Love through Actions...not thoughts

Let me begin by saying we all respond differently to different situations and approaches.  There may be some in the class that really benefited from this particular exercise...the thinking loving and kind thoughts, breathing in suffering and having it dissolve in there hearts.  I personally did not gain much from this exercise.

When I was told to picture someone I loved, I immediately thought of my wife.  She was in the process of getting ready to go to church and I was in here working and doing school work.  As the exercise continued, I realized that these last 10 minutes could have been spent holding her, touching her, looking at her, sharing with her and creating memories that once she is gone, I could not have.  Instead, I sat and thought "loving and kind thoughts".  Since she is not a mind reader, those thoughts really did not benefit her much this morning.

Over the past few years, those who know me have commented on how much kinder I have become.  The conflict I feel in this aspect of my life stems from the difference between my actions and my attitudes.  I am very quick to help those who need assistance.  My wife comments on how I have a special radar that picks up on a specific need of an individual that is not really obvious  to others, then I'll act on it immediately, forsaking all other plans at the time.  Yet, I feel that I am impatient with the ignorant and those who chose not to better their current conditions through persistent work, higher education or any form of physical movement that would help them and their quality of life.  So my actions say "kind", but my thoughts make me feel "less than kind".  I am painfully aware of the importance of kindness and I am working on it daily.  I am not sitting on a cushion "thinking" about it, but rather am seeking the guidance and intervention from my Lord and Savior....(and the advice of my wife) :)

My mental workout training came from my beloved Uncle Samuel (my 'kind' way of saying Uncle Sam, United State Marine Corps).  During those memorable months over 20 years ago in San Diego, the Corps systematically redeveloped and conditioned our hearts, mind, body and souls.  Point of Aim, Point of Impact... where you focus your attention is where your attention will be.  If it is important, focus on it, if it isn't, redirect your focus.  If pain is preventing you from accomplishing something, either eliminate the pain, or don't focus on it.  I realize that makes us sound like robots, but it does show that the mind is stronger than the body and the body will listen to the mind.

So to respond to the questions, I did not agree with the exercises.  I prefer to show my loving kindness through actions rather than thoughts.  I prefer to develop my mental fortitude, stamina and strength through exercise and putting my body in situations where only my mind can help it push through.

Again, this is my personal opinion based on my knowledge of me, my faith, my strengths and weaknesses.  The approach mentioned in this weeks reading would not work for me.

Thanks for reading this far:)

George

Yo-Yo Ma plays the prelude from Bach´s Cello Suite No. 1

Unit 3 Relax??? Ya, Right!

I must admit, I'm really enjoying this blogging thing.  However, I am not much of a fan of the in class relaxation exercises.  I did make it further in this one than I did in the last one, but ultimately they ended with the same result...me imagining that I was captured by Dexter (Showtime) and he was just trying to calm me down before he killed me.  That isn't very relaxing to me, although it is entertaining:)

Perhaps if they used a female voice and played different music.  But for now, I'd have to rate this relaxation exercise with two thumbs down.

George

Today is the Day!!! Take some Action!

Wow, let’s just put it out there, shall we???  I’m really glad we have this assignment this week.  It really does fit into my personal plans quite well.  This class was really an eye opener to me and has really helped me reach a turning point in my life in regards to my overall health.  So where do I rate myself?

Physically I give would say that I am a 3.  I am tired, fatigued and in general, I lack energy.  I am approximately 50 pounds over weight and just feel bad.  I don’t know how much of that is due to it being 4 am at the time I’m writing this, but regardless, I don’t feel good physically.  My spiritual well-being is also in the lower half of the scale, 4.  My psychological life is higher, but not much, 5.  That is the bad news.

So here is the good news.  As my blog is so accurately named, I have committed to action this morning.  Honestly, I was going to do this anyway, even before I knew about the blogging assignment:) I woke up early this morning in order to get a jump start on my working day.  By the time my kids get up and I take them to school, I should have the majority of my work done for the day.  Which means, today is the day I start training for my marathon.  Not a 5K or 10K, but my full 26.2 miles.  Now I do plan on running in shorter events along the way, but my focus and goal is the full marathon before the year ends.  Cross training will be the key for me.  I use to dread the thought of running every single day.  After conducting some research, I have found that I can run 3 to 4 times a week and cross train the others.  This will really break things up for me.  I’m genuinely excited.  Especially since there are still about 6 weeks left in this course and by then, I should see some tremendous changes in all aspects of my life.  This really works as an accountability program as well.

Spiritually, I plan on spending some time alone each day praying and seeking wisdom.  Everything I have I believe comes from above.  I plan on taking daily walks in the morning and using that time to talk with God, but more importantly, listen to Him. 

Psychologically, well, writing helps.  Ironically, I have ambitions of being a writer and public speaker someday.  By that, I mean actually getting paid for doing those things.  By aligning the other two areas of my life, I strongly believe that this area of my life will fall into place.  But to aid in the process, I plan on devoting particular times each week to writing.  I am actually working on a book right now that deals with Commitment:)  (Look for it in your local bookstores and on Amazon in 2012) :)

Well, enough talk, I need to go take some action!  I only have about 3 hours till my training officially begins, so I need to get back to work!

Relaxation Exercise

I apparently did not read the instructions all the way through so I wasn't aware that I was suppose to comment on the relaxation exercise.

Fortunately, I only have to comment on it and I didn't have to enjoy or like it:)  It may just be a personal hang up of mine, but listening to some guy whisper in my ear while playing a xylophone doesn't help me relax.  After a minute or two, his voice was annoying me so I started picturing Dexter (from Showtime) talking to me while I was taped to one of his tables right before he kills me.  Although this was mentally entertaining, it was really far from relaxing.

In all fairness, I tried conducting this exercise at 8 in the morning after having a tall cup of coffee.  I'm not really trying to relax, but rather start my day.

Well, if memory serves, I have met the requirements for this particular exercise.  If you chose to respond and you are an avid blogger, can you tell me if we will be able to delete these threads later if we want? 

Thanks,

George

Addicted to Aspartame.....No More

This is my first ever blog.  I would like to think that it would be something more profound than my admission to being addicted to artificial sweeteners, but that is not the case.  I LOVE Lipton Mixed Berry Diet Green Tea.  I can't remember the last time I went without having 2 or 3 a day.  They are the greatest drink EVER (in my humble opinion that is).

However, I also can't remember the last time I woke up without a constant loud ringing in my ears.  I have accepted that this is just part of me and that it will never go away.  I have gradually been losing hearing in both ears over the past few years and I just assumed it was due to getting older.  I friend of mine came over the other day and I offered him one of my Green Teas.  He asked if it had Aspartame in it and honestly, I had to read the label (for the first time) in order to answer him.  To my surprise, it contained Aspartame.  Actually, I wasn't surprised, because I didn't really care, I knew nothing about Aspartame.  After only a few minutes on the Internet, I was convinced that I need to remove this chemical from my daily consumption. 

There are over 90 side effects associated with the consumption of Aspartame.  I couple of them hit me between the eyes, or ears as it is.  Loss of hearing or ringing in the ears.  Other negative side effects include: sleeplessness, memory loss and too many others to actually type.  I am including the website in case you would like to read them for yourself. 

http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html

At the time of this posting, I have been Aspartame free for 4 days and honestly, I would love to say that I have never felt better, I can see, hear and think clearly...but that is not the case.  I miss the heck out of my Green Tea and my ears are ringing louder than Big Ben at noon.  But I am committed to removing this toxin from my diet. 

The whole purpose of this Blog is to Commit to Action.  Each week I plan on committing to a new action that will improve my life, physically, emotionally, spiritually and professionally.

If you read this, then I suppose it is a blog.  If no one else reads it, then I'll just consider it a journal.

Thanks.

George