Focus on the moment

I watched a very interesting video today that has got me thinking.  It's an address by Srikumar Rao, titled "Plug into your hard-wired happiness."  You can find it here on ted.com. He makes quite a few points that basically show that we spend so much time thinking about the future and our outcomes that we seldom look at the here and now or the process.  By focusing so much on the outcome, we don't enjoy the journey. Or worse yet, we don't take the journey at all.



I thought of many applications.  Let me give one related to fitness or weight loss. We are overweight.  We set a goal to lose X number of pounds.  We set a goal to lose the weight by Y date.  We write it down.  We buy books to motivate us.  We buy recipe books to help us.  We imagine how it will be to lose the weight.  We might even buy a new pair of jeans that will fit perfectly when the goal is met.  Then a week later, we have read a lot and thought a lot, but not much has happened in the mirror.  We continue looking toward that goal and a week later, not much has changed.  We get frustrated.  We buy some more books.  We spend more time searching for recipes online.  Maybe we consider the newest "magic cleanse" to get us going.  Maybe we try the newest fad diet to no avail.  Maybe we even consider purchasing the latest 'magic pill'.

Now we're three weeks out and don't see a huge difference in the mirror.  We are spending all out time thinking about the future outcome and very little time focusing on the process.  To clarify, we look in the mirror and expect to see after one, two or three weeks the image or outcome we were shooting for in two months time or maybe 12 months time.  When we don't see it, we think there is something wrong.  So we change things, still shooting for that goal.

Let me propose another approach.  My experience has taught me that those people that keep a clear end in mind, a clear goal, but focus more on the day-to-day process of weight loss and proper nutrition are more successful in the end.  They focus on what they're eating for breakfast.  Then the morning snack.  Then the lunch.  They focus more on the mundane process of eating every few hours.  Of starting each day with a good workout.  Of drinking water regularly throughout the day.  They do this over and over and over and over again until it becomes habit.  Until they are no longer 'tempted' to stop by the quickie mart or the fast food joint to grab a little something on the way to work or on the way home.  They don't have that 'urge' because they have been regularly feeding their bodies what they need.  Sure they may not see results in one week.  Maybe not even in one month.  But three months down the line when they have committed to change, they will look back and realize they have had a lifestyle change.  They are no longer going to the restaurants they used to.  They are no longer eating the processed foods they used to.  Sure they may have a treat here and there, but they realize they feel better and have more constant energy throughout the day when they eat regular meals and fuel their bodies with natural foods.

Many weight-loss advocates recommend weighing once a month.  Maybe once a week at the most.  The reason for this is that our weight fluctuates a lot from one day to the next depending on the sodium and carbohydrate intake from the previous day. (They both attribute to water retention.  But in the case of carbs, it's good thing if you're exercising hard.)  When people weight themselves daily it can become frustrating.  So don't do it!  Focus on other things.  How are your jeans fitting?  Is your belt becoming looser?  Are you less winded when walking up stairs?  Can you skip steps now where before you couldn't have dreamed of doing so?  Can you sleep better?  Do you feel more rested in the morning even though you didn't get 8 hours of sleep?  Are you energy levels more constant?

By focusing on the process (day-to-day) more than the outcome (3 month goal), you are focusing on the daily actions required to achieve that outcome.  But does that mean you should forget your goal?  No!  You should still read your goal before you go to bed and take the time to imagine yourself in the new pair of jeans or that picture of that swimsuit you have clipped and tucked in your night stand.  The difference is that your focus throughout the day is on short-term action, on objectives, on the little actions repeated continually that will result in monumental changes when given enough time.

This 'focus on the present process' can be applied to our productivity goals, to our relationships, to our finances.  Really to any aspect of our lives.  Set the goal.  Make it clear in your mind.  Determine the day-to-day actions that will be required to achieve that goal.  Then focus daily on the those daily actions.  By doing this day after day your goals will come into sight from over the horizon, then they'll get closer and become clearer in focus and then ultimately you will achieve them.  You'll be wearing those clothes you wanted to wear.  You'll achieve the income you were shooting towards.  You will love and feel loved in the relationship you have been working on.  You will be out of debt, with a steady stream of passive income with savings and money set aside for retirement.

So what are you going to do today?  And tomorrow?  And day after tomorrow?

Eating every 2-3 hours may burn off 8-10 pounds a year

Excerpt from "Running and Fat Burning for Women" by Jeff & Barbara Galloway (Works for guys too BTW) ;)

"If you have not eaten for about 3 hours, your body senses that it is going into a starvation mode and slows down the metabolism rate, while increasing the production of fat-depositing enzymes. This means that you will not be burning as many calories as is normal, that more of your next meal will be stored as fat, and that you probably won’t be as mentally and physically alert as you could be.

Burn more fat by eating more often - what a deal! If the starvation reflex starts working after 3 hours, then think about eating every 2 hours. A person who now eats 2-3 times a day, can burn 8-10 extra pounds a year when she shifts to eating 6-9 times a day. This assumes equal calories are eaten under each meal frequency pattern.

Big meals slow you down
Big meals are a big production for the digestive system. Blood is diverted to the long and winding intestine and the stomach. Because of the workload, the body tends to reduce blood flow to other areas, leaving you feeling more lethargic.

Small meals speed you up
Smaller amounts of food can usually be processed quickly without putting a burden on the digestive system. Each time you eat a small meal or snack, your metabolism revs up. A metabolism increase, several times a day means more calories burned. At the same time, you'll experience more sustained energy for the next hour or two."

So.....
So to sum that up, eat smaller meals more often. Take your daily caloric intake goal and divide it up by 5 or 6. Do your best to have each of those meals reflect your nutrient ratio breakdown. If you're eating 40/40/20 (Protein/Carbs/Fat), then do your best to have each of those meals be 40/40/20. If you're not sure what the breakdown is for each meal, use my favorite tracking site: www.myfitnesspal.com to log everything you eat. Best of all it's free!

I have often shared the following analogy comparing your metabolism to a camp fire.

A fire burns best when small amounts of fuel are added regularly. The heat produced will remain more steady. If you start a fire, then throw on a bunch of wood, it will smother it and it will take a long time to get it fired back up again. Same things happens if you wait too long to add the next log. It will take a long time to stoke it back up. The quality of the fuel makes a huge difference as well. If you make a fire with Pine (simple carbs like sugar and white flour), it will burn hot, but very quickly. Then you run out of fuel. If you use a nice hard wood like Oak or Eucalyptus (complex carbs like whole grains and veggies) the fire will burn hot, but will burn for longer periods of time.

Equally with one's body, when you skip breakfast, which most people do, you're starved for lunch, eat a big one, then you have a mid-afternoon crash as your body's trying to digest that fuel. You snack on junk or drink caffeine to stay awake and then go home and eat a big dinner because you're starved again. Then you follow that up with a nice dose of couch and TV and you can guess where those calories are going.

Final Summary: Based on your activity level, your body will only consume so many calories from each meal. For most people, that's around 300-400 calories. Consume more than that per meal and the surplus is stored (fat) for later use. Not good. Instead, spread your 1,500 calories (women) to 2,000 calories (men) into 5-6 meals and those calories get burned during your daily activities. Keep the nutrition (5-6 meals) the same and add more activity, the energy for the increased activity comes from stored fat. Pretty simple, eh?

Increased Failure = Increased Success

A quick note today.  I am constantly reminded in books and audio and in speaking with friends that most people fail before they succeed.  You might even consider it a cycle.  Failure is necessary with exercise or nutrition or business or personal development or any valuable aspect of your life.  When you fail, fail forward as you have probably heard.  Failure means we are pushing the limits.  In weight lifting, you lift to failure.  That last rep you crank out when you don't think you can do another is where all the gain comes from.  It's where the muscles are pushed to go beyond where they have been before.  The capillaries/muscle fibers expand and rupture and then your body repairs itself creating more lean muscle mass.  That new muscle is most responsible for calorie burning and allows you to push your limits even further.
You can apply the same concept to business.  If you are out on a limb pushing your limits, you will come against roadblocks or challenges that seem insurmountable.  Do you give up?  Of coarse not.  You push that limit sometimes failing, but you assess the situation and learn from it, hopefully not repeating it and move forward.  Thomas Edison is a perfect example.  He attempted hundreds of time to repeatedly produce light by combining electricity with different combinations of metals, wire thickness, glass thickness and gasses to produce what we know today as the common light bulb.  Did he fail in the process, of coarse!  Did he give up?  Of coarse not (thankfully)!
So today I want you to look at your hot to-do list for the day.  What items on that list are pushing your limits?  If you're like most people, you have that BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) on the list, but it is at the bottom of the list because it is the most intimidating.  Eat that Frog!  Do it first.  Push yourself beyond what you have been able to do before.  Will you fail?  Possibly.  Will that get you down?  Probably not.  Will you learn from it?  Surely!!  Will that make you stronger, healthier, more successful, more confident?  I guarantee it!!

Winning is a habit

"Winning is a habit.  Unfortunately, so is losing."  - Vince Lombardi

So is that a truth?  I believe it is.  When one is on the top of the world, anything seems possible.  When one is in the deepest rut, it's easy to believe that nothing is possible.  A losing mindset is one that keeps us looking to the ground.  A winning mindset is one that keeps us shooting for the stars.  Even when things are rough and the world seems stacked against us, it is our positive mindset that will pull us through.  Have you ever been stuck in a room with someone that does nothing but complain about their circumstances or gossip about other people?  Do you finish that conversation edified and motivated to conquer the world?  Nah, I didn't think so.  In fact, quite the opposite.  You want to crawl up on a ball, close your eyes and be alone.  Not quite the most constructive thing, don't you think?

In short, "Losers" blame, and "Winners" accept full responsibility.  When you blame, you lose all control, because the circumstances around you are controlling you.  They are affecting your actions, or in-actions.  They are the route of all wrong that is happening to you.  They are the problem and since you can't control the outcome, you have no control.

When you take responsibility, you control the outcome.  Sure there are many, in fact, most circumstances where we have absolutely no control over our situation.  Suppose you're wrongfully incarcerated.  Is that reason for complaint?  Sure!  Can that demoralize you? Sure!  Can you escape?  Well, not physically.  Can you escape mentally, well yes!  Even if you are in such horrible circumstances, you can use your mind to think as you would like.  Jailers may be able to contain your physical being, but they cannot contain your mental being.

So back to Lombardi's quote.  Even if the team is in a slump and has lost every game of the season, if they are negative and pessimistic will they will the next game?  Of coarse they won't.  If they keep working hard and keep pushing harder could they win the next one?  Possibly, yes.  It's just like goals.  We have to envision with clarity the outcome of our actions.  If our thoughts are of empty stands and our opponent's score of 42, against our 0, chances are stacked against us.  If the odds are stacked against us going into the game, all we have to do is out-produce those odds.  Sure we may not lose by 42, but even if we only lose by 35 points, we have taken things into our hands and controlled the outcome by our actions.

Oddly enough, it is often those that are closest to us that pull us down.  After all, they know us the best.  They have seen the failures of the past and may be doing their best to help by reminding use that we've tried that certain thing before and didn't succeed.  It is then that we have to put in our ear plugs, put on our blinders and move forward one step at a time.

A Tribute to Vince Lombardi – WARNING – Strong 'locker room' language used in this clip…

Course Correction

You return again and again take the proper course-guided by what?  By the picture in mind of the place you are headed for ...   -John McDonald

So here one week has past since my last update.  New Years intentions blew by the wayside this past week as a multitude of things (influences) were pushed my way.  In years past, I would have thrown up my hands and said, "There goes a perfect year of achieving my goals down the tube.  Well, better luck next year."  But this year I have a different mindset.  "Baby steps Todd!  Baby steps!"  As mentioned in my last post, "Rome was not built in a day;" well neither will the new Todd.   Despite a challenging week with the kids going back to school, late night homework sessions with the kids, unscheduled meetings and best of all a failed hard drive, I moved forward today.  It happened to be the best day in a week!  I got up, worked out (although too tired to push it much), but most importantly I got the muscles and the heart pumped and as a result invigorated the mind.  As always, I felt better half way through my workout that I usually do when I started.  Frog #1 eaten!!  Work was extremely successful as well.  There were a few things that were lingering from last week that were checked off as well!  Frog #2 eaten!  The kids all completed their homework quicker than normal allowing for some great family time together.  Ahhh.  Things are good.

So how could I not update my blog.  Things are great and will continue to be even better tomorrow, even though I'll be limping along without my primary computer and other distractions.

So back to my title.  Whether following Covey's "Sharpen the Saw", Six Sigma/Kaizen's "Continuous Improvement" or Jeff Olsen's "Course Correction" we must always refocus our attention and redirect our compass to true North.  Small stumbling blocks will come.  I guess the idea is to trod them down and make stones of them.  Then when I come around for another lap around the track, they are smaller and slow me down less.  After repeated contact, they eventually become pebbles and actually cushion the step.

A caption to the original image above found here, said the following:

This is the first manned launch of the Saturn V spacecraft, Bill is on top of that rocket with crewmates Frank Borman and Jim Lovell.  The biggest surprise to Bill was the violence of the lateral shaking as those F-1 engines gimballed back and forth to keep the giant rocket pointed in the right direction.  (*Emphasis added.)

Was the lift off smooth?  Was it comfortable?  Of coarse not!  There was continuous course correction even at lift off.  Those huge boosters jockeyed back and forth to keep the rocket pointed in the right direction.  Imagine if they didn't make corrections.  It would have completely missed its mark and even possibly one booster could have overpowered the other eventually steering it back down to the surface of the earth.

Jeff Olsen reminds his readers that the Apollo rocket (an engineering marvel) spends 97% of it's time "off course" between Earth and the Moon and still gets to its destination as planned.  Or to put it another way, for every half-hour the ship is in flight, it is on course for less than sixty seconds.  That would be the same as being on course one day in one month.  So if I have already had my best day today, any other improvements over the month put me over the curve.  Pretty exciting to see that I have already beat the odds and am not working in the green.

Remember the rocket got there.  Followed by many others.  And so can you!  Why?  Because of continuous improvement.

Rome wasn't built in a day

In my workout today, Tony Horton, the trainer who created P90X, mentioned something about fitness that reminded me of my topics of late and the value of actions repeated over time.  He said, referring to our bodies, "Rome was not built in a day."  You see, muscles aren't built overnight.  Well, at least not large ones.  As we lift weights or stress those muscles beyond their current comfort zone (even while doing yard work, house work, etc.) there are micro-tears in the muscle.  That's why we're sore after workouts or certain activities.  While we recover, those tears are repaired and additional muscle fills in the tears.  This is adds lean-muscle tissue, which by the way, is the stuff that burns the most fat.

From Tony Horton's blog from just a couple of days ago:

Everyone knows by now that the start of a new year creates the desire to be a better person. Smoking, drinking, bad eating habits, procrastinating, better work habits, spend less, save more, get fit, lose weight, and so it goes. Enthusiasm that will last well into April. Turns out that long term change is really hard and falling into old habits can happen with very little pressure from the outside world.

Turns out that success comes to those with good mentors, a rock solid plan that fits your lifestyle, a means to stay accountable, and surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Many many folks with the best of intentions have been winging it year after year with little or no change. I meet far too many people who have fallen off the wagon. They were on the program but something happened and before you know it 3 or 4 weeks went by and 10 to 15 pounds come back and they're right back where they were. Sound familiar?

1. Follow the person and/or program that makes sense to you.
2. Write down a plan that forces you to stick with your goals for the next 12 months.
3. Find 3 ways to stay accountable even under the most adverse conditions
4. Run from lazy naysayers and find people who want more out of life.

Work hard, create a plan, stick with it for 12 months and surround yourself with other positive people. Great suggestions Tony!

So can we expect huge, lean bodies after working out for just a week?  What about a month?  Can we expect to do Yoga like Gumby after just a week?  What about a month?  Sure we'll see improvements happening immediately, but the most impressive improvements will come over time.  Not only will our bodies begin to change, but our minds will also.  These changes will not happen over night. The next day after a hard workout, we may ask ourselves why we do what we do.  Why stick with it if there is so much soreness associated with the activity?  Why 'punish' our bodies?  Plainly put, the improvements gained, far out-weight the discomfort.  In my experience, most of those improvements are internal and not viewable to others from the outside.  Improvements include, better breathing, stronger muscles, increased flexibility, more confidence, increased blood flow to through the body, a stronger heart, better concentration, more restful sleep, etc.

Whatever area of our life we're working on, we need to remember that "Rome was not built in a day."  Our success will not happen over night.  This will take a plan, time, dedication and a commitment to succeed.....a daily commitment.  Decide...  Commit...  Succeed...

Harness the Power of Habits

Getting up early can become a habit.  So can getting up late and staying up late.  Complaining can become a habit.  Spending more than you earn can become a habit; so can putting a piece of every paycheck into a retirement account.  Looking for the positive side of every challenge can become a habit, so can finding the cloud in every silver lining. - Jeff Olson

Since we've been talking a lot about how success in any pursuit is the result of minute actions repeated consistently over time, those minute actions repeated consistently become routine or habit.  Rachel Bruner has a great collection of tools that are very useful to create a good habit or end a bad one.  They are simple templates you can print out, put somewhere you'll see it multiple times a day and allow you to check off each successful day.  Once you have repeated the action consistently for more than 21 days you can consider the action a new habit and can move on from them with a new habit or you can track that same action for a full year using another chart.

I created a few templates in Excel since I wanted to combine more goals on a single sheet of paper.  If you are interested, email me and I'll shoot you a copy.

So in summary, write down the new, wonderful habits you want to create and make routine in your lives.  Post them on your bathroom mirror, fridge or next to your computer screen.  Mark off each day you repeat your new habits.  Also, before you go to bed, be sure to review your progress and make plans to repeat your success the next day.  By reviewing this just before going to sleep, your subconscious mind will go to work all night long and help you be more successful the next day!