Yes, Ramona, there is a Shotgun..

Every time has it's season.. Is the harvest ready to be picked?

Motivation:

"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid." -Basil King

Diary:

"DEAR CHAZZ: Some of my friends say there is no Shotgun Johnson. Papa says, 'How could there be a band called 'Shotgun Johnson and the Mississippi Seven' without a Shotgun Johnson?' Please tell me the truth; is there a Shotgun?" RAMONA

RAMONA, your friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds.....

I have myself heard the rumblings and received messages from those who have never seen the lead member of the band, and have never witnessed the generosity and joy that he has given to the other members. In this time of pessimism, fear, doubt and chaos, I can put your fears aside and clear up this one issue with clarity.

(Let me remind our audience that the "Shotgun" I refer to is not the scattergun weapon, but the fact that "Shotgun" refers to the front passenger seat of an automobile. You will see that he (Shotgun Johnson) got this name from the fact that he loves to go EVERYWHERE with his friends, and likes to sit in front to see the world while riding. He simply refuses to sit in the back.)

Yes, RAMONA, there is a Shotgun. I have witnessed him, but I didn't realize it until after the fact. He was a educator, musician and engineer named "Evan" who gave of his talent, time, and energy to brighten the day and filled the band with encouragement, hope and laughter. Only after the day was over did I understand that he was being Shotgun.

Then I saw him again the next weekend, in the same place I saw him before, but he changed from a 30-something man, to "Anika" - a small child in my arms. She showed me hope, but also reminded me of curiousity and discovery. During her visit with me, I didn't know if I was protecting her, or if she was protecting me. Watching her sleep reminded me that small things are wonderfully amazing and we shouldn't skip over things that could bring us immense joy.

At one of our shows, the band members insisted that Shotgun was not going to make the show, but I saw him in the crowd - I swear it - it was a grandpa named "Fergus" who beamed commitment and pride through his smile. He made everyone feel at ease by finding "that one thing" to say to make you feel important, even if you felt mediocre. I know I saw Shotgun in the gleam of his eye, and I knew the band was playing as whole entity, once again. Later that night, Shotgun re-appeared in a phone call from my mother. While I was speaking to her of the night and the nice things Fergus had done and said, I heard Shotgun speaking back to me through mother's voice, commending both Fergus and the band, and echoing the positive qualities that I heard earlier that evening. It was deja-vu all over again.

Once I started looking for Shotgun, I found him regularly. Encouraging words from Pet, a smile and "how are you today" from Jo, a wall post from Pam, a card from Em, a hug from my old friend Cara, a call from Diamond, a text from Jman, the number of people who play Shotgun are endless. Some "Shotguns" are people I have known my whole life and haven't heard from in some time, and others are people I just met.

RAMONA, Shotgun appears when we look for him. Shotgun loves music, is devoted to giving to others, enjoys the company of friends, and finds joy in complimenting our successes and encouraging us in our failures. I would ask you to open your eyes and ears to find ways to share Shotgun's qualities with those around you, and when you are down, when you feel like you have a burden too great, look for Shotgun to remind you that you are a wonderful, beautiful, and powerful person.

Oh, powerful? Did this word cause a moment for you to pause? Did you know you have power? What is this power I write of? Love? Patience? Joy? Commitment to others? Yes. these are powerful actions. These powers do not go un-noticed. These are powers I see every day.

Who have you touched, changed, or affected? It's not that I am asking you to be a superhero, or change the way you are thinking or living. I am just wondering if there is someone you are influencing by just being the wonderful person you are and reaching the goals that are on your list. I think that you are. I know that you are. The thing is, your power might go well beyond what you currently believe. You are probably reaching people you never knew.

Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Shotgun Johnson. It would be as dreary as if there were no RAMONAS. No Shotgun? Might as well not have music at all.

CHAZZ

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SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

Ok, so I may dance around plagarism. I used some of the text from Francis Pharcellus Church's epic response to a letter to the editor, and I feel ok about it, because I just gave him credit! Aha. It's not that this is lost on me, but it seemed to fit, and since I haven't written for a while, I used this prop as a starting point. The rest of the story is true, so don't let this throw you off.

I will take this time to give you the "rest of the story" about this post. September was sort of a rough month - a big project at work, not a lot of time spent on fitness and excersice goals, and maybe too much partying during the Virgo month. The work project is done (for now) and the partying has gotten old, so I am now ready to refocus on the "simple life". I noticed that the St. Olaf Run is this weekend, and it made me reallize a couple things:

1) I am not ready to run. I might walk it, or I might not. I haven't prepared, and don't feel like pressing my body to do something it isn't ready for.
2) Last year was awesome. This time last year, I was in the best shape of my life, was running daily, wearing clothes that I never imagined I would fit in, and felt like I was on top of the world.

At 6:04pm on Monday, I got a text from Jman - "Omaha marathon yesterday was killer...hills..." The friend I was sitting with looked at the message and said to me "What is that about?" I explained the story of Jman and I running in the 5K last year, and then he was going to run the St. Olaf run, but hurt his ankle. Now, Jman is running marathons...

My friend asked "Did Jman run before you started your challenge? Did he run before you decided to run a 5K?"
"No, I don't think so"
"And now he is running marathons?"
"Yes"
After a short pause, he asked "Who else is running 5Ks now that didn't before?" After another pause, he stated "It sounds like you started something bigger than you thought. Who else is changing the way they live because they looked at you and thought - if he can do that, why can't I?" Long pause. "It seems like you have a really powerful affect on people." Really long pause. "Why aren't you running in a 5K right now?"

Can one small step change the world? Can something we do at the beginning of a season affect the end of the next season? All of these questions winding around my brain made me think of all the people who had a powerful affect on me. It also made me think that I wasn't trying to affect anyone else, just lose some weight and run a darn race. Somehow this desire turned into a power that went well beyond my original scope.

Now I look down at my "ponch" and realize that my destiny is still unfulfilled. I was on the right road - that is for sure.

October is a good month for renewal. I would encourage all my readers to recommit. Find your power and use your power. You might find that your powers have a greater impact than you can imagine.

Yesterday, I didn't exercise, (actually went home sick) but I did a very important thing - I made a matrix on my whiteboard - "Progress" is all it says, with random numbers and letters that most people will ignore or find cryptic. It is the starting point - and ends on April 1 2009.

The new chapter begins.

The harvest is bountiful.


more later,

Chazz

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December to August - what 9 months can do

See you all at the State Fair! Take a look at all the prize winning vegetables. (But don't touch, or you might get thrown out of the veggie building, like I did last year, but that is another story.)

Motivation:

"Finish each day and be done with it... tomorrow is a new day;
you shall begin it well and serenely."
-Emerson

Diary:

Today I got on the scale at the gym for the first time in several months. What I saw was shocking and I won't reveal it here for the public. Let's just say that I went above a weight mark that I vowed to myself that I would never go over again. How did this happen? In November of 2007 I was leaner and meaner than ever. Nine months later, I am back to floppy, flabby, lazy, bored, boring, and unattractive. Dang. I will reveal the numbers later - when I get a little more self-confidence.

It happened from taking my eye off the ball. I spread myself too thin. I forgot why I did it to begin with (weight loss, that is).

Simplify! Wasn't that the purpose of this years goals? What the heck was I thinking? Last night, while miserable after eating a meal of fried chicken, tator tots, and beer (is this an approved meal?), I wrote down my thoughts. I will share them here, just because. (I hope my lessons teach you well.)

Goals:

• 240 lbs
• V-shape body
• Wear Kendall's Suits
• Halloween / Costume Parties
• Christmas Party
• Flip up off floor in one smooth move
  
• Enjoy sitting in Stadium Seats (prep for Twins outdoor park)
• Fort Meyers - Twins spring training
• Las Vegas - Hard Rock Hotel jacuzzi
  
• Cancun vacation - 2009

How to get there:

• Eat Right - Follow Diet Diary daily
• Workout 2x each day - no excuses
  
• Rest for 7 hours each night
• Declutter - Simplify
  
• Drink Water - Not Beer - as main beverage (shocking revelation, huh?)
• Socialize regularly - stay around people
  

So those were my notes - and they are no magic or secret code, just the same list I keep writing over and over and over again. Here is the interesting thing though - when I write my list of goals and "what would make me feel better", some of the things that I thought should be on there started to slide away. At my core, "Dating" and "Be a better musician" left the list. It isn't that I don't want to be a better musician - I would enjoy being a master - but it just seems to be an outlier that I can get at in time or maybe just something that I will pick up as I get to it. I decided that "Dating" for "Dating's sake" is a big snooze for me. I just want to have fun, and was looking for someone to have fun with, but was sacrificing my goals and focus in order to do this. I was going about it all wrong - I was thinking "what would a girl like to do" and then doing those things and hating them, instead of thinking "I am having fun doing x, maybe I should ask a girl if she want's to join me." That would have been better at this stage in my life, because if I am not having fun, chance are she won't enjoy it either, and if she doesn't want to, then that is ok, it just wasn't right.

So, I guess what I am saying is that you won't have to endure any more discussion about my dating life, because I am shutting that down for a while. I am just going to do fun stuff and socialize without the pressure of having to date or please or find anyone special. Whew! That is a real pressure relief. Maybe I will be better friend now for the poor folks who have had to be around me and put up with my whining.



So I feel actually pretty empowered now to re-start the self-improvement routine. Today on the elliptical I was actually smiling, and I was remembering my friend the mp3 player and how it can predict my mood and help me to kick it into gear. I was imagining what things will feel like in a month if I work out every day, and that was a great visual for me. So here is the plan for then next few weeks:

• Walk in the Bill Seymour 5K run. I will be doing a speed-walk with my sister for this one that we jogged in last year. When we are done, we will be cheering on my brother-in-law as he runs the 1/2 marathon.
• Jog in the St. Olaf 5K in October. I am going to try and train for a light jog over the next month.
  
• Attend a Halloween Costume ball at end of October. I am going to need some hints/tips, as my idea of a costume is a tag with a different name on it. (Hi, my name is Bill.)
  
• Be able to get back into dress suits for Thanksgiving / Christmas

Got some goals, got some milestones, got my plan of action, got my blog, got people praying and cheering for me - that is a great start. Now we just need the whole motivation, endurance, one-day-at-a-time thing to kick in.

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

Making choices isn't easy, but it is something that must be done. Just like putting money in a mattress or in a bank, you make a choice that has some risk and potential reward.

My band (Shotgun Johnson and the Mississippi 7) is recording for an album to be released later this year / early next year. It is, from what I understand, going to be the best album ever on the planet, and something that you won't be able to miss. I hope it has a marketing plan that rivals the Normandale College. Stay tuned for more information about the SJM7 projects.

Anyway, I had a really great conversation with my friend Karl during a break in our recording session. We talked about the risk and reward of decisions we make in life itself. While we have any number of possible things we can do with our day, there are a finite number of decisions we can make with the hours available to us. Time is a perishable resource, and what we do with this inventory has a value to calculate. Because time keeps being used whether we use it or not, even NOT making a decision has a cost. So, if it is a decision to do something or not do something, or do something different (choices A, B, or C) , you are moving in a direction.

What am I getting at? Now I am not too sure - I think I was promoting to make bold moves and do things that maybe a little dangerous or scary, because if you don't do those things, the moment in which to make those moves may have passed.

My friend Kendall once asked if I would roll down a hill with him. It was in the middle of a high-school baseball game, and he looked at this steep hill behind the bleachers and said "wouldn't it be fun to just roll all the way down that hill? Let's do it, come on". "What? There are people sitting around - they would think we are crazy? Are you insane? Two grown men running up a hill, and playing 'stop, drop and roll'? No way!"

Now, on retrospect, I wish I would have done that. Would it have been silly? Yes! Would it have been embarrassing? Yes! Would I have felt like a total dolt? Maybe. Would I look back on that moment in time and laugh so loud I could bust a tooth loose? Certainly.

Maybe the action of two older, stocky men rolling down a hill on their bellies would spark a mini-revolution that caused everyone to stop what they were doing, get off of the bleachers and run to the top of the hill and roll down in a pile and laugh like little children. Maybe it would have made them stop and think about little things that used to make them happy and at the end of the day, they would treat themselves and those around them just a little bit better. Maybe they would show more love to their families. Maybe they would have an inner joy beyond that of any other joy they could have had that day.

Or maybe they would just turn around and say to themselves, under their breath, "Stupid senile creeps. Why don't they go somewhere else if they are going to act like idiots."


more later,

Chazz

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Facebook, Twitter, and Eharmony - communication in the virtual world.

Happy Independence Day from everyone at "Chazz Vader's Intelligent Design"!

picture is from a recent baseball trip to Chicago. this trip marks the beginning of Memphis' first twitter message.



Motivation:

"He who would learn to fly must first learn to walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying." -Nietzshe

Diary:

I have social networking to blame for my lack of blog writing over the last month. Social networking - both live and virtual, has been sort of taking over my thoughts and I think we are teetering (tweetering?) close to the word "addiction". I do enjoy reconnecting with people and meeting new people, and I have had fun, but am not sure that this is very productive. That being said, if you want to connect with me, and know what I am doing on a regular basis, the best way to stay in touch is through one of the following sites (if not through my blog) :












Three other sites I have enjoyed in the last month include www.geni.com, www.plaxo.com, and www.meetup.com.

Oh, and I forgot - but maybe I have been spending the most amount of my time online at dating sites, such as eharmony, match, yahoo, and okcupid. After a while, I get tired of these sites, and tired of "chatting" with people out on the wire. Although, I also get tired of meeting people at bars, events, and "out there" in the real world, so things really aren't that different. I found the following true for real life networking as well as virtual networking:

• be confident and know what you have to offer and can do for others
• give of yourself willingly in order to serve others
• listen to others - be open to provide a shoulder to lean on
• don't interrupt - are you still listening? sometimes teaching and helping doesn't involve speaking or taking over, until asked to
• if / when asked, help to solve the problem without questioning or judging
• ask for help. you will find out what people are great at by asking for others to guide you when you have problems
• be reliable. always follow through if you say you are going to help someone.

Social Networking is all about Making Connections - what is the purpose? Looking at the definition of "Networking" tells us the following:

• Two or more people that communicate with each other and share resources.
• Expanding one's sphere of influence by initiating mutually advantageous relationships.

Cool! I love these definitions - In order to expand your mutually advantageous sphere of influence, you should really know who is out there, and understand how others can help, and how much you can offer to the people in your network. This has to happen through good communication and follow-up. Do you have good communication and follow-up with your sphere of influence? How can you improve this? Does technology help? How can we use twitter and facebook to help share our resources and communicate with each other? If you have an idea, please comment at the end of this message.

Scott Abel, (The Content Wrangler) has posted this article on his site (with a very funny video, check it out) that pokes some fun at people like me who are addicted to social networking sites.

If you liked the article link above, the following video also points some fun at some of the popular social networking sites:

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

So, I looked at my list of goals for the "120 Day Push" and reallize that I have been ultimately a procrastinator. I could blame it on the social networking, or I could list the other things I have been working on in the last 30 days, such as travelling to Chicago, Dallas, and Central Nebraska, or learning and working on the new projects at work, taking country dancing lessons, or playing with the band, or being involved in the STC (nominated as Secretary of the board), or the myriad of other things that happen. It couldn't be, could it, that I have been seduced by summer events and eating and drinking usually follows these outings (don't stand in line for free wings at BW3, that is my advise - learn from my mistakes...) However it happened, my priorities have slipped, and starting Monday the 120 days starts all over again, only this time I have a little more incentive and desire.

I recently found an unintended groups of supporters - I thought it would be different, but was gladly surprised how things turned out...

I went to my sister's high-school reunion weekend and met some of her classmates, then the next day ran into some of my classmates and my high-school football/wrestling coach. I expected to feel awkward, but was surprised at the number of people who have been non-verbally cheering me on from a distance - people who I never thought would be "on my team", who came up to me to give me a hug and just say - "you look great". That pat on the back and reminder has encouraged me to stay motivated and keep my eye on the prize. It is amazing how the right word from the right person and the right time can put you back into focus on what is important in your life. One of the things that was said at the Reunion Banquet was that we all (our classmates) helped to form the people who we are today, and we have our childhood friends and peers to thank for putting their hand into the form that we are today. I agreed with this statement, and was reminded that even our failures in life help to form the person we are today. Our pain and baggage, and the people who were around us to support us and help us are part of our DNA - and make us the people we are today. I thank my classmates from Loomis High for the influence they had in my growth and I hope that I was an influence in their lives as well. This "step into my past" was a real eye-opener, and a reminder that I need to stay connected to my past friends and partners. I will encourage all my classmates to join Facebook, and be my friend.

The other unlikely source of encouragement has come from my recent dating experiences. I expected it to be an awful, embarrassing series of events, filled with pain and despair, reminding me of all my flaws and incompatibilities, but I have found that in reality, it is the opposite. I guess the point of finding a long-term partner is to find someone who actually cares about your success and failure and wants to share these with you and be another member of your "team", only in a more intimate setting. Wow, how did this just hit me? Like the classmates I spoke about, the dating world is filled with people who have experiences (some good, some bad) and have a unique DNA. That is a wonderful, joyful thing. It is interesting to learn more about their past and enjoy the person who has emerged from that past. So, I am finding that my dating is actually getting me to see another side of my goals and incentives - that through the eye of a partner who is thinking the same thing that I am - which is - "She makes me feel better about my life - What can I do to make her life better?" and "How wonderful and strong she is - I want to make her feel like she is very special." Since I am feeling this about her, I can only hope that she is feeling this about me... what a wonderful partner to have in my corner.

With this knowledge, I am now having more interesting, deeper conversations with my married friends about their lives, and how they interact and work together in their "family team". It expands my idea of "Renaissance Man" to consider a "Renaissance Family", working together.

I have a lot to learn.

more later,

Chazz

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