Day 403 - Leadership 199 / Trait 7 of 14: Initiative

I sincerely hope all are brimming with enthusiasm after yesterdays post. My engine was stoked red hot from the moment I hit the 'publish-post' button until I hit the bed last night. In between I knocked out a great day at work and got in 4.1 miles of walking cardio.

Lets get another great day off the ground with another leadership trait. Links to those we've covered thus far...
Leadership 199 / Trait 6 of 14: Enthusiasm
Leadership 199 / Trait 5 of 14: Endurance
Leadership 199 / Trait 4 of 14: Decisiveness
Leadership 199 / Trait 3 of 14: Courage
Leadership 199 / Trait 2 of 14: Bearing
Leadership 199 / Trait 1 of 14: Dependability

Our seventh trait…

Leadership 199 / Trait 7 of 14: Initiative

Defined: Taking action in the absence of orders.

Discovered: The word that sticks out like a sore thumb in that definition is "orders". Seems a bit strong in reference to getting healthy, losing weight, as nobody is ever there truly ordering us to do what needs doing. Yet, we receive help, encouragement, validation from others for our intentions and efforts. Some of that input we seek, some comes uninvited.

The context we need to apply to the word "orders" here is this; orders are nothing more than our plan to get healthy. However we've decided to do it, e.g. weight watchers, px90, canned physician/nutritionist program, surgery, sacrificing the neighbors pet to the goddess of six-pack abs; whatever it is our plan is the orders we've chosen to follow.

While "orders" sticks out like a sore thumb, it is the word "absence" that we need to notice.

We have our plan, we have all of that input from others, we have opportunity and the means to seize it all around us. The only thing that is absent now, is our taking action. We will only seize that which we want if WE take action...
if WE take those inputs from others we depend on and take action to filter them for what will help/work for us...
if WE believe in our plan so much that we enthusiastically put it into action...
if WE respect fear, embrace courage, and dare to take action to achieve victory...
if WE take "action"; while "orders" sticks out like a sore thumb, and "absence" needs to be noticed, "action" needs to be our result.

At the start, middle, and beginning of each day, it is up to US to take action, or choose inaction. No matter how loud our plan, our inputs, our opportunities, NO MATTER how loud they scream at us to get up and take action; it is YOU/I that must take the initiative to take action to make this day a better day than yesterday. This week better than last week, month, year, etc. until we have achieved our goals. Then we can take a celebratory breath before we seek new goals to act upon.

Da-Point: Achieving what you want starts and ends with you taking action to get it.

I said this on twitter yesterday, I am sure someone else authored it but I do not know who to give credit to; "We get old too fast and get smart too late in life; use each day to feel young & grow wise"

Initiative, what are we waiting for?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 352 - New Week, Plan-Awareness-Family

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New Week, starts today; all weeks start on Monday's in my book. The calendar may say Sunday, but Sunday is part of the WeekEND, not WeekNEW.

New Week, it happens every seven days without fail, ready for it or not, it is here for you!

Are You Ready For It?

Myself, I am ready for this week. How do I know? Because I have a trio of things working for me.

ONE - Plan... I have a plan for the week, it is as follows...
Eating plan contains a F/C/P nutrient mix of 25% / 25% / 50% with no more than 2000 calories a day.
Exercise plan consists of 3x Cardio, 3x Weights & Stretching with each of those six.
Employment plan focuses on leading via accountable goal setting, open communication, mutual trust and just recognition.
Enjoyment plan starts today attending my daughters soccer game, and everyday this week I'll have fun at work, home and on the blogs.

TWO - Awareness... I am aware of what is to gain for executing my plan, and what is risk should I choose not to.
Anything I/we need and want is attainable if I engage my plan honestly and earnestly.
Everything can end in a heart beat if it's certainty is taken for granted or assumed.

THREE - Family... I have the rich fortune of a supportive family. My immediate family I've spoken of here previously on several occasions. Recently, motivated by the need to rally support in my cancer battle, I made my situation known to my family coast to coast. The word I sent out saw some supportive words returned to me.

An Aunt of mine who engaged in this same battle in the 90's shared a very strong & sound approach to the beast, she said, "I chose to assume that I would beat it and refused to allow the fear to grow any more than I couldn’t help." 
-Strength and Strategy decides battles, wins wars. I find her approach to contain both and I embrace it.

Another Aunt of mine offered very unique aid in my quest for both health and victory, she said, "So I could drink a liter of water for you or eat your brussell sprouts. I think your plan is sound, just keep at it and keep laughing."
-Anytime someone offers to eat brussell sprouts for you, take them up on it I say. While those veggies will certainly benefit her more than I, her reminder to keep laughing is key to getting well and staying well.

Like I said, I have the rich fortune of a supportive family.

How about you?... Have a Plan for the week?... Are you Aware of the stakes?... How does that someone, or many someones, in your Family support you?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 315-319: Here Is March

Good Morning Folks, Welcome to March!

Thank You to those of you whom have sent me emails or Twitter DM's the past day or so inquiring about my absence. I am alive and staying healthy; all is well. Over the past couple of weeks my morning schedule has become increasingly compressed and the bit of time I usually write up a post & hit the blogs has been narrowing. It bothers me more that I have not been able to get to your blogs more so than I've not had time to write a post.

So I will need to get more creative with wringing out some blogging time it seems. That in itself may be my main goal for March. Yes, it is March. Spring is oh-so near, or so says the calendar. Hopefully the weather will equal the calendar's expectations. I am hungry to get out there for some outdoor cardio. Last December I was toughing out the frigid temps for some outdoor cardio and I was rewarded by catching a cold twice. So since then I have limited my cardio to the elliptical.

March, what do I have planned for March...

• A weigh-in, been about a month since I did that, thinking next week I'll give the scale a visit.
• I'll be attending the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show this coming weekend. That'll pose some dietary challenge which I will handle just fine. As well I'll be golfing a couple of rounds for exercise.
• My son has advanced to state regionals in Wrestling, not something we expected. I will miss regionals as they are this weekend but fingers crossed he advances on to the state finals the following weekend in Champaign; or are they in Springfield? We'll figure that out when he advances.
• I am going back to the plastic surgeon to get more of my face sliced off. Recall my recent brush with melanoma, I have another spot on my forehead I've been advised to kick to the curb as a precaution so kick it I shall. Damn!, I just this minute remembered last September I was told to park the weight lifting for a week or two while the incision healed; $#&T!!!!!.
• Spring Break is the last week of March, I'll take a day or two off that week for yet to be determined fun.

So what do you have planned for March?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 297 - Fill In The Blanks

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Fill In The Blanks...

This week my eating plan contains _________ .

This week I will take a box of toothpicks and _________ .

This week my exercise will consist of _________ .

This week when I stumble from plan I will immediately _________ .

This week I will take that odd-sock from the laundry and _________ .

This week I will challenge myself to try _________ .

This week I imagine myself punching the snot out of _________ .

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 235 - Momma Said, Wait No She Didn't

Had an excellent day yesterday even though it was extremely busy. So busy all I could do blog wise was post that brief excuse for a post from my cell phone. Momma said there'd be days like that. Well, she never expanded upon that warning to the point there will be days where you take your truck in for 'routine' maintenance and it costs you $1,600 in the end... no she didn't. But, that was part of my day yesterday.

I did catch a break yesterday in that my evening plans softened up enough to allow me to get in a great work out on my new weight bench. There you see a pic of me in action, my spotter felt I was doing fine enough to take the time to get that shot. After the weights were worn out I wanted some more so I went upstairs to the treadmill and got in three miles on that. I really dislike treadmills, thus why this weekend I went outside for my failed attempt at 13.1 vs. hitting the treadmill. But, falling back into the cold and coughing that was much of my weekend was less appealing than the treadmill so we got together & tolerated each other. Eating and drinking was spot on too so all smiles yesterday sans the truck news.

Wanted to get to a shout out since last week, been scatter brained lately it seems, better late than never applies here I believe. Dawn of Fixing Myself Thinner said something in fine fashion in a brilliant post after returning from her Thanksgiving trip. Her trip challenged her ability to keep it healthy and provided a lesson on environment and the key role the environment we are in plays in our ability to succeed in our daily mission to be healthy.

In attempts past I have wavered in and out with the advice that it is wise to clean house, get rid of all the no-good-tempting foods and keep them from coming back. In general, this advice is hard to argue; if a temptation is not there then it is harder to give into it. Myself, my mind is cautious of anything labeled, 'general' as I see them as lazy attempts to over-simplify how something applies to all of us as a whole. Good sense for one person is nonsense for another. Strong will in the face of temptation comes easy to one but is a panic laden experience for another. Thus we are all different in how we deal with situations and issues regarding weight loss, general or otherwise. 

Dawn's post wasn't as much about our immediate environment however, I wandered a bit in tangent there. Instead she reminds us we are going to find ourselves out there, in environments we do not have full control over, but that fact need not be reason to pack in the healthy behaviors for a moment or a weekend. For those times where we know ahead of time that we will be in less than diet-friendly environments a little planning ahead can allow us to arm ourselves with healthy options. I won't bother with a list or tricks or tips as so many bloggers are posting here around the holidays with how to survive them. Most of them apply year round. Of course planning ahead is ideal, but take a further lesson from Dawn; don't forget to take the protein bars you made with you when you venture out :-)

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!