No Excuses

This is just going to be a short post (I know -- I've said that before!). I have had some success in the past couple of weeks that I did not have in the previous years. I have lost 45 lbs. since Christmas (it is now March 19). A friend who is a fitness expert thinks this is a huge feat.

   

My weight loss has taught me a couple of things, though and I would like to share those.

    

1) Some people fail at diets because they don't truly commit to them. Period.

   

2) Some people fail at diets because they medically cannot succeed.

   

3) Some people succeed at diets because they don't see them as "diets" but "life-style changes," and commit to them.

   

4) The people who have the most success usually have a very good reason to succeed, not just a desire.

   

This site is title "No Apologies," but I now offer up No Excuses for the past 20 years. I never truly committed myself to doing what was necessary to be healthy until my poor health threatened my ability to take care of my wife, who is going through chemotherapy. SHE is my reason to get and STAY healthy. Victor Frankl developed a type of practice called "Logo Therapy" in which people are given a reason to succeed. You can withstand any WHAT as long as you have a strong enough WHY. 

   

So all those out there who just "can't lose weight," I call to you to join me in offering no more excuses. It's time to take your future in your own hands. And, by the way, I offer that same invitation to those who "can't quit smoking," or whatever bad habit/addiction may be holding you down. Find your reason, make your commitment, and NEVER LOOK BACK!

Identity Crisis Part 2

So there has been some new developments in the media lately. There always are. One in particular is a real gem. To demonstrate, I will use personal history.

   

When he was young, my oldest child wanted to be a Ninja Turtle. He even told everyone his name was Michaelangelo. We didn't think anything about it at the time, because we were unenlightened. Now we know differently.

   

The media tells us now that we were not allowing our son to fully express his own identity.

   

What we should have done is let him dress like a turtle and act like a turtle. And we should have encouraged him to seek out his own sense of turtle identity. 

   

This would include the fact that we should have encouraged him to grow up and seek loving caring relationships with turtles who believed in him and accepted him for who he is. Perhaps one day, if the people of the world finally stop hating turtles so much, they may even have allowed him to commit to a loving turtle by taking the vows.

   

In this way, perhaps he would today feel a sense of turtle worth, instead of rejecting his inner nature by trying to please his parents and the non-turtle acceptance of our closed-minded society.

   

Son, we're sorry we didn't live up to the ideals our media would have us believe! How you must have suffered, and must suffer still!

   

It's too late for you, but perhaps some other turtle boy or girl out there will be allowed to freely express the way they were born!

   

Sorry, the tears in my eyes are making it difficult to see the keyboard....

   

See what I mean?