I Can’t Live Without My Radio
June 25th, 2009
I just recorded my first radio commercial. It will start airing on 99.1 WFMK on Monday. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!
Posted in Press | 2 Comments »
Doubt & Action
June 8th, 2009
“The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.” (Matthew 28:16-17)
These couple lines of the Gospel really hit me at Holy Mass this morning.
Here we have eleven men who spent three years following Jesus, hearing Him preach, and watching Him perform miracles; yet they doubted. They saw him cleanse lepers, forgive sins, and cure the sick; yet, they doubted. Given that these are a couple of the final verses in the Gospel of Matthew, they have even seen him raised from the dead and spent 40 days with Him at this point; yet they doubted.
How true is this attitude of all of us? On any given day, God’s love is overwhelmingly obvious in all of our lives, yet we find reasons to doubt. When he has given us another breath, another sunrise, another sunset, another day, another meal, another friendship, another experience of love, and another opportunity to praise Him, we are still quick to say, “Yeah, but…”
What this passage tells us, though, is that our doubts are completely normal. They are part of the process when growing in natural and spiritual virtue. Many people feel guilty in the spiritual realm when they experience doubt. In the natural order, doubt can lead people to give up on their dreams by making them believe they are a sign they are not really supposed to do what they set out after. However, doubt is neither a reason for guilt or giving in because it is not an expression of disbelief. It is only a temporary suspension of judgment until more evidence becomes available.
Viewing doubt in this light, we can neutralize its immobilizing emotions. If we understand doubt as normal and see it as an opportunity to grow in faith by continuing to act, then we are sure to grow in virtue.
This is where the disciples give us a great example. Yes they doubted, but they still worshipped. We need to follow their lead if we are to attain any of our goals in this world and ultimately attain our goal of eternal life in the world to come.
When doubts leave you feeling paralyzed, take action and your dreams will surely be realized.
Tags: Personal Development, Theology
Posted in
The Life |
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Nesquik = Happiness, aahhhh :)
June 6th, 2009
Thousands of years ago, Aristotle pondered the meaning of happiness in his Nicomachean Ethics. He wrote, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” If only he would have had Nesquik because it turns out that, “Happiness is as easy as Nesquik.”
In fact, it’s so easy that all you have to do is go to their web site where “Happiness Is Reserved For You.” Just click on “Find It” and all of you life’s problems will be solved…until you click on the “Health & Nutrition” tab on the next page.
Granted, 3 Musketeers set the bar for absurd health claims in a sugar laden product’s ad pretty high yesterday, but not to be outdone Nesquik’s site proclaims, “Healthy Lifestyles and Chocolate Milk Go Great Together.”
Listed on the same page as that fantastically contrary quote, you can find recipes for Amaretto Fudge Cappuccino, Roxanne C.’s Banana Split Hot Cocoa, Chocolate Banana Cream Pie, & NESQUIK Neapolitan Pound Cake just to name a few.
It’s great to see such benevolence and concern for my health from this fine corporation. I suppose the best thing to do now is buy as many of their products as possible and encourage my family to do likewise. After all, they clearly care about you AND your children.
Tags: Target: Children
Posted in
Diabetes, Sugar Addiction |
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45% Less Fat!
June 5th, 2009
The fine people over at Mars responsible for 3 Musketeers candy bars think you’re an idiot. Therefore, they’ve started an advertising campaign highlighting the fact that their candy bars have, “45% Less Fat.” Here are the details from their site, “* 45% less fat than average of the leading chocolate brands. 4.5g fat per 33g serving vs. 8.2g average for leading chocolate brands.”
Oh, fantastic! 4.5 is WAY less than 8.2; now I can have them for breakfast and everything!!
This underscores the point that “nutritionism” is killing Americans. The focus on low fat diets has been the bane of our existence for quite some time. Commercials like these make that abundantly clear.
The more important fact you should know about 3 Musketeers is that each bar contains 40 Grams of sugar. That is roughly 9 1/2 teaspoons.
Now you can get diabetes shamelessly, enjoy!
Posted in Sugar Addiction | No Comments »
Healthy Grocery Shopping Strategies
June 3rd, 2009
I was quoted extensively in an article by Stefan Pinto of Examiner.com today. It’s a fantastic piece on successfully maneuvering the mine fields we now know as grocery stores.
And, if you liked that one, check out his back catalogue featuring 146 great articles on living well.
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1 Year Of S2F!
June 3rd, 2009
If you stopped by recently to find the site down, there is a reason for that. It has already been one year since we started our journey together and my domain expired without warning. Luckily, no speculators bought it up, so we got the site right back up, but it’s hard to believe it’s been a year already!
Blogging has been lacking lately as I’ve focused on networking, my coaching and speaking classes, and building my business. Some exciting news to share is that I am getting some professional pictures taken tomorrow and then building my full site the moment I get them.
The site is going to be designed by my good friend Gary at cloudaccess.net and will be loaded with all types of goodies including video and audio downloads, a newsletter, and much, much more!
I’ll keep you posted on the progress.
Posted in Press | 1 Comment »
Fear of Failure
The End of Overeating
May 6th, 2009
My girl Connie Bennett of Sugar Shock fame posted a link to a great article on David Kessler by The Washington Post the other day.
To quote the article, Kessler is a, “Harvard-trained doctor, lawyer, medical school dean and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.” His battles with weight throughout life have lead him to study the brain’s reaction to certain foods we eat. He elaborates on his findings in his new book, “The End of Overeating.”
I very much agree with his assessment, “Much of the scientific research around overeating has been physiology — what’s going on in our body. The real question is what’s going on in our brain.”
As I have previously discussed, the food we eat absolutely affects the way we think. If we are not eating the right foods, our entire lives are affected; from the way we interact with family and co-workers, right down to how efficacious our prayers can be. In the same way a cell phone can have trouble receiving a signal from the nearest tower because of buildings and trees, the grace God wants to communicate to us can be clouded by the “brain fog” resulting from indulging our Sugar Addictions and eating too much sugar and refined flour.
This process is summed up nicely in the following paragraph from the article,
“‘Highly palatable’ foods — those containing fat, sugar and salt — stimulate the brain to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure center, he found. In time, the brain gets wired so that dopamine pathways light up at the mere suggestion of the food, such as driving past a fast-food restaurant, and the urge to eat the food grows insistent. Once the food is eaten, the brain releases opioids, which bring emotional relief. Together, dopamine and opioids create a pathway that can activate every time a person is reminded about the particular food. This happens regardless of whether the person is hungry.”
It looks like I’ve got another book to add to my towering stack of “Must Reads.”
Tags: Freedom
Posted in
Sugar Addiction |
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No Guarantees
May 5th, 2009
Chris Widener has delivered another stellar newsletter. This time, he exhorts readers to keep things in their proper perspective. I think the article is best summed up in the following paragraph:
“Keep the best things in life as central. Money isn’t the best thing in life. Neither is achievement. Those things are merely means to an end, not the ends themselves. The true riches of life are people, friends, family, character, faith and the like. Make sure you give these things the proper place they deserve. For example, don’t give up your family to get wealth, because one day your wealth may be gone, and when you return to your family, it may be too.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself!
Tags: Personal Development
Posted in
The Life |
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False Interpretations
April 29th, 2009
I am currently enrolled in the National Speakers Association’s (NSA) ProTrack program through the Michigan Chapter. Though I am not an official NSA member yet, I am on my way.
I just got an article published in their monthly newsletter. While it comments specifically on an issue Speaking Professionals often encounter, it definitely applies to use all.
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