Wild Hair Club For Men

Art Williams, my mentor visionary from the 1980's, coined the phrase "Just Do It".  He even wrote a book of that title sometime before Nike stole his idea and invented Michael Jordan.  His thesis was to do that thing that was in front of you that you KNEW you needed to do, regardless of your current set of circumstances.  He encouraged people to quit talking about stuff and to start doing stuff.  Little did he know. 

I have always obeyed the creed of "The Wild Hair".  Many times, to my detriment, I did exactly as I saw fit and without much regard for what my mom thought and certainly with no regard for what the friends and acquaintances around me thought.  It doesn't deserve much detail here, but as a kid, I did stuff.  Lots of stuff.  As an older kid, I flew my bike out to California and rode back to Oklahoma to see if I could do it.  I jumped a train once and rode hundreds of miles with my bike on board, just to see what results I might get. 
I built a house when I was about 19 or so becuase it seemed reasonable at the time.  I did all kinds of dumb stuff and even some smart stuff.  I definitely obeyed the wild hair creed.

As an older, wiser adult, I started a Professional Golf Tour which pretty much broke me financially, but I don't regret doing it at all.  And though I took a severe beating on the deal, I would do it again.  More recently, I decided to expand my business nationwide, and to start multiple companies under one roof.  Wow, was that fun!  I like getting in way over my head.

See, I have always believed that God is awesome, and that He is good, all the time.  I figure with the creator of the universe having my cosmic back, that not much can go wrong.  Ya know, I was right!  Even though I have suffered many of my decisions, The Bible mentions that I should "consider it pure joy when I face trials for they serve to strengthen me".  God doesn't need to steer a parked car either, so I have often moved forward with my ideas and beliefs. 

Is there something you would like to do?  Do is a powerful word, and a much more powerful action.  To do is to be in harmony with your dreams and goals.  It develops your character and your spirit, and  it increases your understanding in multiple ways. 

If you knew success was guaranteed, what would you attempt?

If you knew you could NOT fail, what would you spend your time doing?

What holds YOU back?  Is there a reason, excuse, person, or other thing holding you back from "Doing It"?  Seriously.  Dig around in there.  Most often, I meet people who wish they had done some stuff.  Even more often I meet those who are controlled by either their past like a boat anchor or they are controlled by some one else's opinion of them.

Cut the line on both.  Neither is real.  You can do it.  God never made a piece of junk and He certainly doesn't want you to lie around in the vomit of your own past.  He does want you to learn from it, and from those previous mistakes comes the wisdom and confidence that you need.  America needs you to be brave and bold.  My kids need you to be the best YOU that you can be.  Your legacy is waiting for you.

Just do it. 

Here is a picture of something I created that I am proud of. I was so very scared, but I did it any way.  Vacation Business School.  God's plan for money and business through the eyes of kids.  Everyone talks about taking action and how we need to educate kids....I am so proud that I took action.  VBS....2010...

If you would like for your child to participate with Vacation Business School in 2011...let me know....I took action to create the class....all you have to do is say yes!  It is FREE for the kids ages 8 to 17!  June 2011.

The Wild Hair.....sometimes is pays off! 

Day 19. Still In The Game!

One of the easiest things for me to justify is quitting.  I am big boned, I am busy, I am....blah blah blah.  Normally, I would have already done that but this time, everything seems different.  Perhaps I am just too lazy now to rationalize!  So, here is my status:

After 19 or so days, I have lost about 13 pounds, I have exercised regularly, I am gettingh more rest and more water, and a new way of life seems possible.  I started with a 24 day challenge and a 90 day goal.  The 24 day challenge is almost over and for me, it has been pretty simple, and very doable.  Anything believeable works for me.  I believe I will continI and make some major changes for the better. 

Don't ya hate it when you put something off for like 30 years?  I never had a single bad year, just lots of slight errors in judgement.  A couple of pounds a year for 30 years and all of the sudden you look like a beached albino whale with a fat lip and a bad haircut.  Ok, maybe a little much, but that is what I have felt like lately. 

This is from the first day of my new "me".  See the # 1 finger?  That means day 1.  The cool jersey is a remake of an old bmx jersey that my buddy Stu Thomsen and Jeff Ruminer used to wear!

Ok, lets take a look at me after day 10 of the "herbal cleanse" portion....at least i was standing when the picture was taken....the empty box implies my completion of the contents which I actually did do in perfect harmony with the written instructions....really....I took some instructions...no, seriously!

Wow, I gotta stop taking pictures at 6:30 a.m. when my hair is such a mess. 

These are some of the new products/food choices I will be making from here on.  Most of this is from Advocare, a nationally known nutrition/research company that is wildly endorsed by Drew Brees, Colt McCoy, and numerous other famous people.  Katy sells this stuff and it seems to work.  You can see more of it at www.advocare.com/08044226   I tried this once before and lost lots of weight and my blood work changed almost miraculously.  I can say that I have been the science project that proves this stuff works and can work again!  But only if I apply myself...

Spark is the best food I have ever put into my body and I will take it forever.  It enhances my energy and gives me sharp mental focus.  It doesn't have any weight loss component, but I don't want to go through a single day without it.  The rest is nutrition related, etc.  I have replaced breakfast with a nutritious shake for the 24 days of the challenge.  (Purple box)  I am eating well, adding lots of planned snacks (almonds, fruit, nuts, protein bar, drinking more water, and getting more sleep.  This seems to be the right formula. 

Here is what I looked like at the age of 15:

That's me on the left.  All 145 pounds of me.  That picture was in a magazine under the title, "Oklahoma Legends", or something like that.  I have NOT felt very legendary in quite a long time. 

So day 19 was pretty good.  I still have lots on me right now, stuff I don't want to blog about or talk about so much.  There is much to do, much to be accomplished, and much encouragement around me.  I get up early now every day and love being "more awake" to my surroundings.  I feel like I just stepped out of the Matrix.  More later. 



Day 12

Ever just have a lousy day?  I had one yesterday, and was discouraged by life, and a gripey fat head.  In fact, it could be suggested that I was a double fooey fatty fatty fat headed fat head.  Ok, I have vented, and on with day 12.

Up easily at 5:30.  About to do my pushups and cardio stuff.  Eating well and taking care of myself seems to get easier as each day goes by.  I still have a strong love of popcorn and reeses peanut butter cups.  I am treating myself to once a week with a little popcorn and a reeses cup.  Right now, even that seems excessive.  I have lost a few pounds, but I am not giving much time or credence to weight loss being the predictor of health or wellness.  Good health is not just the absence of disease or weight, but something more.  I want the something more.  There are so many pressures on me with life and business, that good health is essential to survive. 

Today I am going to an Advocare "Success School" up in Fort Worth.  I am torn about going because I have so much to do here, but I need a break from the day-to-day activities.  AND, I need to sharpen myself and these Advocare folks seem to have a good grasp on the right way to build a life, a business, and how to live life on purpose.  I have much to learn. 

I have taken a stand for my health.  For the first time in a long, long,time, I feel pretty good.  This is nice.  Ok, pushups and cardio....

Day 10 Of Life Change

Actually, these go to 11.  Ok, this is the 11th day forward from when I decided to make a change in my life.  It has been awful and wonderful in so many ways. 

The Awful:  The regret I feel for not figuring this out much sooner

The Wonderful:  Almost every other part.  I wake up each day at 5:30 a.m., read a Proverb, read my goals, then spend some time on the treadmill.  So far I have been early to bed, and early to rise.....

When I figure out how, I will add some pics of this journey and perhaps a http://www.youtube.com/ link. 

I just finished a 10 day Herbal Cleanse.  This is a product of Advocare and is designed to make things "run smooth" and clear your system out pretty well.  I don't want to say how much tonage I dropped from just that, but I was very pleased with the results.  As far as the cleanse part of it goes, I will just say this:  "Looking back (literally), I don't see anything down there that would be better off inside me" so I will count all of this as a win!

Waking up gets easier.  I have been waking up before my alarm goes off.

Exercise gets easier.  I can now do 7 pushups instead of 5!  I am up to 3.3 mph on the treadmill.  Baby steps, right?  The one key that is universal was taking a step, getting started.  There is never a perfect time to do the right thing better than right now. 

Lots of work stuff going on, and lots of the daily pressures of life and business.  I have been discouraged a couple of times, but fought through it.  Not sure what is next......

Exceptions Are NOT Exceptional

Today is te 5th day of making a major life decision.  Somewhere in here I will finish my last post where I posted my daily intake of nutrition, etc, but today I wanted to jot down some musings on something I see that is a major stumbling block for me.  Being exceptional. 

Exceptional?  You mean super awesome?  Like, you ARE exceptional?  Like, NO.  Like, when you make exceptions to personal rules and codes, you are very NOT exceptional.  When you make excuses and believe them, you are on the pathway to destruction.  See, some people (my nickname) have made excuses for so long that they now actually believe them and accept this as a normal way of life.  Excuseism and Exceptionalism begins so easily and just latches on like a tick, sucking your future out of every pore but rarely causing much pain during the moment.  Here is an exception I made today:

"Oh, it is snowing outside, so I don't have to wake up on time".  It is just a small exception, but one that a real pro would never make.  And at the end of today, it doesn't have that big an impact on the outcome of anything.  The real problem lies in the fact that the next time I am faced with honoring a commitment or choosing an easier path, it will become easier to take the easy way out.  Winning, toughness, commitment, and success are not a part of the time thing, they are an all the time thing.  Did I make a huge error this morning?  Nah, if ever there was a great morning to sleep in and have my girls jumping on the bed, today was that day.  But if I am not careful, if I excuse my behavior over and over, then losing and excuses become the way of life and success becomes some mystery that appears to be cosmically awarded by the universe, and not to those who seek it.  I am in the battle of a life time in so many areas.  I want to win them all. 

I got back on the horse right after the girls tired of jumping on the bed bonzai style.  Today is a good day, full of lessons and possibilities.  I choose life. 

Wait. Weight.

So, back for my annual post where I share my brilliance with my keyboard and no one really notices!  Today is February 2, 2011 and I am happy to be here. 

It is amazing what we learn to put up with.  Mark Twain said, "You could learn to like a hot stove if you sit on it long enough".  Kevin Bacon said, "Thank you sir may I have another?"  Often, our lives become a product of slight errors in judgement to the negative or we win massively by exercising "the slight edge". 

Winners do the right thing.  Champions do what losers are simply unwilling to do.  Professionals know what to do, when and how to do it, and they do it, regardless of how they feel.  That is what it takes to live life to the fullest.

With that, I am looking forward to being a loser.  To be more clear, I am looking forward to loosing some bad habits and learning some new good ones.  I am looking forward to lossing worry and despair, and I am looking forward to a brighter day.  See, I have marginalized my health and let myself become a fat tub of goo.  Yep.  Goo.  Slime.  Chunky Monkey.  Rotund.  The Round Mound of Sound.  I am all of these AND a crate of Diet Cheetos.  I am too fat, and I am ready to make a change.

Just a few days ago, Sunday, January 30, 2011 in fact, I made a decision.  I decided to take control of my health and physical life and live on purpose.  On that day, I was 5 ft 8, I weighed 235 pounds, had a 40 inch waist and growing.  I am on high blood pressure medicine, allergy medicine, and I need to be on cholestoral meds as well.  I eat anything and everything I want.  So does my family.  I have been a lousy leader. 

There are so many changes I could make, but I am going to make a few changes right now that will make a difference.  I want to do something awesome, and more importantly, I don't want to die with the music still in me.  In fact, I don't want to die at all.  I want to live, live well, and live on purpose.  Here goes.

Day 1.  Monday, January 31.   Woke up at 5:30 a.m.  Wow this sucks.  This is where I will start my day from now on.  I am not on a diet, I am making a decided lifestyle change.  We waste too much time in bed anyway.  Here is how I see my average day working out for me:

Up at 5:30.  a.m.  No Snooze any more.  I've spent my whole life snoozing.  I am tired of snoozing.  The Bible says something like "a little more rest, a little more slumber, a little more folding of the hands, and a bad guy will take all of your stuff...." (Cash's paraphrase)  So, every day from now on, up at 5:30 a.m.

5:40 a.m.. I have chosen Advocare products to help me with the nutrition side of my life.  They fill in the gaps and enable me to feel and perform better.  Start each day with a glass of Spark (nectar of the gods!) and three Catalyst 

5:45  Daily Proverb.  I must exercise and feed my mind also

6:00 Advocare chocolate meal replacement shake.  I am told by my workout mentor, Robyn Pettinger of Bootcamp University, that I need to stimulate my muscles and feed my body with more protein.  This gets the job done and sort of ramps me up for the day.  For whatever reason, I am not starved nor do I feel famished during the early part of the day.

6:05 a.m.   Right now twenty minutes of treadmill, upper body weights (mild) and pushups.  I can do 5 pushups.  Barely!  Next week, I am starting P 90 x and converting my garage to a "man cave".  I am starting slow because I always over do it when I make large commitments. 

7:00 Shower, etc, spend a few more minutes with Audrey and Sarah and Katy, then off to conquer the world. 

Day 1 Diet:  Advocare Herbal Cleanse
                    Spark
                    Chocolate shake

snack           protein bar
                    water

lunch