World Drive - Learning to Drive My World
Learn to drive you world with articles, pictures, quotes, videos and more.
The 21 Day Financial Fast by Michelle Singletary
Smart Money Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze
Stories from a Theme Park Insider by Robert Niles
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
“Weird Al” by Mara Altman
Launch by Jeff Walker
The Magic Square by Lewis Smile
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
We have come to the end of this blog series but certainly not the end of the weight loss journey. On this last post I need to thank the players of the game who have been there throughout this journey and those that are on their own adventure right beside me:
Without The Crew there would be no journey to speak of. Jennifer, Samantha, Anna, and Nick are there rocking it out with me on a regular basis.
Without the trainers I wouldn’t know what direction I was going in or have the fun I have had in this process. Special thanks to the following:
To Zumba instructor extraordinaire Tim Wilburn. Not only does he rock the Zumba class but he can put you through “The Hawk” series and you will wish you were doing Zumba! His class are always amazing and he knows how to keep you moving.
Alyssa Lawson and Andrea Pennington who are normally the Body Pump instructors when we get in class. They’ll keep you on track and keep you going through the hour class. Alyssa also does the training for HIIT and Spin which are excellent classes where you can pour the sweat.
Becca Thomas and Stacy Sayre keep you going in Body Pump as well. I have not been in very many of their classes but they are always entertaining and fun!
Thank you for reading through this 4 part blog series. I hope my journey can give you some motivation to start your own. Remember, you have to do it for yourself and not anyone else. When you are ready, I assure you, the tools and people are there for you.
Have you missed any of the series? Click below to navigate to any part you have missed:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
So what changed on March 21? The tools were brought into play that would help change the way I worked out. They didn’t all come at once but that was the day things started to change.
The first tool was the gym. March 21 was my first day there on a week trial membership. I really enjoyed the machines and enjoyed the atmosphere. By the end of the week I was hooked on what I could accomplish there. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get a workout at home but being with a group of people who are striving for the same thing is a great motivator. As Emerson said, in a much more poetic way, you are what you put into your mind and the places you put yourself. The gym was where my transformation would take shape.
“A man is known by the books he reads, by the company he keeps, by the praise he gives, by his dress, by his tastes, by his distastes, by the stories he tells, by his gait, by the notion of his eye, by the look of his house, of his chamber; for nothing on earth is solitary but every thing hath affinities infinite.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
I know many people feel like going to the gym is a chore. I know the feeling myself. There are days where I have to push myself to go. But, the feeling that comes after a great workout, seeing the results on a scale, or the accomplishment of a non-scale victory is worth it. So is the knowing that I am doing things now to make the lives of my whole family better for the future by conditioning myself and making my body stronger.
On April 12 my next tool would come along. A group of us decided to give BODYPUMP a try. This was my first look into group fitness. Let me say up front – nobody cares what you do or look like in class. That seems to be what keeps people from walking in the room and the others in there are coming to class for many of the same reasons you are.
BODYPUMP has helped me lean down, build up muscle, and lose weight.
Later in April I would finally walk into a Zumba class. My wife had tried for months to get me to give it a go and I just wouldn’t budge. After some teaching of the moves at home I went to class where a blast was had! I really enjoy Zumba and all of the people in there. Your instructor can really make or break class and ours is phenomenal.
There are many activity trackers on the market today. You wear these throughout the day and then sync them with your computer or phone. They will give you some insight into your activity for the day.
I decided to give fitbit a try after some research. While there are graphs and other data that you can use with it my main reason for wearing one was to see how many steps I was taking during the day. It helped me to build the amount of activity I was doing. I could see when I had not walked enough and needed to get out of the chair. fitbit helped to keep my mind on being active instead of sedentary which was a great motivator.
I know I know. Calories counting sucks. But, it worked wonders for me doing it. myfitnesspal allows you to scan packages and add the counts with a few clicks. While it isn’t always accurate it isn’t far off. 99% of the time the calories match what the package says and you are good to go.
When you setup your account you put in how much you want to lose and in what amount of time. From there it gives you how many calories you can eat in a day and lose the weight you are wanting by your goal date.
The app also syncs with your fitbit data so you get credit for the extra activity you do. If you do an hour of Zumba you might, for example, get 300 extra calories for the day but still be heading to your goal because it factors in your activity, your calorie count, how many calories you are allotted per day and the approximate amount of calories you lost due to your increased activity.
Those are the tools that I have used in my weight loss journey with success. Tools are only half the help though! Next up we will meet the players in the game that helped tremendously…
Have you missed any of the series? Click below to navigate to any part you have missed:
The quickest change I could make was what I was drinking. A lot of our calories come in liquid form and can cause some quick weight gain (source: Mayo Clinic). I swapped out the sweet tea and Mountain Dew for water. I got a few of the big bottles of water and refilled them throughout the day. This made a significant change in weight on it’s own.
About three weeks after I started this process a bit of a wrench was thrown into the fun. I was in the area of the “Do Not Use” order from the Elk River Chemical Spill (see WV Water Crisis) that began on January 9, 2014. I wasn’t buying bottled water, I was refilling bottles in the tap. Now I was unable to do this among the other thousand things that had to be thought about during and after the chemical spill.
I started doing some workouts during this time but now we couldn’t shower in our homes. This makes for an interesting time after you have done a workout. Workouts were put on hold, consuming water was cut back, and we had to eat so frozen dinners and fast food came into play. This certainly put a hamper on the weight loss.
On January 21st I had a routine going with the water situation and was drinking more water again. I was able to cut back on the higher calorie drinks I had been consuming.
It wouldn’t be until February 24th before I started working out again. Keep in mind that I had not been doing much exersize to begin with so I was starting all over. The at home workouts were sporadic to say the least. However, things would get kicked up a notch and change my life on March 21.
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Yep. I managed to lose 50+ pounds in the last 6 months. This wasn’t the first time I attempted to lose weight but, for the first time ever, I had a huge motivator that allowed myself to take the massive action that was needed to make a lasting change. Why am I writing about it? Because I get asked how I did it. I hope what I have done can help you find your own path to where you want to be.
How did I get here? Well, I ate more calories than what my body needed and I didn’t have a very physical life style. This is the reason that every expert on the planet tries to tell us causes weight gain and we are all like “nah, I burn more calories than that!” A huge number of calories comes from the liquids that we drink. This was where I was getting most of mine – the never ending pop binge. I was drinking several of these a day. While food was a part of it the drinks played a much larger role.
I tried cutting back on the drinks here and there but never committed to giving them up. I tried different forms of exersize to combat the intake of calories and found moderate success with them (walking and DDPYoga). However, I still lacked that switch that my brain needed to make all of this a lasting change.
On December 19, 2013 that switch was thrown. I was visiting my doctor for a routine checkup. There was a bit of concern about my blood pressure at the start of my appointment but it was still low enough for them to think that it may have been nervousness. By the end of the appointment it was still elevated. On top of the normal discussion about how I should lose weight we were now talking about my blood pressure. He gave me a deadline. I had a few weeks to get to work on dropping some pounds, which he thought would lower my blood pressure, or we were going to be talking about taking pills to control it. I was not about to start taking pills for something that was within my own control. My major motivator had been put into play and I understood it was time to get serious.
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Time for the mid-year goal checkup!
We are just about a full six months into the year. Where do you stand on your goals for 2014? What has been successful, what has more steps to take, and what have you decided needs to come off the table?
I am sure you have had some amazing accomplishments this year and you still have six months to go! Make sure you re-evaluate your goals, do some course corrections if you need to, and continue pushing forward. It won’t be to long before you are setting your 2015 goals. It really is that close.
Lastly, make sure you celebrate each goal as you hit it no matter how big or small. Throw yourself a small party and then start right back on the next goal. Keep driving your world!
Photo courtesy of Torley.
I am sure you have an idea of what you want to achieve in the next 10 or 15 years. It may be vague or exact but we all have some place we want to be. Some want to be married with kids, others want to have a million dollars, and others dream of living on the beach enjoying their retirement.
Whatever it is you want to have or do in the future, write to your current self like you are sending the letter back through time. Write like you have already achieved the goal and how much you are enjoying it. Put this letter somewhere that you can find it later and see how accurate your future self was when the time comes along.
What is the one big thing you would like to accomplish in the next decade beyond anything else?
Photo courtesy of G.
“Things do not change; we change.” Henry David Thoreau
There really isn’t much more than that to write. Thoreau pretty much summed it up right there. We all hope things will change but most things do not change unless we do.
You work at a job where you can stand the boss. You sit there for years and years thinking “One day they’ll get fired and I can enjoy my job” when all it takes is for you to change and take action. What is stopping you from looking for work elsewhere? Once you find that work you can fire your current boss yourself by leaving.
Don’t wait for things or circumstances around you to change your life for you. Take action right now to move where you want to be. Fill out the application, do the research, go for a walk – just do something!
What action(s) can you take right this minute to move towards a goal you have?
Photo Courtesy of Content Action (site removed)
I hope you have already set your goals for 2014. For those that haven’t I want to encourage you to take some time to do that today.
Sit down with a pad of paper and write down everything you want in 2014. Make a huge list if you can. After you are done with your list choose three to five of those to work on immediately. Once you have picked those out write out how you are going to accomplish each one, why you want to, and how you are going to do it. Then, get started.
A journal can be your huge friend to track your progress and look back to see what worked and what didn’t. You can do this on paper or electronically as long as you are keeping a record. If you do not know what you have done then how do you know what you need to do?
Setting goals can be a huge step in lasting change for a person. I hope you at least give it a shot once this year and see what it can do for your life. I will check back in with you on the goals in July when we are at the midpoint of the year.
Photo courtesy of David Weekly
It is said most people read less than one non-fiction book per year. Last year I read 24 after a challenge from Jon Acuff and his Finish Year challenge. After that I set a goal for 40 in 2013 and managed to do over 50! I want to challenge everyone out there to read just one book a month for 2014 and make it an education year for you!
Here is a list of books that I completed over the course of 2013. Nothing is here for endorsement. You can check out the 2012 books here.
Books
**Books includes traditional books, ebooks, and audio books.**
The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life) by Chris Hardwick
No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy
To Sell Is Human by Dan Pink
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future… by Michael J. Fox
Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis
Do The Work by Steven Pressfield
Read This Before Our Next Meeting by Al Pittampalli
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey
The 7 Golden Rules of Milton Hershey by Greg Rothman
Steve Jobs: A Memoir by Walter Isaacson
Drive by Dan Pink
Days Like These by Kristian Anderson
Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear by Max Lucado
How to Deliver a TED Talk by Jeremy Donovan
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Love No Matter What by Brenda Garrison
The Science of Fear by Daniel Gardner
The Price of Leadership by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones
How to Say It: Creating Complete Customer Satisfaction by Jack Griffin
Is College Worth It? by William J. Bennett and David Wilezol
Attachment by Amir Levine
Start. by Jon Acuff
Keep Your Eye on the Marshmallow by Joachim de Posada
Start Something by Earl Woods
Peaks and Valleys by Spencer Johnson
Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews
The Small Business Lifecycle by Charlie Gilkey
The Barefoot Executive by Carrie Wilkerson
Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
Wishes Fulfilled by Dr. Wayne Dyer
Boundaries For Leaders by Dr. Henry Cloud
Aligning With Your Core Values by Tim Brownson
Start A Freedom Business by Colin Wright
Whale Done! by Ken Blanchard
Mastering Evernote by Brandon Collins
Platform by Michael Hyatt
Life Coaching Activities and Powerful Questions by Phyllis Reardon
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau
As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
I Dare You by William H. Danforth
The Tapping Solution by Nick Ortner
E Squared by Pam Grout
How Do You Kill 11 Million People? Why the Truth Matters More Than You Think by Andy Andrews
Notes from a Friend by Tony Robbins
20,000 Days and Counting by Robert Smith
Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins
Don’t Hesitate – Meditate by Tim Brownson
Play Your Bigger Game by Rick Tamlyn
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
Photo Courtesy of Christian Lambert.
2013 is just about to wrap up in a few weeks. I think it was a most excellent year full of some life accomplishments that I am thrilled to have brought to fruition with help of many others. Now, my question to you is, did you make progress?
Making progress isn’t about completing a goal. Taking a few steps toward a goal, a want, a dream or desire is making progress. Two steps forward and one back is still a step ahead of the game. Don’t be afraid of the one back. The one back isn’t a failure; just a course correction.
Change is going to happen all the time whether you want it to or not. Progress, on the other hand, is something you have to work towards. I hope you made progress this year and are ready to do amazing things next year.
What kind of progress did you make in 2013?
Photo Courtesy of NASA.
One small step. We all know those words. From science class in school to soundbites on TV, most of us have heard those three words dozens of times. Although we have heard them I do not think enough people live them.
Each step you take to your ultimate dream should be celebrated. It is a victory that puts you just a little closer to where you want to be. Even something most people would deem as a failure should be celebrated if it made you go in another direction. Why? It gave you a directional change which helps lead you to your goals. You cannot reach your goal if you are going down the wrong path and “failures” are what tell us something isn’t right.
Take some time at the end of every day and celebrate every victory you had that day. Doesn’t matter how small you think they are – they all count.
One small step to change your life. One small step to live your dreams. One small step is all it takes to begin. One small step.
It may seem early to you that I am already talking about resolutions. However, right now is the time you should be setting your goals for at least the first three months of 2014 and have a pretty good idea of what your major goals are for the year.
That being said I think it is time a lot of people give up a big habit. It isn’t smoking or dieting. I believe it is time to give up the resolutions and move on to creating breakthroughs and goals. You have heard but it’s time to really start setting goals and letting the resolutions fall by the wayside.
Studies show that 88% of people drop their resolutions by the end of January. These big plans we have for ourselves and they only survive for four weeks? I think there is something going on here. That something is no real plan or target.
In order to succeed at something you have to have a specific measurable goal to shoot for. Zig Ziglar said it best when he talked about the best archer in the world can’t hit the target blind folded. In order to accomplish anything you have to know exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Once you get this anything is truly possible!
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If you haven’t heard yet you can check out my new program called New Year New Me! It is to help out with turning your resolutions into goals and doing it with liked minded people through teleseminars, one on one coaching, and group mastermind calls. For more information you can visit http://www.newyearnew.me
I am going to deviate a little from my normal blog and write about a service I ran across a couple of weeks ago. It is call My Job Chart and is a great tool for teaching your kids to spend, save, and give in a technical but easy way. Did I mention it is also free?
My Job Chart was developed to allow the parent to assign various chores and along with that a point value. In their system one point equals one cent towards a reward such as something from the Amazon store (you can set whatever items you want to allow them to save points for), a trip to the movies, eating out, game time and a lot more. You can also choose custom rewards and how many points it takes to receive that reward.
The system also allows the child to select how much money they want to save and can click a button to have you add that amount to their savings account once they earned it.
Lastly, it allows your child to give. You can setup whatever charities you want your child to be able to save their money to be donated to and they choose how much goes the charity. Once they have earned enough points they click a button and you receive an e-mail asking you to donate the amount on behalf of the child.
We use this with our daughter and it is great. She is excited to see her points go up everyday after she does her jobs rather than waiting for the once a week payday that we were doing. She is able to be in control of her points (*cough* money) and learn how to save for a goal, give to those less fortunate, and save for a rainy day.
There is a lot more as far as customization and options you can do. It is 100% free so give it a try. After you do swing by here and let me know what you think!
Jennifer feeding Moe the Sloth at Cincinnati Zoo.
In episode four of “This Is Your Life” Michael Hyatt talks about giving out legal pads and having his family right down 100 things they would like to do in their life. He called it a goal list or dream list (as he says, this was before he knew of the term bucket list – I like dream list better).
I think everyone needs to make one of these and push yourself to 100 as he suggests. Why? You will be amazed at the results you can have just by putting pen to paper. Share them with your family and strive to accomplish everything on it.
One of the big list items for my wife was meeting a sloth. Thanks to Allison Gibbs and Kate Olukalns at the Cincinnati Zoo she was able to mark this off last month. We were also able to walk in New York City which was something both of us had wanted to do for some time.
Moe with pal Kate Olukalns.
Nothing is to wild and crazy for the list and don’t leave anything off. From eating at a specific restaurant to traveling the world, anything you want to do should be on the list. You never know when you can make it happen or someone makes it happen for you.
World Drive is my place to write about breakthroughs, strategies, and motivation while learning how to drive my own world.
I'll share inspirational and motivational things I find along the way. I will include just day to day thoughts and random posts as well the keep it interesting.
Thank you for taking a little time to read here. I hope in some way it helps you drive your world.
