Over the past two weeks I have lost 6 pounds. It's not a landmark or even a celebration. It's simply a data point. Nothing spectacular about that. Yet, a little bit of math tells us that is 3 pounds per week. At that rate, by May of next year I will have lost over 75 pounds. That certainly would be spectacular. Sure I will have weeks with less progress and weeks with more, but keeping the average at around 3 pounds per week is a healthy and focused goal. However, here is the most important part of my physical journey, I feel better. I have more energy. I sleep better. I work better. And that's only after losing 6 pounds! As I mentioned at the beginning, my initial focus is on changing daily habits. I can't get stuck thinking about the end goal, I have to take it one day at a time, one moment at a time. Here are the three physical goals that will set me up on the right path:
Physical Goal the First - drink as much water as possible. All day long. Everyday. Constantly. The first thing I do in the morning is drink a glass of water. The last think I do before I go to bed is drink a glass of water. Throughout my day and at every meal I drink a glass of water. I will forgo any musings about how often I have to go the bathroom because of this, but I can certainly tell you, I am NOT dehydrated. The benefits of this don't need to be spelled out, and I have every confidence that drinking this quantity of water, while difficult, is a strong contributing factor to the progress I have made so far.
Physical Goal the Second - increase my physical activity. Walk the dog. Play with my kids. Take the stairs. Run a 5k every weekend. Well, maybe the 5k's can wait a few months. But the point is, I need to move around a lot more than I have been, more than I want to, more than I think I can. I am determined not to equate this habit with: join a gym. I need to form a solid habit of getting my body out of the recliner and staying off my tushy. Last week, my wife and I started a fitness video series together, so Monday through Friday we spend about 30 minutes trying not to pass out in our living room. So much sweat. But again, that is just bonus sweat, the focus is on not sitting down every chance I get.
Physical Goal the Third - log my food intake. For the rest of November, I want to enter everything I eat into the app on my phone. It keeps track of calories and nutrients with a nice pie graph to compare fat/carbs/protein. At this point, I am not jumping feet first into any certain diet or meal plan, but I do want to be aware of how much I eat and what my nutrition is like over the week. I have noticed that just the act of logging the food in after I eat it helps me keep my portion sizes down, makes me reconsider my choices, and gets me looking at labels before I purchase something I consider "healthy." Soon I plan to look at any trends the app shows me, make some adjustments and actually put a meal plan down on paper. I will reduce my calorie intake gradually, and focus on natural, nutrient dense foods for the vast majority of what I consume. Changing habits, not dieting.
So here we are, 15 days into my RADICAL LIFE TRANSFORMATION and I have a reasonable plan to add some good spiritual and physical habits into my daily routine. If you have stuck with me through the boring goal-setting stage, I want to say thank you and I would love to hear some of your goals and/or accomplishments. But, the journey isn't over. If you made it this far, then hang on to your crumpets because it's about to get interesting!
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Sunday, November 8, 2015
SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION
GOALS - Day 8
In a sense, the topic of this page should be something more like spiritual growth. Where the focus of my heart is shifted from myself and things I seem to occupy my time with, toward God and following His will for my life. As the overall theme of this "project" is transformation, both spiritual and physical, I will just let the title stand for the sake of consistency. Along this journey, I am sure I will make and meet many goals, fail at others, and simply make progress (or not) in some. That leads me to the point of this post. I am purposely setting some simple, achievable goals. Primarily so that I might gain some forward momentum in the leg of the journey. As a long distance runner may not sprint out of the gate, I am approaching this leg at a slow jog. It is very important to me that I am able meet these initial goals. I will not quit, but I also don't want to fail this early in the game. So here goes:
SPIRITUAL GOAL THE FIRST - Pray every day. How simple it sounds. Even with no time parameters, suggestions for content, or organized plan. I want it to be just like breathing. I don't wake up and think, "Ok, today I canNOT forget to breathe." I want to change my habit of praying only when in the presence of others or when I put my kids to bed, to an actual conversation I have with God about the issues in my heart and reality of my life. I will pray for people I care about. I will pray for issues I hear about in other parts of the world. I will pray, every day.
SPIRITUAL GOAL THE SECOND - Memorize a bible verse every month. Practice them daily. I will confess that I have a bit of a head-start on this one. I just finished a study that required me to memorize about 35 verses. Admittedly, I only put them in short term storage for each week to get that particular verse "checked off" but could barely even summarize most of them by the end of the study. So, I wrote them all down on index cards and will practice them daily, each month adding another. I'd like to leave room in here for improvement, perhaps bumping it up to one verse a week or something like that, but let's just see how one per month goes for now. I have chosen 2 Timothy 1:7 as my verse for this month. If you see me around, don't hesitate to quiz me on it. I appreciate the accountability.
SPIRITUAL GOAL THE THIRD - Daily Devotional. I found a great app on my phone to help with this. In fact, the theme of the current devotional is "spiritual growth." I thought it would be a safe place to start. Spending a few moments in the Bible each day, and making it a habit, can only help me build a strong foundation for future growth and development. Basically, if I truly want to follow God, I have to read the Book. Probably a few times. More than likely for the rest of my life. Daily.
I am going to make a chart and actually check off each of the areas each day. If I make it to December 1st without missing a check mark, I will reward myself with a new journal. (Spoiler alert: any ideas what my goal might be in December?) If I miss a day or two in an area, I won't quit and I won't be walking around with a defeated look on my face, but I do want to make it at least 30 days in a row before I reward myself. An instinct of mine is to accept some failure as part of the journey, let it go and jump back on the horse. My experience has shown me that missing one day turns into two, three days into a week, two weeks into losing my devotional all together. I heard a very wise man say, "Salvation will get you into heaven, but the work you do for God on this earth will determine how much you enjoy it." He made an analogy about two men who go to a symphony. One had studied music theory and had become proficient at many instruments, the other barely listened to even some of the most common masterpieces. Both men will enjoy the music of the orchestra, but which man will have his heart filled with joy and peace and love and passion at the beautiful sound? Of course it will be the man who put in the work before he got to the show. I am on this journey because I already have my ticket for the show, and I really want to enjoy it.
In a sense, the topic of this page should be something more like spiritual growth. Where the focus of my heart is shifted from myself and things I seem to occupy my time with, toward God and following His will for my life. As the overall theme of this "project" is transformation, both spiritual and physical, I will just let the title stand for the sake of consistency. Along this journey, I am sure I will make and meet many goals, fail at others, and simply make progress (or not) in some. That leads me to the point of this post. I am purposely setting some simple, achievable goals. Primarily so that I might gain some forward momentum in the leg of the journey. As a long distance runner may not sprint out of the gate, I am approaching this leg at a slow jog. It is very important to me that I am able meet these initial goals. I will not quit, but I also don't want to fail this early in the game. So here goes:
SPIRITUAL GOAL THE FIRST - Pray every day. How simple it sounds. Even with no time parameters, suggestions for content, or organized plan. I want it to be just like breathing. I don't wake up and think, "Ok, today I canNOT forget to breathe." I want to change my habit of praying only when in the presence of others or when I put my kids to bed, to an actual conversation I have with God about the issues in my heart and reality of my life. I will pray for people I care about. I will pray for issues I hear about in other parts of the world. I will pray, every day.
SPIRITUAL GOAL THE SECOND - Memorize a bible verse every month. Practice them daily. I will confess that I have a bit of a head-start on this one. I just finished a study that required me to memorize about 35 verses. Admittedly, I only put them in short term storage for each week to get that particular verse "checked off" but could barely even summarize most of them by the end of the study. So, I wrote them all down on index cards and will practice them daily, each month adding another. I'd like to leave room in here for improvement, perhaps bumping it up to one verse a week or something like that, but let's just see how one per month goes for now. I have chosen 2 Timothy 1:7 as my verse for this month. If you see me around, don't hesitate to quiz me on it. I appreciate the accountability.
SPIRITUAL GOAL THE THIRD - Daily Devotional. I found a great app on my phone to help with this. In fact, the theme of the current devotional is "spiritual growth." I thought it would be a safe place to start. Spending a few moments in the Bible each day, and making it a habit, can only help me build a strong foundation for future growth and development. Basically, if I truly want to follow God, I have to read the Book. Probably a few times. More than likely for the rest of my life. Daily.
I am going to make a chart and actually check off each of the areas each day. If I make it to December 1st without missing a check mark, I will reward myself with a new journal. (Spoiler alert: any ideas what my goal might be in December?) If I miss a day or two in an area, I won't quit and I won't be walking around with a defeated look on my face, but I do want to make it at least 30 days in a row before I reward myself. An instinct of mine is to accept some failure as part of the journey, let it go and jump back on the horse. My experience has shown me that missing one day turns into two, three days into a week, two weeks into losing my devotional all together. I heard a very wise man say, "Salvation will get you into heaven, but the work you do for God on this earth will determine how much you enjoy it." He made an analogy about two men who go to a symphony. One had studied music theory and had become proficient at many instruments, the other barely listened to even some of the most common masterpieces. Both men will enjoy the music of the orchestra, but which man will have his heart filled with joy and peace and love and passion at the beautiful sound? Of course it will be the man who put in the work before he got to the show. I am on this journey because I already have my ticket for the show, and I really want to enjoy it.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Day 1
It is important to mention that this blog will not be written from a position of authority. The focus of what I will be describing in the weeks, months, and hopefully years to come will be out of my brokenness. I have reached a point where I am simply unhappy with my life. I am not unhappy with my family, my job, my house, or my car. I am unhappy that I feel distant from God. I am unhappy that I feel empty and ineffective in many of my relationships. I am unhappy that I weigh more than I ever have in my life. I am unhappy that I have problems with my health that are more than likely tied directly to my weight, diet, and activity level. The circumstances of my life have been crashing against my convictions to give my time in ministry, in service, to family, to friends. I am constantly exhausted. I never want to do anything except sleep and when I wake I am still exhausted. I know in my heart that this is not the life that God destined for me. I need a RADICAL LIFE TRANSFORMATION. I am not an expert in this concept. I did not read a revolutionary book that inspired me to this realization. I am simply tired of looking up from this pit of despair, hoping to catch a glimpse of the light that might filter down into the emotional quagmire I find myself in.
I believe my life can be broken into two components, the spiritual and the physical. In this blog, I will simply be explaining my goals, describing the process, admitting my failures, and celebrating victories, in both areas weekly. My hope is that this forum will help keep me accountable, encourage me when I am struggling, and maybe, just maybe, inspire others that are unhappy with the current state of their own life, spiritual, physical or otherwise. Whether you are on a mission to get back in shape, lose some weight, or improve your cholesterol, it is likely that we will be reading some of the same information, attempting some of the same exercises, or looking for recipes to try. If you are wondering if God is real, if you question things you find in the Bible, or if you desire a stronger relationship with God, it is definitely likely we will be walking along the same road. Life is hard, let's do it together! Join me on this journey of a RADICAL LIFE TRANSFORMATION, I have no doubt it will be worth it.
My father was not a Christian, but by the world's standards he was a successful man. In my younger days he taught me several lessons about life that stuck with me. One in particular comes to mind as I initiate this plan to make changes in these areas of my life. How will I know if I am successful? Dad defined success as "the continual pursuit of pre-determined, worthwhile goals." I fully realize the difficulty in setting goals that apply to spiritual growth and overall health. However, I do know that improvement in these areas is certainly worthwhile, so initially my goals will be simple and aimed at changing daily habits. Once I have made some progress defeating poor habits, my goals will adapt into more specific and difficult benchmarks. Over time, I fully expect to look back on this day as a turning point in my life, a memory faded by years of light and sweat. Whether you decide to check in on me or subscribe to my blog and start making changes in your own life, I thank you. No matter how much darkness you are facing, just remember that even a sliver of light can destroy that darkness. NEVER QUIT!
I believe my life can be broken into two components, the spiritual and the physical. In this blog, I will simply be explaining my goals, describing the process, admitting my failures, and celebrating victories, in both areas weekly. My hope is that this forum will help keep me accountable, encourage me when I am struggling, and maybe, just maybe, inspire others that are unhappy with the current state of their own life, spiritual, physical or otherwise. Whether you are on a mission to get back in shape, lose some weight, or improve your cholesterol, it is likely that we will be reading some of the same information, attempting some of the same exercises, or looking for recipes to try. If you are wondering if God is real, if you question things you find in the Bible, or if you desire a stronger relationship with God, it is definitely likely we will be walking along the same road. Life is hard, let's do it together! Join me on this journey of a RADICAL LIFE TRANSFORMATION, I have no doubt it will be worth it.
My father was not a Christian, but by the world's standards he was a successful man. In my younger days he taught me several lessons about life that stuck with me. One in particular comes to mind as I initiate this plan to make changes in these areas of my life. How will I know if I am successful? Dad defined success as "the continual pursuit of pre-determined, worthwhile goals." I fully realize the difficulty in setting goals that apply to spiritual growth and overall health. However, I do know that improvement in these areas is certainly worthwhile, so initially my goals will be simple and aimed at changing daily habits. Once I have made some progress defeating poor habits, my goals will adapt into more specific and difficult benchmarks. Over time, I fully expect to look back on this day as a turning point in my life, a memory faded by years of light and sweat. Whether you decide to check in on me or subscribe to my blog and start making changes in your own life, I thank you. No matter how much darkness you are facing, just remember that even a sliver of light can destroy that darkness. NEVER QUIT!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)