you won't budge.

I have had one of those for years and strangely it is about walking any distance with my wife. She is a very quick walker and I have always found it uncomfortable to keep pace with her. So I have avoided to process wherever I can. I have no problem running, but dislike walking intensely. Well as I talked about in one of the other blogs I have just come back to running after over a decade away. I felt this was an okay thing to after spending virtually an hour a day in the gym on a treadmill, walking or on a static bike for 35 days on a cruise. This was just to make sure I didn't put the 10Kg back on I had just lost with the rich ship food. So I came off the boat aerobically fit, so I thought I should be okay to run.

So far I have had no injuries.  I have had a chequered past as far as running injuries go. One put me out for 9 months and the last one put me out all together. When I run lately I must admit I am a little paranoiac with little twinges here and there. This weekend I developed a bit of a cough so I decided that it might not be a good idea to run. My conclusion was that I would walk for 50 minutes.

So off I set "power walking" along and to my surprise I was moving quiet quickly and with relative comfort. All my prejudices seemed to be invalid. I came to the conclusion it was just because I was so much fitter and had been stretching for a month and half. So instead of running the "Round the Bays Fun Run" I have decided to walk with my wife and daughter. I would not have even considered this a month ago.

I remembered reading a book called "Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager" which talked about challenging our assumptions. I realised that was what I had just done. I had assumed that my situation and circumstances were still same. This was not the case; I was a lot fitter and I have been stretching and involved in walking and running for over two and half month. So my assumed constraint that I found it difficult to stretch my stride was no longer valid. I had prepared for this walking in a way that had never happened before.

What the things in your life that you are not attempting because of past history, old data that may not now be valid? Think about it! You could be on the verge of a breakthrough and not know it!!

Hidden treasure

Our neighbourhood has had a little bit of infestation of rats  running around in the neighbourhood gardens. This has proved a little challenging to us and our neighbours.  We personally decided to get rid of our compost grass clipping pile in case it provides a place for the rats to nest. I am pleased to report that there no nests!

Now this compost pile was well established so represent an enormous amount of work moving it. At first it looked quite daunting, it was no small pile. As I started to dig it out and remove the grass and other vegetation. I started to realise that in the bottom of this pile was rich compost soil. What began as just hard work became a new resource, in the end it is all about perspective!!

This has enabled to us to repair parts of the garden and lawns and spread a layer of rich compost across the gardens,  allowing us to turn something that felt like a negative into a positive. Because of the change of perspective I looked at the whole back garden with new eyes and removed large chunks of the planting we had and were unhappy with. As a result we will have a complete new look garden in the coming spring with the new rich soil to form the basis.

Sometimes in difficult or even unpleasant tasks there can be hidden treasure if you look for it. For us it was a complete rethink of our garden from a simple task that wasn't much fun initially. All sorts of things can bring new vision and hope.....................................Keep your eyes open!!

keep your on the ball!

You know when you have one of those moments when you see yourself clearly. Well I had one of those  about five and half months ago. I was given an a photo of myself and I  noticed that the stomach overhang over the belt was far more extensive than I had believed.  I had a  healthy case of denial about my weight and what I looked like.

That has set me off on a weight loss programme which has resulted in me losing 10kg or 22lbs. This trimmed down version of me puts me into the my doctors  target weight zone for my age and height. Which is great. This took about 3 months to lose the target weight, actually when I have settled, I am about 2kg lighter than my original target.

Now as anyone who has ever been on a diet or weight loss programme knows, losing is one thing maintaining that loss is quite another. I have maintained this target for about two and half months, so that is good so far. Part of that time we spent 29 days on a cruise boat. Now you may say, so what! Which would be fair, if the statistics didn't suggest that the average person puts on 5kg on a 12 day cruise. We were on the ship far longer with the rich food and a high quantity of food!

So what have I done differently, I have as title suggests I "kept my eye on the ball". I have lived intentionally with my weight target and my value of enjoying life. I weighed every day that was possible, so nothing got too far out of hand. I had set my upper limit that was acceptable for my weigh gain, which I did hit once. I also started a fitness regime with step counting and exercise, to help support my goal. When I came back from the trip, I was far fitter than I have been for ages and at the weight I left with. With this in mind have decided to take up running again which I am really enjoying. Well at the speed I run, I think the official term is jogging. I am going to do some fun runs!!

Auckland Round the Bays Run

Sometimes we have to keep the things that are important and valuable to us to the forefront of our thinking then they don't just get lost in the busy times. To get or maintain what we want we must live intentionally. I don't have this all worked out, but there is certainly some great personal learning in here for me!




What have you lost sight of that if you are honest is actually something you value and/or is important to you?

 It is not too late to change. Take back your lost ground, one day at a time.