Archive for April, 2009
False Interpretations
Wednesday, 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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Multiplying Your Talents
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
“After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiber’i-as. And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, “How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ”There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (John 6:1-15)
Have you ever wondered what Jesus would have done had that boy not brought bread and fish?
Surely Jesus could have fed everyone just the same. After all, He was God. In reflecting on His miracles, however, we see that Jesus always made use of the things people had on hand to communicate His message and reveal His divinity.
At the Wedding Feast at Cana, He changed water into wine. At the Last Supper, He changed bread and wine into His Body and Blood. Here, he uses a meager amount of bread and fish to feed a multitude of people.
If while He walked the earth, Jesus always used those things at hand to work miracles, can we assume He operates any differently today?
I ask this question because God has given you gifts, talents, and wisdom beyond your wildest imagination. Deep down, you already know this. Right now, however, your talents only look like a few pieces of bread. Therefore, every day you wake up and say with the disciples, “But who am I among so many?”
If we look back at the story, though, we see you are not the one who works miracles. Instead, God works miracles as long as you bring what He has given you; nothing more, nothing less. Five thousand men (not counting woman and children) were fed from five barley loaves and two fish all because a boy brought what he was given.
So, what have you been given? And, if you brought that to the people around you each and every day, how many thousands could God feed?
Tags: Freedom, Personal Development, Theology
Posted in The Life | 2 Comments »
Sugar Addiction & Brain Chemistry
Friday, April 24th, 2009
As I have gone around explaining Sugar Addiction, lately many people have asked me for statistics on how many people are like this. Unfortunately, right now, it is simply a matter of speculation. However, if we look at the number of people who are either overweight or obese in America, it becomes evident the number is probably VERY high.
I would argue that many, if not most, overweight and obese people are Sugar Sensitive. This means they have low levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and beta-endorphin. Serotonin controls things like aggression, mood, sexuality, and appetite. Beta-endorphin, on the other hand, is nature’s painkiller. Think of a time when you burnt your hand and immediately put it under cold water. A few seconds into mending your wound, you started to feel light headed and euphoric because beta-endorphin was kicking in to do its job. Additionally, beta-endorphin has an impact on your self-esteem and confidence.
Putting this all together, we see low levels of serotonin and beta-endorphin leads a person to have massive fluctuations in mood, appetite, and self-control. They are the people whose friends say, “Come on, just have one piece of cake; I made it special for the occasion,” not realizing their friend is physically incapable of having “just one.” As a result, the Sugar Sensitive person is prone to mild bouts of depression and feelings of loneliness and isolation.
The problem is only compounded by the fact that our body cannot produce serotonin on its own. The only way it comes into our life is through carbohydrates. Beta-endorphins can be released through physical stress, but they are also affected by diet. Therefore, the Sugar Sensitive person’s body naturally craves things like bread, pasta, cookies, cake, etc. because they innately know when they eat that food, they will get a rush of neurotransmitters and feel better…for now.
Unfortunately, though, the good feelings only last so long as the brain will eventually downregulate and the person is back to the same old negative feelings. Then the person again turns to food for comfort and goes through the same cycle over and over until one day, they look in the mirror and they are obese.
Therefore, the best way to control your weight and the negative feelings that come with being overweight are to eat in a way that regulates your flow of neurotransmitters. This is done by eating consistent amounts of protein, fruit, vegetables, and whole grains at regular intervals throughout the day. This will give you steady levels of serotonin and beta-endorphins, leading to feelings of self-control, happiness, and connection to those around you.
The bonus in living like this is you’ll lose weight too. And, if you’re anything like I used to be, it’ll be a lot!
Tags: Freedom
Posted in Sugar Addiction | 1 Comment »
The Greater The Cross, The Greater The Glory
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
It is human nature to flee suffering. Hardly a day goes by when we don’t imagine a life with no pain, heartache, or stress. It seems that if our problems disappeared never to return again, all would be right in the world.
However, as I was journaling Saturday, something dawned on me. Every bit of adversity I have faced in my life has brought me to a much better place than where I was before. After years of strife and extreme mental anguish in attempting to control my Sugar Addiction and weight, I was finally set free. When I was in the midst of those several years of suffering, despair seemed to be the only answer. Yet, once I found a solution, it turned out to be so powerful that it revealed my vocation and now I have the privilege of helping people completely change their lives every day.
As I continued to reflect, I saw that the more difficult the situation, the more dramatic the improvement in my life after pushing through the adversity. In other words, the greater the cross, the greater the glory. This truth is reflected throughout the Scriptures.
Who suffered more than anyone in history?
Jesus Christ not only suffered a brutal scourging and unbearable crucifixion, but he also took the sins of every individual from the beginning of time on himself while doing it. As a result, he now sits at the right hand of the Father in glory.
And, who has suffered the most next to Jesus?
The Blessed Virgin Mary had the privilege of carrying God in her womb. After bringing Jesus into the world, she taught him how to walk and talk and helped him “grow in wisdom and stature.” (Luke 2:52) Ask any parent the hardest thing about having children and they will tell you nothing is worse than watching them suffer. Keeping all this in mind, it is easy to see that next to Jesus, no one has known the grief of Mary. Likewise, no one will ever know the glory of Mary. As a reward for enduring so much, she was Assumed and crowned Queen of Heaven.
The most successful people in business have known this simple truth for some time.
When asked his formula for success, the President of IBM T.J. Watson stated, “Double your rate of failure.” In his famed pursuit to invent the lightbulb, Thomas Edison had to try 10,000 different approaches before finding success. In reflecting on the situation, Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Likewise, Henry Ford once said, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”
In the end, we can conclude that the question is not whether you will meet the cross. The real question is how you will react when it is thrust upon you. One reaction will bring life, the other death. However, if you lean into it, embrace the suffering, and take advantage of the failure history tells us that could be the beginning of a new and unbelievably satisfying chapter in your life.
Tags: Freedom, Personal Development
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The Sugar Monster
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
I recently came across a great web site dedicated to teaching children how to eat healthy called TheSugarMonster.com
They have 20 episodes posted that range between 3 and 5 minutes long. Each show features the resident evil one, The Sugar Monster, encouraging children to eat as much candy and sugar as possible. When the kids decline his enticements, he explodes.
It’s entertaining, informative, and a great way to convince your kids to eat their fruit and veggies.
Tags: Freedom, Target: Children
Posted in Sugar Addiction, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Healthy Choice?
Monday, April 20th, 2009
I came across a fantastic post at The Green Fork which discusses ConAgra’s new $90-100 million advertising campaign featuring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In a twist of Seinfeld-like sarcasm, the commercials feature Julia turning down her agent’s idea of pitching the “new” Healthy Choice products.
ConAgra is attempting to capitalize on American’s growing need to stay home and eat while their bank accounts shrink. However, as Kerry points out so well, just because the term “Healthy” is in the title of the brand, doesn’t make it so. Here we have another scientific calculation of what someone believes is “healthy” combined with a collection of chemicals that convince your pallet you’re eating real food.
The bottom line: If you want to be healthy, you are not going to get very in the frozen food section…No matter how much the advertisers spend to convince you to the contrary.
Tags: Freedom
Posted in Food Marketing, The Life | No Comments »
The Diet-free RD
Thursday, April 16th, 2009
One of my new best-good friends is Melanie Jatsek, The Diet-free RD. Her advice is practical and can lead to lasting changes in your life. Check out her latest Diet-free Moment and get a great tip on how to control your weight for years to come. And for more information about Melanie, check out www.melaniesnutritionsolution.com
Tags: Freedom
Posted in Sugar Addiction, The Life | No Comments »
Self-Concept
Thursday, April 9th, 2009
If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you may have noticed a shift from almost writing exclusively about Sugar Addiction and nutrition to a much greater emphasis on spirituality and personal development. When I write about the latter, you may be thinking, “What does any of this have to do with food?”
Please allow me to explain.
You have a self-concept. Within that self-concept, you have a collection of understandings and assessments you have made about yourself. You have a self-concept about how well you drive, the kind of clothes you wear, and what personality traits you have. For example, the statement, “I can wait, I’m a patient person,” is an expression of self-concept. In many ways, your self-concept determines your experience of the outside world.
If you have always seen yourself as an easy-going extrovert who loves meeting new people, the world will engage you openly and walk away talking about what a nice person you are. On the other hand, if you believe you need to get to know someone before showing any respect for them, the world will seem standoffish and people will walk away saying much different things about you.
Keeping this in mind, let’s turn now turn our attention to Sugar Addiction and weight.
If you see yourself as a healthy and energetic man who always maintains his ideal weight at 185 lbs., you will always weigh that much. Even if you got sick for an extended period of time and got up to 250 lbs. in the process, once you were healthy again, it would just be a matter of time until you were back down to 185 lbs. Why? Because the extra 65 lbs. was not in line with how you see yourself.
If you have been struggling to lose weight for a long time, ask yourself, “How do I see myself?” When I used to weigh 273 lbs., I would look in the mirror and know the person I saw was not a real manifestation of who I am. Therefore, I kept trying to different approaches to nutrition until I cracked the code and found a lifestyle that keeps the person in the mirror in line with how I think he should look. Yes, that meant gaining and losing 50 lbs. 4 times in 8 years, but that final spin of the dial opened the lock and here I am.
So, is your self-concept extremely negative? Do you actually believe you should weigh much less than you do now or are you expressing the desire while in the back of your head thinking, “It’s just not possible”?
For many, the latter is probably the case. You know you want to change your life, but still are not entirely convinced it’s possible. Hence, the reason for the shift on this blog.
I’m looking to sell you on someone; yourself. Because once you are convinced of your inherent goodness by virtue of being endowed with the fingerprints of the Father, once you truly believe in your potential to take full responsibility for your life and actions, and once you know your infinite value, getting the person in the mirror to look the way you know he/she should will be a breeze.
Tags: Freedom, Personal Development
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Drop Your Nets
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. -Mark 1:17-18
When Jesus called, the apostles followed; it was that simple. There was no brainstorming session with their team and they didn’t talk it over with their families or consult with their mentors. They also didn’t check their bank accounts and make sure they had enough funds or inquire into Jesus’ 401K plan. No, they “immediately” dropped everything and followed Him.
This is a model for all of us to pattern our lives after. A few posts ago, I quoted Stedman Graham as saying, “The foundation of freedom is passion.” Meaning, whatever you can passionately throw yourself into and serve the world doing is your ultimate vocation in this world. And, until you follow that passion, you will always be limiting yourself.
Jesus had a couple chance encounters with people who sought to take the modern “balanced” approach to decision making. They both seemed to have legitimate needs to fulfill before following. One said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” (Luke 9:59) While another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” (Luke 9:61) Both of these statements earned rebukes from Jesus.
Why?
I believe Jesus knew how quickly the “cares of life” (Luke 8:14) get in the way of real progress. Ideas, insights, and enthusiasm are often drained when life gets in the way. We may have an amazing plan to build an outstanding business or ministry that will offer much needed service to thousands, if not millions of people, but who has time to implement that plan when the kids need to be picked up from school, dinner needs to be made, and the house needs painting?
So, where is He calling you today? Where in your life are you certain it’s time to “drop your nets and follow him?” And, most importantly, what is keeping you from making that decision?
Tags: Freedom, Personal Development, Theology
Posted in Sugar Addiction, The Life | No Comments »
Team Work
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
Jim Rohn tells the story of a man who turned a pile of rocks into a beautiful garden. One evening, he had friends over to view the completed work and one man came up to him and said, “You and God, together, have made quite a garden here sir.” Understanding the man’s point that he shouldn’t take all the credit he replied, “Yes, without God’s help in producing the miracle of the seasons, the sun, the rain, and the growth of new life, this garden would exist. However, you should have seen it a couple years ago when God had it all to Himself.”
The Bible is full of examples of God working through men and women and today we tend to forget this simple truth. We are often quick to see God working through the situations in our lives, but neglect the fact that He regularly attempts to work through the people in our lives. Consequently, when someone seeks to assist us our pride gets in the way and we say things like, “I don’t need your charity!”
In similar fashion, we tend to overlook the movements of God within our own heart. Think of the many times you held back after feeling compelled to share a kind word with a friend or a few dollars with the man standing on the corner of the overpass with a cardboard sign on a below freezing day. What about the countless times you thought about making better food choices, developing some exercise habits, or cultivating a prayer life only to get home from work and flop down for another evening of mindless television.
When I was at the Success Symposium in Dallas, Texas last week, I knelt down to pray in the window sill of my 30th floor hotel room. As I prayed, I looked down at the people on the street and noted just how small they appeared. Half inch men and women scurried about while Micro Machine sized cars made their way around. Suddenly it dawned on me that we all have the mistaken notion that God sees us through this prism. We tend to think He is WAY up there in Heaven completely separate from us until we call begging for His help.
However, the scriptures tell us God is intimately involved the lives of His people. Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” Still, it is up to us to stay open to His grace because He will never force His way into our lives. Even the outcome of something as overwhelmingly important as our salvation hinged upon the consent of a young girl named Mary who became the ultimate model of humility when she stated, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38)
So listen to your heart because God is knocking. He wants to work through you and in you. Will you let Him in?
Tags: Freedom, Theology
Posted in The Life | 1 Comment »
