What can you do in 120 Days - the 120 Day Challenge

Image - Chazz Vader on stage in Dallas, Texas - interviewed about my weight loss by Kent Cras during conference.

Motivation:

"Dreams are goals with deadlines" - Napoleon Hill

Diary:

last week I got the opportunity to work on a Habitat for Humanity house. It was one of the best things I could have done. First of all, working outside on siding, putting up and taking down scaffolding, and getting muddy, dirty, and bruised in the summer sun - it is a blessing to be able to work with your hands and build something. Two highlights were

1. building a stairs for the front porch - cutting and nailing wood together to create something real! (not that writing documents isn't real, but typing on a computer is creating bits and bytes and pixels - which has it's value, but isn't physical). I was so proud of my accomplishment - I so much wanted to bring someone to show them what I built. I felt like Tom Hank's character in CastAway. After working SOOO HARD to get a spark to light and then accomplishing this tasks, but having no one around to share the excitement. He yelled out "I have made FIRE! I HAVE MADE FIRE!!" to his only friend at the time, his Wilson volleyball. I felt like this a little - I felt like I did such a great thing - building and producing, and wanted to drag my friends to see "Look what I built." I guess I just will put it in my heart as something "you had to be there" to know what I mean.
   
2. I ran into the brother (Nick) of a good friend of mine (AHon) who was also working on the house that day - it was a real coincidence thing. The look on his face was priceless. He didn't know who I was - I mean, when was the last time we talked? AHon's wedding I saw him, but we didn't really talk very much, as it was a busy day and he was rather pre-occupied. He stood staring with his mouth open, asking questions and talking as if nothing had changed, and then said "Listen, I can't believe you have changed so much!" It was just wonderful. The look in his eyes for me was of encouragement and pride and I felt great. Thanks Nick for that little jolt of encouragement and awe. I needed that.
   

I received two great emails this week that I need to record here:

First I have had ongoing discussions with my friend Pat, who has been helping me sort out questions like "What is your purpose?" and "What makes people happy?" After a long discussion one evening, I got this email from him the next day. For some reason, it helps me to put in perspective what my intentions should be:

"One of my favorite segments from the TV show The West Wing included the following story:
A man falls into a hole and can't get out, a preist walks by and the man yells up to him 'Father I've fallen into this hole and I can't get out'. The preist takes out a prayer and drops it down to him and moves on. Next a doctor walks by and the man yells up to him 'Dr I've fallen into this hole and I can't get out'. The Dr writes out a prescription drops it into the hole and moves on. Finally an old freind walks by and the man yells up to him 'Joe i've fallen into this hole and I can't get out'. Joe jumps down into the hole and the man says, Joe why did you jump down here with me and Joe replies, 'because I've been down here before and I know the way out."

Sometimes we fall into our holes and feel like we are all alone. We can ask for help from "the experts", but sometimes we just need to be around someone who has been there before - not because we need them to solve our problems for us, but just to be there to listen to our struggles and remind us of who we are, our strengths, and the reality that we are just in a hole and there are ways out if we just take a breath and look around. They did it and are ready to serve as a model that it is do-able.

If you haven't already done so, I would HIGHLY recommend you find a support group - I don't even care what it is. I have several groups of people who I rely on and am accountable to with my weight loss, fitness, professional, and personal goals - and some have been in my situation before. Whatever you do, having someone to lean on and support is a valuable thing.


The second email I have cherished this week was from my Global traveling mate, Josh. He sent me a nice message about Habits that I would love to share with this group. Actually, you should read the article about Habits at the New York Times by Janet Rae-Dupree. Read that article, and then I will point out my favorite parts of it, if you care:

Brain researchers discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells.

We can direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. The more new things we try, the more inherently creative we become.

Comfort is the realm of existing habit. Stress occurs when a challenge is so far beyond current experience as to be overwhelming.

It’s in the stretch zone, the middle where existence feels a bit awkward and unfamiliar, where true change occurs.

Continuously stretching ourselves will help us achieve our goals! Do something different every day to get out of the routines that make us more aware of our lives.

Kaizen calls for tiny, continuous improvements! (Now WHERE have you heard this before?)

“You cannot have innovation, unless you are willing and able to move through the unknown and go from curiosity to wonder.”

Wow, excellent article. A "must read" for anyone ready to make a life change.

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

The last weekend, while in Dallas Texas, I had a chance to "reveal my identity" a little and announced that I have lost considerable weight while using Nutrilite vitamins, XS Energy Drink and TrimAdvantage protien snacks. (You can purchase these items here, by the way - or just contact me for more information.) I digres - It was a good weekend, and I heard words like "momentum", "integrity", "dreams", "goals", "strategy", "techniques", "actions", "milestones", "partnerships", and "edification". The best two things that I gained from the weekend were the following:

1. The first thing I retained from the weeekend was about setting our Goals and Dreams. The thought behind setting our goals = Don't put all your eggs in one basket. It is interesting that just as I have been telling myself to not base all my focus (in the last blog) on the success of one thing, I was getting this same message from the speakers at this weekend conference. If you are to measure your success or failure based on a few events or in my case, a few people you meet, you will statistically fail already - as likely you will be rejected or not succeed to your liking. However, if you spread out your efforts to lots of possible options, you will find that one failure doesn't affect you, and one success may not be as big of a high as it would have if it was your "last ditch effort", however overall you will be better off and have a better chance of succeeding at your effort. Also, and perhaps more importantly, by spreading out your options of success, you might find that what you thought you wanted isn't what makes you happy in the end. Perhaps you will find that, as the Rolling Stones said, "you can't always get what you want" (or what you THINK you want), "but if you TRY sometimes you just might find you get what you need." (or what you REALLY wanted, but just never thought of it)
2. The second thing, after thinking about our Goals and Dreams is then thinking about how do we get them in todays busy society, when after all is said and done, we don't have the energy to consider our dreams. Dreams and goals take more than thought - they require some momentum. Momentum is difficult, becuase it seems to happen in spurts - even using Kaizen, we don't always improve ourselves, sometimes we just stagnate. So is there a way that we can spark some momentum into our hecitc lives? The concept brought up this weekend may not be new, but it hit me at the right time and in the right way - What can you accomplish in the next 120 days? What can you do for 120 days straight without worrying about results? By putting yourself into something - fully engaged, no half-way commitments - for only 120 days, should show you some results - if it doesn't, maybe you were not fully committed, maybe your technique was wrong, or maybe you decide that this dream is not something you truly want to do or have. Either way, you haven't lost a lot of time (4 months?) and you may learn something valuable through the effort. I KNOW this works with weight loss and fitness - by taking 120 days and focusing on what you need to do every day to make something happen and you are doing it correctly and consistenly - it just works. When it hasn't worked for me is when I wasn't true and focused during the 120-day period. If I cheated or let myself stray, then I failed. It is ossible to stay committed for 120 days, because if you really hate it, you have the ability (I give you my blessing on this) to say that after the 120 days is over "I will never do THAT again." But until 120 days is over, stay committed, keep your internal integrity to honor your commitment to that dream and goal for just 120 days. After the 120 days is over, review your actions and measure your path. Then you can decide - am I better off by doing this test? Do I feel better about me and my world? Sometimes hindsight can be a valuable tool when setting the goals and dreams for the next 120 day push....

With this energy, I will be getting back to the basics of "what I need to do" for the next 120 days - eat and drink right, excercise daily, sleep well, and continue to improve my mental and social skills.

This next 2 weeks will be busy for me with a huge report due, my clients from out of the country coming to visit, and my other clients are adding and moving around a bit. So I will by working my tail to get everything done - nothing new for Chazz, and I feel pretty good about the whole thing. (Especially the fact that I will be taking my out-of-town clients to a Twins vs Yankees game - front row seats!!!)

for the next posting in June - lets get back to podcasting (chazz-casting) as I have an interview with Kaptain Karl to finish, and talk about eating patterns - I am reading about fasting and am curious if this is something that real people do on a regular basis.

more later,

Chazz

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You have been endowed with a Divine Spark in God's Glorious Tapestry

Having Tunnel-Vision can be a very scary thing - especially when you are in the middle of the tunnel where the sunlight is hard to find. I tend to panic in tight enclosed spaces, and I realize that getting out of the tunnel can be a freeing, euphoric experience. For me, the tunnel doesn't have to be physical, it can be a fixation that I cannot break, even if I am being suffocated. By stepping out into the light and seeing the tunnel from the outside-in can be a freeing, glorious feeling. Sometimes we feel trapped by our own mistakes, our surroundings, and others who may do us harm.

Motivation:

Acts 12: 6 - 11

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.

Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

Diary:

I read this in a devotional book on Tuesday morning. It was written by Lenore Three Stars, a woman from Lake Stevens, Washington: "Peter's extraordinary prison break boggles the mind. I was amazed that the Lord's angel, who appeared in Peter's cell with a shining light, had to smack Peter on the side to wake him up. Then the chains fell off and iron gates released their locks. It was less a prison break than a stroll, right over the guards and out the door. As Peter recognized the magnitude of his rescue, that it isn't a dream after all, I can almost hear his heart pounding. Thank you for rescuing me, for pulling me out of the pit and setting my feet on the solid rock. Amen"

Peter was in prison in Acts 12 due to nothing of his own fault. King Herod had arrested him in order to persecute him. He previously had James put to death by the sword, so there was a history if King Herod being not such a loving and caring dude. The one thing to note during this time is that while Peter was kept in prison the church (aka, his friends, family, and those who loved and cared for him) were earnestly praying for him.. and he was rescued.

Prisons don't have to be made of iron and steel, nor do they require gates, guards, locks and chains. Sometimes prisons are built from our own "tunnel vision", a sense that we want, need, deserve, or are owed something that we do not possess. Sometimes prisons are built by misunderstandings between flawed humans, mistakes that are made that cut deeply and stick close to our hearts.

One of my favorite movies (the favorite movie) is The Shawshank Redemption. When I am so sad and lonely and feel like the world is against me, I watch this movie. I used to think that this story was about Andy - the man who was falsely accused and spent his time trying to make sense of how and why he was put into a place that he did not deserve. I used to think that I was like Andy, I wasn't sure at times why I was in the prison and yet lived my life, helped people, and did what I thought was right. He had to go into the tunnel and back out again to make his life right, no one would help him to get out of the prison that surrounded him.

This time around, as I watched, I think I am starting to see the movie through Red's eyes. It is so easy to lose Hope and Faith when you are in the prison, to the point that you forget the things that used to make you happy. Red may say that he has given up on things like Hope, but you can tell through his actions and his nature that he still cares for and seeks out his friends and looks to his friends (who are also all in prison, by the way) for guidance and support. When he finally gets out, it is not of anything he does, in fact by the time he is granted his parole, he has lost all interest in attaining what he always thought was his greatest reward. Only then were the chains set loose, and his freedom is restored.



We, as Andy and Red, are at times in our prisons - regardless of our guilt or innocence in getting there, and we have choices to make while we are there. We don't have control over the conditions at times, the guards, the gates, the walls are there, but it is what is inside of us that we can use to endure painful times. We can look to each other for help, and to God-given gifts such as Faith, Hope, Love, and Grace. Those are always there, we may not see them in our tunnel-vision.

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

At my work, we discuss a lot about "Hindsight" vs "Foresight". If we all had perfect Foresight in Business Strategy and Product Pricing, we would always make a maximum profit - however, it is not possible to always know exactly what to sell, the price to sell, when to sell, or who to sell to. We have to use Hindsight at times to see what we could have done to make more revenue, although since that time is past, it is really just a verification study of historical data.

The same is true in our lives - we have lots of perspective about our past - but very little perspective as to our future. We don't know what specifically is around the corner, and that is part of what life is about. We are in some extent, a compilation of our mistakes, trials, and what we have overcome. It is easy to let life get the best of you and hold you down - you may want to run away from the future, knowing to some extent that the future will hold some pain and heartache. I have news for you - your future does and will hold pain and heartache for you - that is simple universal truth - and remember that Simple is Not Easy.

There is another truth, however that you need to consider:

Fear can hold you prisoner, Hope can set you free.

By using Hindsight, we can see times and places where we, like Peter in Acts 12, have been rescued. Sometimes we are rescued in mysterious ways, and I have found that prayer in some what has been a part of my rescue experiences. Only after some time do I find how people were moved to work through prayer or through a calling to help me. I take comfort in the mysterious ways of the world - a Royal Tapestry that has been created for us.

You have been endowed with a Divine Spark in God's Glorious Tapestry. I don't know that this is a direct quote from my friend Dave B, but it is what I heard him say. It hit me in a point in time that I was having tunnel vision. I was so fixated on something I thought I deserved that I missed the fact that maybe if I got what I so wanted, perhaps I would lose the freedom that I cherish. I felt so trapped by my prison that I lost track of the things that I am, that are inside of me that the world can't touch - my gifts for myself and my gifts to others. What a blessing to be reminded, what a freedom to be rescued. Yesterday I felt lighter, as if chains were removed from my arms and shoulders and I could breathe easier. I haven't yet decided what I want to do, but I am reminded of the type of person I am and the things that I truly enjoy.

So, my challenge to you this week, my friends, sounds corny and probably is, but it is to "Be the Miracle" for others. What gifts have you been given that no one else has that makes you unique and special? What are you doing with those gifts to further yourself and others? What needs do you meet to those around you? What can you do for others that will make them feel as special as you are? You have been endowed with a Divine Spark - something that you can use to reach others and make them better than when before they found you. (Thanks Dave B for pointing this out to remind me.) What a concept! Just by meeting you, someone else can be healed in some way - by witnessing the Hope that exists inside of you. Even if you feel like you are in your prison, just like Red and Andy, you can be for others "brightly feathered" so the places you live can be less drab and empty.

This Divine Spark - it is a powerful thing that you possess, and can be used to help people and build up, or to harm people (including yourself), and to tear down. It is important to consider your strategy carefully. (I may write about this concept of "Strategy" further, as I have had many conversations recently about this and it is fascinating.)

I don't attempt to know what your prison may be, if it is a stressful job, a hurtful relationship, a sense of loss, a financial burden, a friend in need, or something indescribable. It is important to remember that this prison is temporary, and while it may feel as if you are abandoned, you are not alone. Seek others, reach out and take a look around at the world.

There is light at the end of your tunnel, although you may currently not see it. The key may be to shine your Internal Spark and look for ways to see the tunnel for what it is: a passageway under or through. The tunnel is not the destination, but is a part of the journey to an ultimate goal.


more later,

Chazz

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Quick Mid-Week Update - Check your Calendars

Hi! So much going on that you need to know about - There are three items coming up that you might want to attend.

Motivation:

What you are thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

Fundraising Event - Monterrey Mexico

The BridgePointe Outreach Committee is sponsoring a mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico. We are delighted to have many people volunteer their time to go and serve others in need. Currently, they are planning on spending 9 days in Mexico, on the following projects:
a) Construction work
b) Serve at local Orphanage
c) Prison ministry
d) other opportunities as they arise

I am asking you to prayerfully consider attending the fund raising dinner and supporting those who are traveling for this mission of service. Please feel invited to attend this event and learn more about the needs in our world.

BridgePointe Church is located north of the intersection at Diffley and Lexington in Eagan, MN (North of the McDonalds). Feel free to let me know if you have further questions.

Thank you for your consideration.

The honor of your presence is requested at the
Monterrey Mexico Missions Trip
Fundraising Dinner and Silent Auction

Sunday May 4, 2008
5pm to 7pm
BridgePointe Covenant Church
4100 Lexington Way Eagan, MN 55123

Children are welcome at this event; they will have their own programming!

Fundraising Event - Twin Cities Race for the Cure®

The run in at 7:30 AM on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 11, 2008. It will be held outside the Mall of America®, in Bloomington, MN. If you wish to get up early that morning, feel free to come and cheer me on, and learn more about Breast Cancer. I saw the ad in the paper for this event, and I figured as long as I am training for one run, what is another run? Plus, I wanted to participate in a Susan Komen event for some time now, and I hope this is a motivation for me to do my best to prepare.

If you want to donate money for the event, you can do so here, although I am going to run regardless of the donations.


Finally, a NON-Fundraising Event - Shotgun Johnson and the Mississippi 7.
"Shotgun Johnson's name derives from the mercurial bandleader's refusal to drive to gigs, relegating him to many a passenger seat. He has since refined his position, now refusing to even ride to appearances. These days, Shotgun books shows without caring who claims to be his backup band, the Mississippi 7, so long as they play something, get paid, and cut him his slice. There are a lot of musicians in this town, and the Mississippi 7 are certainly some of them."

May 2, Friday, 9:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Shotgun Johnson & the Mississippi Seven
with Trio Tipo
Acadia Cafe
329 Cedar Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Which band members will show up this time?

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

Busy Week, so no well-thought out comments about how Simplicity can be a very Difficult thing to strive for, but perhaps is worthy of consideration. Think about that for a while.




more later,

Chazz

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