The Incredible Shrinking Millionaire

How to BE Superman

2011-11-01T19:17:00.000-04:00

After the storm came through this past weekend and took away our power (and heat), I had plenty of "quiet time" to think ... and this strange idea popped into my head...

"What if Superman's powers were within the grasp of every man, woman and child?"

Think about it...

He has super speed, super hearing, super eyesight, X-ray vision, heat vision, super strength, indestructible and is able to fly. As the TV show says... "More powerful than a locomotive... able to bend steel in his bare hands ... able to leap tall buildings in a single bound".

Here is an excerpt of an interview with the "Man of Steel"....

Interviewer: I've always been curious about the true nature of your Super powers? Let's start with "Super Hearing" . . .
S-man: Well, to be honest, it is actually "Super Listening". Ask any lady what she wants in a relationship and she will tell you that a guy who really listens is a "Superman". It's not that hard really and I'm surprised that more men don't do it, especially since you just need to pay attention and focus on the deeper meaning behind their words.

Interviewer: Since you mentioned "focus", I guess the next logical power would be your heat vision....
S-man: My vision's not so much physically hot, as it is psychologically. Focusing intently on someone else can really turn up the heat in any relationship or draw them deeper into the conversation. I've been told that when people are talking to me "it is like they are the only other person in the room" ... I like that idea but I need to credit Phil Ripperger with that quote. It was actually about his Dad, "DJ" John Ripperger, at his funeral service. John definitely had the power too and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to know him.

Interviewer: I'm guessing that you can't really see farther than normal, i.e. Super Eyesight?
S-man: My eyesight is about 20/40 so, yes, I can see farther than normal ... thanks to an excellent laser surgery on my eyes. The glasses that Clark Kent wears were actually needed prior to the operation... oh, I probably should not have mentioned Clark.

Interviewer: What about Xray Vision?

S-man: This is actually a combination of active listening skills and focusing on what people are saying. In other words, I can see what is going on "behind the scenes" and this is often assumed to be Xray vision. Oh, by the way, those are very nice pink thong panties you have on today... just kidding.

Interviewer: I can see where this is going, so I have to ask... Super Strength?
S-man: I am very strong ... want to feel my bicep? Seriously, I work out, but I'm no body builder. I prefer to think that my real strength is my character. I am most proud of my integrity and ability to stick to the values that were instilled in me by John and Martha Kent .. oh shoot, I should not have mentioned them. I guess super-secret keeping is not one of my strengths !

Interviewer: So the whole "Bend steel in your bare hands" is just bullshit, right?

S-man: No, not completely. Growing up, I used to put up and fix barbed wire fences around the Kent farm ... darn, there I go again ... and I could pretty easily bend the wire... which is made of steel. The marketing guys kind of ran with the idea and stretched the concept a little. Everyone assumes that "bending steel" means a bar of steel, but steel comes in many shapes and sizes. I can do a number on one of those old steel cans ... want to see?

Interviewer: No thanks. How did you develop the reputation for being "Indestructable"?
S-man: Funny story... I was doing a ride-along with a SWAT team ... or more accurately, Clark Kent was... I guess my cover is blown ... and when they hit the crack house there were bullets flying everywhere and I took a couple right in the chest. Thank goodness I had on a bullet proof vest ... but they still hurt like heck! After that the marketing folks just had a field day with that story.

By the way, I like Jeff Dunham's joke with his puppet super-hero Super D. "You can stop a bullet?" "Yes... once." As you can imagine, I'm not stepping in the way of too many bullets these days.

On a more serious note, I am not above "taking a bullet" metaphorically. I've often "taken one for the team" and, in relationships, this "power" if you want to call it that, really shows the other person how important they are when you set the relationship above how you will look in public. Do you think I worry about how I look to others? Come on... I wear blue tights and a cape in public !

Interviewer: Now I get it ... how is that you have "Super Speed"?
S-man: I am able to get things done much quicker than others and many people think that I do the impossible. Truthfully, it's nothing crazy like "being born under a red sun", I just prepare more thoroughly and work harder than most. The hard work is rarely seen (as is always the case for successful people) while the results seem to happen "instantly".

You seem skeptical... What me to show you? I will run around the building in a blink of an eye... ready, go. Want to see it again? It is an old joke... but I still get a kick out of it.

Interviewer: Finally, what about your "Ability to Fly"?
S-man: Of course I can fly. I am a frequent flyer on JetBlue, American Airlines and Continental. I try to say away from Delta / Northwest... they have not impressed me since the merger. What were you expecting, that I would take you in my arms and fly off into the sunset? Actually, I do have two tickets on the next flight to Paris ... interested?

Interviewer: Any final words for our readers?
S-man: I guess the point is that we can all be a "Super Man" (or "Super Woman"), if we choose to be. We all can develop "powers far beyond mortal men" ... or at least most mortal men.

To be honest, I think the bar for "Super" has been set very low in a lot of cases. Don't the people in your life deserve you being as Super as you can be? Think about it !

I'm BAAAACK !

2011-10-04T09:22:00.000-04:00

Wow, has it been a full year since I last posted to this blog? Hard to believe.

Let me get you caught up on what has gone down in the past year....

- I started WheelDoggy.com, "the leading marketplace for local services"TM. Right now we are serving just CT as the marketing and other startup issues are worked out but we should be rolling out to other parts of the USA in the coming months. If you have not yet signed up, now is the time ! (And there is a free trial so it won't cost you anything.)

- From Jul 2010 to Jun2011, I was the District 53 Governor for Toastmasters. This covered all Toastmasters clubs in CT, Western MA and Eastern NY state (north of Westchester County) and it was an incredible experience. I had two super Lt.Governors, Richard Peck and Jeff Sobel, and I would not have been able to do it without them. In July 2011 I turned the district over to Richard Peck and his team ... and from what I can see they are doing well !

- In January 2011, I entered the "Goofy Challenge" as part of the DisneyWorld Marathon weekend. The Goofy Challenge is completing the Disney Half Marathon on Saturday and then the FULL Marathon on Sunday. How did I do? Well, it is kind of a long story, but I finished the Half Marathon within the required time and started the FULL marathon (not really expecting to be able to finish it). I took it slow (mostly walking) and was comfortably in front of the "cutoff pacer" for most of the race. Right before mile 18, at the water stop (where I would usually rest and drink some water) I began to see a huge crowd of people SPRINTING past me. The cutoff pacer went by, but I wasn't too concerned since I could not see the mile 18 marker from where I was and figured they would not spring forever so I would be able to catch up quickly. Unfortunately, I turned the corner to see the mile 18 marker and two police cars blocking the road. A third state police cruiser pulled in front of me just as I was about to cross the 18 mile mark while another officer said "Your race is done. Get on the bus. It will take you to the finish line.".... of course it did not end there (but I will save the rest for another post ... stay tuned to hear about the "Cop who blocked out the sun" and "Dave's run for freedom" !

- Finally, I lost some weight. Over 50 lbs. to be more exact. It was done through a series of small changes and, surprisingly, not as much running as you would imagine (especially given my story about the Goofy Challenge). I am writing a book about what I've learned and it should be available soon. (Another reason to stay tuned to this blog!)

- Started doing more public speaking. Since I am no longer the District 53 Governor, I wanted to expand my speaking skills so I have begun developing some paid speaking business around "How Your Mind Works". In the past years, I have studied NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP), Hypnosis and many of the leading Performance Psychologists and have developed an expertise in this area. My first (demo) video will be a speech about using your mind to lose weight (related to the book I'm writing too). Right now I am "fine-tuning it" and plan to have a video up in the next month or so. I am also augmenting the weight loss speech with information on conditioning your mind for success to create a full day workshop (tentatively titled "The Mindset Advantage Program (MAP)".

If you would like to hire me to speak, just send me an email at theshot92 at gmail dot com and I can give you more information.

It has been a busy year ... and there is more to come !

Leave your questions and ideas in the comment section below !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Peek-a-boo Thinking

2010-10-04T12:28:00.006-04:00

Do you remember playing "Peek-a-boo" with a little child?

You would hide your face, the child would think that you are gone and when you reveal your face ... "Peek-a-boo !" ... The child flashes a huge smile. For the child, it was like you were gone forever... and then came back.

Now, what if you could "Play Peek-a-boo"... throughout your life? With every material thing you have accumulated? With all your closest friends and relatives?

Imagine that, at some point, we will all die. The odds are that your parents will die before you do. Kind of depressing, right?

Imagine that the brand new car that own (or want to own) will eventually rust out, break down and need to be traded in or repaired. At the very least, it won't be the nice car that it is right now. Also kind of a downer, right?

Peek-a-boo !
But they are not gone. You are alive and so are your loved ones. Your car has not yet aged. Things are pretty good. Doesn't that cycle of imagining the inevitable future make you appreciate the present even more?

Buddhist philosophy touches upon a concept called "impermanence". Their approach is to acknowledge that all things change (they are "not permanent") and that we should appreciate what we have in the present.

The purpose of contemplating impermance, death and unsatisfactory experiences isn't to become depressed and have the joy taken out of life. Rather, the purpose is to rid ourselves of attachment and false expectations. If we become emotionally afraid or depressed when thinking about these things, then we are not contemplating them correctly. Meditating on these subjects should make our minds calm and lucid because it decreases our clinging attachment and the confusion that our attachment causes in our lives."
- From "Buddhism for Beginners" by Thubten Chodron

Peek-a-Buddha...

If you truly appreciated what you have in the present, would you do something different? Would you call your Mom more often? And maybe let go of some of the "little annoyances" in your everyday life?

Peek-a-boo... I see you !
What if you were able to ... Open your eyes to the wonderful world you are living in and appreciate what you have.

It won't be here forever... so make the best of today !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Credits:
Peek-a-boo picture found here.

Buddha picture found here.

Comparing Belgium blocks in Danbury CT ...

2010-08-08T13:21:00.004-04:00

This may seem like a strange post... but since I was not able to find the information in a concise format on the internet, I figured I would add it myself.

(Perhaps I would get more traffic to my blog if I titled this post... "Granite Abs" or "Body of Stone".)

Back to reality...
As part of a project to improve my real estate investment in New Fairfield, CT, I had to purchase about 75-100 belgium blocks to create a curb around a driveway. (These are also sometimes called "belgian blocks" but neither spelling got me the information I needed.)

None of the online retailers were much help. There were plenty of masonry contractors who obviously wanted to do the complete project, but I was just looking for the raw materials.

So I started calling masonry suppliers in and around Danbury, CT.

I got a price of $3.55 from B&B Masonry Supply in New Milford, CT. with an $80 delivery charge. That was the 100+ price and they were $3.75/each in smaller quantity. I also confirmed that they were the larger blocks which would match the ones already used on the property. B&B's blocks were about 8 x 11 x 4 inches.

I called New Milford Block & Supply (in Brookfield, CT), 860-355-1101, and their price was $4.35 per block. They did not mention a quantity discount.

Next was O&G (203-748-5694) who charged $3.60 each for a pallett of 100 blocks ... plus a delivery charge of $110. Their blocks were "approximately 8x11x4".

I also checked a retailer that I use for many of my other purchases... Lowes in Danbury, CT (203-549-6962). Their telephone system was a bit of pain and I had to wait through a number of transfers before I got someone who could give me a quote. After all that, their price was $ 4.65 each plus $65 delivery charge.

I ended up going with B&B since their overall price was cheapest ($463 vs. $470 from O&G). They were also able to deliver the next day which was nice.

If you have any better sources, please leave a note in the comments. I'm hoping that this post will show up in future searches by people looking for "belgium blocks" in, or around, Danbury, CT ... and make their life just a little bit easier !

Oh yeah... the project turned out great and the driveway looks sharp !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

New Business alert...

2010-08-04T08:08:00.004-04:00

While I still have a keen interest in my real estate investment business, I have begun to create an internet-based service business. I can't say too much about it yet, but I'm hoping to have it into beta testing in September.

What made me announce it today?
Seth Godin had a blog post today about "Training Your Customers" which resonated with a portion of the philosophy that I will be using for the new business.

What "philosophy"?
My overall premise for the business is that the state of customer service is generally dismal in the United States. (I can't speak definitively about other countries, but I suspect that many are in a similar boat.) Given this very low "bar" for customer service, it makes sense that there could be a HUGE competitive advantage to a company that is able to provide superior customer service on a consistent basis. Not that it will be easy... but there is certainly a window of opportunity.

How does that relate to "training customers"?
Customer service is essentially a matter of expectations and the concept of "training customers" can be a very useful tool for setting and maintaining those expectations. It is also important for a business to set standards both for workers AND customers. If someone is going to be a customer of ours (and receive our utmost effort and service) we will demand a civilized interaction and no abuse of the workers will be allowed. Other companies may train their customers to expect cheap prices (as a trade-off for incredibly poor customer service) but we will strive for competitive prices ... and incredibly good customer service.

As Seth Godin calls it, we will "train" our customers ... so that we can provide them with the best customer service in the world. Customer Service is not about performing miracles... it is about setting, meeting and then exceeding expectations along parameters that are important to the customer.

Would like to work for a company like this?
Well, you won't be able to ... because all the work will be done by contractors who will be in business for themselves. On the other hand, if you want to go into business for yourself (and gain the benefits that come with business ownership) then you should stay tuned to this blog for more information.

Warning...
This work won't be "easy" since for many people, providing top customer service is an unnatural act. On the other hand, we will provide training and, if you are motivated to succeed, we will help you develop your customer service skills as well as your business management skills.

It is going to be an exciting 2010 and I'm looking forward to a fun ride !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

The end of civilization as we know it?

2010-07-04T14:42:00.004-04:00

When I saw this product, I immediately thought, "I can imagine people spending hours upon hours using it"... but then I thought about how isolated it would make everyone.

As it is right now, many people are in "their own little world" and rarely interact with people in public places. With this "feedbag for the eyes" as it was called online, we will be even more isolated.

What is next? Personal travel tents so other people won't even be able to see you?

Not sure why this hits a nerve with me, but I felt I should pass it along. What do you think?

Leave a comment below...

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

If not now, when?

2010-06-27T11:53:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed a gap in my posts to this blog....

I'm starting to notice that "Procrastination is not a strategy".

... or at least it is not a good one.

Now is better than later. A definite later is better than an indefinite later (which means "never"). The longer the later, the less likely it is to occur.

The good news?

There is always something you can do NOW for any goal you might have. (Planning counts.) Planning also helps you break down the goal into smaller tasks that can be started right now.

If not now, when?

Start in 2010!

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

The Importance of Attitude...

2010-06-14T12:31:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite athletes is Chrissie Wellington.

Not because she has won the Ironman World Championship multiple time but rather because of the attitude she brings to the effort.

She is know for her smile. How many people do you know who are known for their smile?

Below is a video about her latest victory at the Kansas Half Ironman in June 2010.

If she can smile after swimming over a mile, biking 56 miles and running a half marathon ... why are you so serious all the time? And she still has that smile when she does TWICE those distances in FULL Ironman races.

If you ever see me without a smile... pull a "Chrissie Wellington" and give me one of yours !

I will be sure to do the same for you !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Today I become a "Producer"

2010-05-17T08:34:00.004-04:00

As you may have noticed, I have not posted to this blog in a while.

(If you haven't noticed... why not?)

I read an interesting post today by Tynan on his blog, "Life outside the box" that gave me a wake-up call to start blogging regularly again.

Here is a quick excerpt that captures the theme of Tynan's post about Producers ...

I’ve noticed that most people who “live by their own rules” actually don’t live
by their own rules; they live with no rules. I live by my own rules, and I have
many of them. A great deal of them are focused around limiting consumption. I
think most consumption (generally anything not expensive enough or not long
enough in duration to force thoughtful consideration) is toxic.

So I don’t consume much, but I produce a lot. Not because I’m a natural producer, but because I force myself to be one. And if you aren’t primarily a producer now, I’d encourage you to consider it.

What’s interesting about production is that it fills the same role as consumption; a way of occupying time and receiving a reward for it. Watching a TV show fills an hour of time and provides the (fleeting and insignificant) reward of entertainment. Writing a blog post also fills an hour and provides the (less fleeting and hopefully significant) reward of impacting people and adding to one’s body of work.

While a lot of my time recently has been taken up in (largely fruitless) activities around real estate investments, public speaking and, frankly, sitting on my butt (thinking, sort of), I am going to shift gears and move toward more productive activities.

This blog is a great way for me to get ideas "down on paper" (so to speak) and in the long run they will contribute to my "body of work".

Speaking of "body"... I am also going on a long run today! All that thinking and fruitless activity has not helped my physical fitness and now that Summer is coming, I need to get into much better shape... especially if I'm going to do a Fall Marathon in preparation for the Disney Marathon & a Half "Goofy Challenge" in January 2011.

I suggest that you read Tynan's whole article ... and ask yourself, "Am I a Producer?"

Have a great week ... and enjoy producing!

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Inspiration ...

2010-04-03T12:41:00.005-04:00

When I started graduate school I did not know anyone at the school and felt a little lost. I had decided to go back to school and get my MBA to (hopefully) boost my struggling career. I was "starting over". I knew that I was signing up for a mountain of student loans but, for some reason, the study of business just "felt right" to me.

Shortly after I moved into my dorm room on campus, I picked up the local campus newspaper and stumbled upon a full page advertisement (if you could call it that) by Apple. There was no reference to computers or any of their products. In fact, the only way I knew it was (probably) paid for by Apple was the small black logo in the upper left corner.

The words had a big impact on me at the time. They made me think about what I wanted to accomplish during my two years at the school ... and beyond.

I still have the advertisement. The paper has yellowed a little over the years but the words still ring true. I've referred to them many times and found that they always provide inspiration...

Dream Big !
If there were ever a time to dare,
to make a difference,
to embark on something worth doing,
it is now.
Not for any grand causes, necessarily -
but for something that tugs at your heart,
something that's your aspiration,
something that is your dream.

You owe it to yourself
to make your days here count.
Have Fun.
Dig deep.
Stretch.

Dream big.

Know, though, that things worth doing
seldom come easy.
There will be good days.
And there will be bad days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
pack it up,
and call it quits.
Those times tell you
that you are pushing yourself,
that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea,
determination,
and the right tools,
you can do great things.
Let your instincts,
your intellect,
and your heart
guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.

The start of something new
brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible.
There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.
Do it right.

Health update...

2010-03-01T15:00:00.006-05:00

It has been a while since I've last updated this blog with my health, fitness and other misc. topics, so here goes ...

Health-wise...
I have not weighed myself for a couple months. This is clearly a bad sign since I'm sure I have not lost weight. I also know that my diet has gone downhill in recent months and I will get it back on track this week.

Why do you think it will get back on track?
My exercise habits have improved significantly... and they have motivated me to improve my diet.

For example, I ran (jogged & walked, actually) 25K (15.5 miles) yesterday as the 4th race in the Boston Buildup series. I completed the 10K (6.2m), 15K (9.3m) and 20K (12.4m) races over the previous couple months. None of them were run at anywhere close to the pace that I have done in the past, but I figure that completing them is a step in the direction of fitness.

I have also been lifting weights (3 workouts over the past couple weeks) and swimming & biking (stationary bikes) at the local YMCA. I feel like I am getting more fit... although my waistline has not yet heard the news.

What's next?
I won a lottery that earned me entry into the NYC half marathon on March 21st and based on my 15.5 mile "adventure" yesterday I figure that I should have no problem finishing it... but it is also an opportunity for me to improve my health in other ways.

I have a new motto for my new diet that is going to help me lose some serious LB's between now and the NYC half marathon. ... Clean, Green & Lean!

What's that mean?
Clean means no "crud" in my diet. Crud or "non-clean" food is easy to spot. We all know the foods that are not good for us ... chocolate, greasy / fatty foods, sweets and overly processed foods. It is also a reminder that I am working to keep my body clean ... inside and out.

Green means more vegetables and, in particular, GREEN vegetables. The last time I was thin (in graduate school) I was constantly eating salads and that is a great place to start. I will need to learn how to eat even more green foods (not including shamrock shakes at McDonalds). This will also keep my digestive track "clean" since non-veggies tend to move more slowly through the intestines and create problems over the long term.

Lean has to do with any meats that I might eat. They must be very lean (and in small portions). It is also a reminder that I am working to become lean.

After the NYC half marathon, I am signed up for the Danbury half marathon on April 11th which should be another good test of my fitness.

Wish me luck ... and leave your healthy recipes in the comments section !

(I will need them.)

Thanks,

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

The lump in my stomach...

2010-02-20T23:07:00.001-05:00

You may have heard of the term, "A lump in my throat" when someone is nervous about a situation.

That's not what I've got.

I've got a lump in my stomach. Well... not actually IN my stomach... to be precise, it pokes out just above my belly button.

I noticed it last summer when I started running. It seemed to be more noticable after a run although once I found it, I was able to poke and prod to find it even when I was not out of breath from running.

I had a doctor check it out and they did a CT scan. The diagnosis is a "ventral hernia" or some thing similar and I have an appointment to see a specialist in March.

The reason I am bringing this up is that I just stumbled upon a book called "Body by Science: A Research Based Program to Get the Results You Want in 12 Minutes a Week" by John Little and Dr. Doug McGuff. It has some great ideas including their version of "High Intensity Training" (HIT) but the best part was their website and an article called "Internal Starvation".

In his article, Dr. McGuff explains the process whereby obese people's internal systems are damaged by years of high carbohydrate intake combined with little or no burning off of the glycogen (stored primarily in skeletal muscles). In essence, obese people become skinny, weak people trapped in a case of fat which can lead to the following ...

A ventral hernia is a defect in the abdominal wall that allows the viscera
to protrude through. Occasionally, the protruding intestines can become
entrapped and their blood supply can be strangulated, requiring emergency
surgery. These hernias were occurring because the very thin abdominal muscles
were being stretched beyond their capacity by the accumulation of
intra-abdominal fat.

This is a wake-up call for me and I have already begun to develop a weight-training program experimenting with some of the HIT concepts. I will be posting more on this as the program (and my use of it) develops.

Stay tuned !

Time to move the Goal Posts...

2010-02-20T09:58:00.005-05:00

I read a number of blogs every day. Some are purely for entertainment and some are for information that I can use. Still others are strictly to make me think ... to think differently or look at something in a new way.

Seth Godin's blog is one of them that often makes me think. For instance, his short blog post "Moving The Line (the power of a zealot)" starts right out of the gate with a concept that few of us think about ...
Extremists move the middle.

Compromise is everywhere. Most of us can't possibly be pure extremists or true fundamentalists, so we draw the line somewhere in the middle.

The point of his article is that the point we choose between two extremes is based, in large part, on how far we feel we are from each extreme and the number of points there are between each end of the continuum between extremes. Most of us are somewhere "in the middle" ... but that middle is defined by the extremes and how far toward each extreme that the "zone of what is socially acceptable" goes.

What is Extreme?
How do you define the "extremes" in your life? What is an extremely healthy diet? An extremely unhealthy or immoral diet? What is an extreme workout schedule? What is on the other end of that extreme ... and which end are you closer to?

"SHOW ME THE MONEY"?

What about your relationship with money? Are you in the top 1% of 1% of the wealthiest people in the world? Do you really know what that kind of wealth means? How familar are you with that end of the financial spectrum? What about the poorest of the poor? Which end do you find more familiar ... and, more importantly, what limiting beliefs do you have about those extremes? Could it be that your beliefs about the very rich are keeping you closer to being very poor?

Not Good or Bad... but Choice

I can tell you that there are good people at any extreme, just as there are jerks in the middle. The choice is yours as to which end you are focusing on and how near or far you are from it.

Seth Godin's article ended with a great couple of paragraphs ...

It's interesting to note that an enormous amount of apparently principled argument goes on about relatively tiny movements in where the line is being drawn. In most cases, to paraphrase an old joke, "we've already figured out what
sort of girl you are, now we're just arguing about the price." It's not the principle, in fact, it's just the degree of compromise we're comfortable with and content to argue over.

And so it's left to the zealots. The people at either end have little hope of moving the masses all the way to their end of the argument. Instead, what they do is make it feel safer to change the boundaries, safer to recalibrate the compromise. Over time, as the edges feel more palatable, the masses are more likely to be willing to edge their way closer to one edge or another. Successful zealots don't argue to win. They argue to move the goalposts and to make it appear sane to do so.

Is it time for you to move the goalposts in your life?

Leave your thoughts and ideas in the comment section of this blog!

Addition by Subtraction

2010-02-17T14:07:00.005-05:00

A recent guest post by Dean Dwyer on Angela Lussier's 365degrees blog got me thinking....

What should be removed from my life ... to give more room for more important things?

In Dean's article, he says...

... I made a decision. I decided to quit at the end of the month. I crafted a complimentary letter of resignation indicating all the positive things I had acquired out of my experience, but stating that it was time for me to move onto to other things.

When January 1st came, I was officially unemployed with about 2 months of savings to rely on before I was out begging on the local street corner.

This initial period taught me my first really important lesson. Our minds are trained to focus on all that can go wrong. And while it is always important to have a plan in case the worst case scenario should happen, it is easy for that worst case scenario to dominate our thoughts and ultimately our actions.

As one of my favorite quotes goes, "Jump... and the net will appear". Dean took the leap of faith that "sticking to what feels right for you" will pay off in the long run... and he was hoping that the "long run" would not be too much longer than a couple months.

To combat the challenge of thinking about everything that could go wrong, Dean decided to take some key actions ....

... I chose to eliminate three things. I stopped reading the newspapers (except for the sports section because t hat always has stories of great achievement). I stopped watching the news. News casts in general are designed to focus on all that is wrong with the world. For some reason, humans have a morbid appetite for death and destruction, but I didn’t need to be one of them any longer. Third, I decided to carefully control who I shared my story with.

That last one was the most challenging because what we do constitutes most of what we talk about with people, especially those we first meet. We are identified and continue to identify ourselves by our work. I had no work to speak of and as a result I discovered that many people just didn’t get what I was doing nor did they understand why I would be doing it considering the economic climate.

I found I was spending an inordinate amount of my time justifying my rationale for my actions. What rankled people most was the fact I had no answers for them. People need to see a clear destination in a story and mine had none.

I had no idea where I was going, how I was going to earn my living nor did I have any prospects on the horizon.

Quite frankly, people thought I was nuts.

Eliminating these things helped improve his focus and helped him create "the happy ending" to his story... eventually.

How?
First Dean started a blog... which he eventually quit to focus on income-generating activities. He then used his network of contacts and made a proposal to work for a friend who owned a business. His proposal was clearly focused on what he wanted to achieve and how he wanted to work ... and it was immediately accepted and he has been successful in that position.

Dean also went on to launch a new blog called Quitbit.
It is about the power of quitting. I am looking to create a movement to get people to quit stuff that is holding them back from being who they truly want to be. It is addition by subtraction.

Because in the end we have all the tools we need to succeed.

What do you need to quit?
One thing I'm going to quit is ... procrastination! I am going subtract activities that do not focus on my primary goals and work towards being more "true to me".

What does that mean?
For me, it means that I will speak more often and develop more workshops & seminars (which will also help my cash flow). I will also streamline my real estate systems so that they work more smoothly and I accomplish more in less time. This will free up "thinking time" for me to apply to creative endeavors within real estate, art, speaking and more. It should be a lot of fun!
How about you?
What do you need to quit so that you can focus more energy on things that are truly important?

Fear of Big Numbers

2010-02-11T16:04:00.005-05:00

What if you were given the opportunity to make $25K, but it would require an investment of $10K? And what if there were no promises that you would make $25K... but it seemed likely. What then?

Would you take action?

If $10K is not a problem for you, what if there were another zero on those numbers, a profit of $250K for $100K? Could you take the opportunity or would you pass?

"A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for."
John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928

If you are going to be a millionaire, you need to find a way to get comfortable with bigger numbers.

On the flip side, what would be considered the "smallest numbers"?

The answer: Hourly wages. It does not cost you any cash, you are nearly 100% sure you will get paid (at least in the near term) and you are given a small amount of cash. The only thing you lose is your time ... but time adds up and if you aren't careful, you will end up losing your whole life ... one hour at a time.

Your life is worth more.

Figure out how you are going to change the numbers in your life ... and create a life !

As Marshall Sylver says, "Money is Math."

Where is your comfort zone in terms of numbers?

***********************************

This blog article was written by d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler to help him get over his own fear of big numbers so any inspiring examples you have would be greatly appreciated. Leave your responses in the comments below.

The Power of Y

2010-01-28T09:14:00.004-05:00

I recently got an eNewsletter from Darren LaCroix, the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, where he said the following...

What's the fastest way from good to great? Who is more important, the student or the teacher?
When fellow speakers gave me feedback on my contest speech, they all told me to "get up from your fall quicker." Had I listened to that advice, I would never have won the World Championship. My mentor and coach, Mark Brown said, "When you fall, stay down longer." He gave me the exact
opposite advice of everyone else. He was a crucial part of my journey.

The wrong advice will make your journey from good to great longer. (Good news: You can still get there!). The right mentors will save you time and effort.

Darren's comments on which advice to listen to got me thinking... what if you don't know which advice is good and which is bad? In Darren's example, Mark Brown had already won a World Championship of Public Speaking, so it was easy to give his advice more credence.

What about advice from unknown sources?

I would suggest using the " Power of Y "... which is another way of saying, "Whenever you get advice, ask them why they think it would help." This little bit of added information will help you decide 1) if the advice is right for you and 2) compare it to you own experience to see if it makes sense.

What Darren left out is the fact that I'm sure Mark Brown had a good reason for suggesting he "stay down longer" in his International Speech. If I had to guess the reason why was probably to create additional tension in the audience... which could be released for great effect later in the speech ... or simply because it was different from the other competitors and would make Darren stand out. Maybe it was something completely different ... I'm not a World Champion of Public Speaking ... yet.

Remember...

Like any good 2-3 year old child knows, you have to ask "Why?" if you want to learn !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

"If you have a big enough Why, you can figure out the How"

Inspiration from Erin Pavlina

2010-01-26T08:57:00.005-05:00

This is from Erin Pavlina's "Spiritual Wisdom" eNewsletter...

Exercise Your Power
There's a difference between wanting and deciding.

When you want something, it's only a dream, set in the future. A hope. A possibility. But when you decide you will have something, you put power into the dream and make it a reality. What do you want so badly that you're willing to take action on it today?

Think of something you want, big or small, and put power into it. Go get it right now, or take a definitive step in the direction of obtaining it. When you take action in the direction a dream, it's like putting gas in the car. Without action, you go nowhere.

For example...
This past week I decided to make a few changes and not just "want" my goals.

First, I signed up for the Walt Disney World "Goofy Challenge". In case you have not heard, in January each year, Walt Disney World in Florida puts on the Disney Half Marathon on one day and the Disney (full) Marathon on the next day (Sat/Sun). The finishers of the half marathon get a finisher's medal in the shape of Donald Duck's silouette while the finishers of the full marathon get a finisher's medal in the shape of Mickey Mouse's silouette. For the highly motivated (and maybe a little crazy) people who complete both races (within a certain time limit), they get a "Goofy Challenge" medal ! That's right... I signed up to do a marathon and a half in about one year from now!

I guess I better get to the gym !

When I get back, I will post about my other decisions !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

The Power of Self-Connection

2010-01-19T06:37:00.006-05:00

Have you ever wondered why you do some of the things you do... even though they don't seem to be moving you in the direction of your goals?

As I woke up this morning ... in my nice warm bed, I began to think..."It would be really nice to hit the snooze bar a few times (as I have done in the past)."

But then my mind started to remember the goals that I passionately want to achieve and I began to wonder... why do I procrastinate? Why do I sometimes do things that take me off the direct path to my goals?

As I was thinking about this, I rolled over and felt a tinge of pain from my legs which reminded me that ...

1) I had completed a 15K / 9.3mile run (jog/walk) two days ago and

2) that I obviously had not trained as much as I should have for that distance.

I began to rub my thighs and while it was not like a professional massage, it still felt good. Both the muscle soreness and the feeling of the massage were both familar feelings that reminded me of my workout and the effort it took to complete. I felt a familiar connection.

Speaking of connection, Chloe Madanes, author & psychology expert, says that everyone has 6 basic needs...

1) Certainty / Comfort / personal connection
2) Variety / Change / Uncertainty
3) Significance
4) Love (higher level Connection)
5) Growth
6) Contribution

The bold parts above are words that I added based on my experience. I've found that comfort is just another word for "self-connection" and there are many different ways to connect with yourself.

Types of Self-Connection:

Physical
- Workout / muscle soreness
- "The Snooze Button"... in a nice cozy bed
- Sex (of nearly any kind)
- Any kind of touch or familar experience

Chemical
- Secondary (internal) chemical reactions from other stimuli
- Direct, e.g. drugs, alcohol, etc.

Visual
- Seeing a familar sight that has meaning for you

Auditory
- Hearing a favorite song or other familar sound

Taste
- Nearly anything that produces familar feelings (e.g. "comfort
foods")

What's the Purpose?

Clearly Self-Connection serves a purpose. Even people who are depressed (especially people who are depressed), have a strong need to connect with themselves through activities that they know will produce familiar, typically pleasurable but always predictable, reactions within their body.

How does this relate to my goals?

The key is to recognize when you are going into a connection activity so you can make the conscious choice about which one you will choose.

For example, if sleeping late provides self-connection but you know that a good workout would give just as much connection ... you can choose the activity that will best support your goals.

Hint... there are some days when sleeping in can be very beneficial... just be sure that you are clear about the reasons for your choice of method of self-connection.

What forms of Self-Connection do you practice?

Can you develop other connection activities that would be more beneficial?

Leave a comment below with your ideas and experiences.

I'm off to the gym.

I did not hit the snooze bar this morning and I've typed in this blog post (which makes me feel good) so now it is time to exercise !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Vision Board for 2010 ... and beyond

2010-01-11T13:41:00.005-05:00

I attended Angela Lussier's "Sweatpants & Dreams" Vision Board workshop on Saturday, Jan. 9th in Granby, MA. Below is a video showing pictures from the event and some of the results by attendees ....

It was a great experience that I highly recommend for everyone. There were a TON of different magazines there ... many of which I would probably never purchase at a newstand... but they still had some good pictures or headlines that I could incorporate into my vision board.

The event ran from 10-12 and I'm sure that if lunch was provided instead of the breakfast (which was excellent, by the way), I suspect that people would have stayed until 2 or 4pm to complete their vision board.

For me, I got a ton of pictures but did not have time to create a board so I did that over the weekend at home. Below is a picture of my vision board...

In the picture, you can see my bulletin board on the right side where I have some of pictures I created for the header banner of this blog. (I figured I would leave them on the bulletin board instead of incorporating them into the vision board.)

Emotional Connection:
One of the ideas that I learned at Angela's workshop was from the speaker in the video, Dana, who said that the pictures don't have to be perfect representations of what you want in your vision but rather can just have an emotional connection to you. I found that that idea opened up the range of pictures that I could use and the overall result of my vision board is a much better, more descriptive picture of the vision I have for my life (at least from this vantage point).

What is your vision for 2010 ... and beyond? Do you have something written down or a vision board somewhere you will see it every day?

I'm now looking forward to an incredible 2010 !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Tips from Happiness Expert, Gretchen Rubin

2010-01-08T12:52:00.003-05:00

Gretchen Rubin writes a blog that I follow called "The Happiness Project" and her video below about Exercise includes one of my favorite quotes ...

"Exercise is just putting on your running shoes and closing the front door behind you."

Gretchen's new book is also available...

The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

What do you have planned for 2010?

2010-01-06T18:44:00.001-05:00

The Holiday's Ultimate Gift !

2009-12-19T12:04:00.008-05:00

Have you thought about what would be the Ultimate Gift this holiday season?

What costs absolutely nothing, but gives the receiver an incredible feeling of connectedness, appreciation and love?

What gift best represents the message, "It's the thought that counts."

What gift requires no wrapping, no assembly and no batteries?

What gift is guaranteed to fit?

What gift, when it is returned, makes the even the person who gave it feel good?

What is as good to give as it is to receive?

What is the ...

Holiday's

Ultimate

Gift ... ?

Did you figure it out? If not, go give someone a hug and see how that feels.

I have to admit that I would not have thought of this gift (or written this blog post) prior to this year.

In 2009 a friend of mine started a "world-wide movement" and began promoting the idea that HUGS Unite us !
(Check out http://www.hugsuniteus.org/.)

I've seen the movement grow to impact lives around the globe and I am convinced that it will have even greater impact in 2010.

I've also begun to recognize the power of a simple hug and what it can do for a relationship. As the Incredible Shrinking Millionaire, there may be less of me to hug in 2010... but that just means that your arms can reach further around (as one of my nieces noted) !

Hug someone this holiday season !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Image Sources:
Group Hug 1 ...
http://www.odemagazine.com/blogs/readers_blog/7408/don_t_forget_your_daily_hugs

Group Hug 2 ...
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GroupHug

Group Hug 3 ...
http://zombiejoes.homestead.com/DancingOnTheEdge_.html

Group Hug 4 ...
http://ratedxtin.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/group-hug/

Cold Temp Relief through metabolism or...The Human Torch !

2009-12-13T08:30:00.012-05:00

Since I started this blog back in August, the weather here in CT has gotten progressively colder until now it in the 30's with snow on the ground.

Like most people, I'm not a big fan of feeling cold. It adds stress to my life that I would rather not have ... which is probably why people retire to Florida or Arizona.

The Chilling Secret

I stumbled upon an interesting concept related to the control of my body temperature that you might like to try.

Here is the story... I have been renovating a room in the lower level of my home and on some days, when I was working with paint that gave off fumes, I would not have a fire in the fireplace and would occasionally open the windows (if the fumes were too strong). Since I don't usually have the heat on in the room, it can easily drop down to below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

While I worked, I would be constantly moving between the garage (no heat) and the cold room. A friend stopped over to check out the progress of the bookshelves I was building and commented that they could not work in the cold like this. At the time, I was in a t-shirt and felt fine so I did not think too much about it. Later I noticed that if I stopped moving i.e. sat down on the couch upstairs - where the heat was turned on to 69 degrees - to take a rest and watch TV that I would very soon start to feel the cold.

Clearly internal metabolism generates heat and can compensate for a cold environment. I know what you are thinking... EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS. It is just basic physiology.

Control?

The more interesting question I found is ... how much of this is under my own control and can I use it to make my life more comfortable?

A while ago, I saw a video about man who was able to control his metabolism such that he could comfortably withstand exposure to very cold temperatures. Wim Hof, "nicknamed The Ice Man", was featured on a Discovery Channel show (see YouTube clip). According to Wikipedia, Wim Hof is a self-described master of the Buddhist mind/body control practice of Tummo and he has set a world record by spending one hour and 31 minutes in a tub of ice wearing minimal clothing

Lynne Cox has similar control which she has used to swim 1 mile to Antartica.

"If you focus on the cold, then you’re focusing on something that’s not helping you get to where you need to get,” she says.

My "Flame ON" moment...

Since someone else had done it, I knew it was possible. I began to experiment and consciously notice my mental and physical state whenever I was warm (in a cold room) so I could start to find the triggers to create it on purpose.

I found it helpful to visualize an "internal fire" that spread throughout my body whenever I wanted to be warm... sort of like the comic book hero, "The Human Flame" (of Fantastic Four fame). [If you have not seen the movie, you should rent it ... if only for the special effects of fire controlled by the Human Torch.]

This visualization helped me imagine generating heat internally so that the external environment did not matter nearly as much.

[No, I did not actually catch on fire... it was just a visualization.]

Does it work? For me, not 100% ... yet. I am getting better though and this winter will be a good challenge.

How does this relate to weight loss?
My theory is that since I have been working out, I have a greater range of metabolism and am able to generate more heat. It may also be related to the foods that I am eating since I have heard (online) that some people notice a "sensitivity to cold" when they change their diets.

The greater range of metabolism seems to work in the opposite direction as well. When I am resting, I am REALLY resting and seem to need extra blankets to stay warm.

It's not a perfect solution...
Of course I can't be the "Human Torch" 100% of the time so I've begun to listen to my body and compensate based on what activity I have planned.

If I'm going to sit on the couch and watch Law & Order or "The Biggest Loser", I better grab a blanket or turn up the heat. (The blanket is less expensive than burning more heating oil.)

If I am going to be sitting at my computer, writing a blog post... like this one... I better put on a sweatshirt or turn up the heat in the house (if it is going to be a long post).

In short, I have more control... and it feels good. The stress of the cold is greatly reduced and I am able to focus on other activities instead of how the cold makes me feel.

Like my grandmother used to say ... FLAME ON !

(Loosely translated from "If you are cold, put on a sweater")

[I just could not resist the opportunity to post a picture of my grandmother ! ]

Jim Rohn passed away.

2009-12-07T11:23:00.005-05:00

One of the legends of personal development, Jim Rohn, passed away on Dec.5th, 2009.

I enjoyed many of his speeches and books and especially got a kick out of the short YouTube video he did below....

here is the link in case the embedded video does not work for you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TjXy2pJXJI

I also posted Jim Rohn's videos for "Your Best Year Ever" over on my Toastmasters blog... click here.

My World...

2009-11-19T11:21:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been asked, "What color is the sky in your world?"

A fellow Toastmaster tweated her recommendation of the video "The Climb" and it got me thinking about what "the world of Miley Cyrus" (or other similar celebrity) is like... and how it compares to the rest of us.

First off, I don't think I'm "spilling the beans" to say that Miley Cyrus is young, talented and has an incredibly bright future ahead of her. She probably has more money than she could ever spend ... assuming she learns to manage her finances responsibly and avoids the pitfalls of fame... drugs, alcohol and other "distractions".

Her future could be spectacular and, at least from the personality portrayed publicly, she seems to have a happy, positive attitude which makes her fun to be around. It would seem that this starts to describe "her world" (or at least what the public can see of her world).

What is your world like?

Do people like to be around you? Do you have an attitude that people like to associate with?

Is someone's world a result of their actions or strictly luck? I'm sure many people would say that Miley was lucky to have Billy Ray Cyrus (singer/actor) as a father and he opened many doors for her. On the other hand, if she could not sing or had a lousy attitude I'm sure she would not be the star she is today.

As My World Turns...

This got me thinking about "my world" and how I am influencing the outcomes that I want. For instance, do I make a special effort to be the type of person that others want to be around? I think so ... although I also feel that it is important to challenge people sometimes so that they have an opportunity to grow. As long as they feel supported (also another area that I am working on) then they will eventually be amazed by what they can accomplish.

What about Physical Qualities?

It isn't talked about alot but I think we all know that physical attractiveness affects how people perceive and react to you. If Miley Cyrus was as big as the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" TV show, would she be as popular? It is a shame but I don't think so.

I have been working out regularly since the start of this blog (Aug.09) and have been making slow progress to "shrink" my weight (hence the name of the blog). I have also been paying attention to my hair (what's left) and keeping it trimmed more often. I've also updated my wardrobe (slightly) so that the clothes I have are at least "clean and fit well". I'm no "James Bond" (yet) but I am making progress. (Next... shoes!)

What about the intangibles?

While physical appearance matters (and can be influenced substantially), attitude and communication skills matter even more... remember John Belushi? He was not known for his physical beauty or grooming habits but he was amazingly funny. Miley Cyrus has a similar quality in that she seems to "light up the room" when she is "on screen".

What kind of impression do you make when you enter a room?

Is your default expression a smile? Ask your friends or check yourself out in a mirror. There is a simple trick that I learned years ago when I was in telephone sales (don't ask) and it is to have a mirror available when you dial your telephone. The mirror allows you to check to make sure you are smiling when you dial and that smile will come across in the tone of your voice when the other person answers your call. Talk about a great way to practice your "first impression" power!

Are you using your "First Impression Power" to shape your world?

Take back your power and shape your world so that people will ask you....
What color is the sky in your world?

Make it whatever you want !

Good Luck on your Climb !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Respect Your Life

2009-11-12T08:37:00.004-05:00

Penelope Trunk's recent post about business travel over at "Brazen Careerist" ended with ...

The bottom line is that you need to respect your life. Your life cannot be on hold while you travel. The travel, if it’s really frequent, sort of is your life. So the values you have—be spiritual, be frugal, be healthy—have to prevail during your travel. This is not vacation travel. This is not a vacation from your life. Business travel IS your life.

How many of us lose respect for our life (regardless of whether or not we are traveling)?

When you eat something that you know you should not... you are disrespecting your life. When you don't live up to the values that are important to you... you are disrespecting your life. When you allow other people to disrespect you and treat you poorly... you are disrespecting your own life. When you don't step up to the challenges in your life ... you are disrespecting the opportunities for growth in your life.

Your Wonderful Life

We get out of life what we will accept. Tony Robbins said, "The quality of our life is based on the standards that we set for ourselves." If you don't set the standards for what you will accept in your life, there are plenty of people who will do it for you... and most likely you will not be happy with the results. Look around... the life you are leading is a result of the standards you have set for yourself (and your respect - or lack of respect - for those standards) .

For example ...

For many years, I worked in a job that was going nowhere. My salary had hit a plateau and there were really no options for advancement. In hindsight* I should have taken the advice of my wife (now ex-wife) and moved on to a more challenging job. (* Have you ever looked back at hindsight and realized you had your head up your ass?) Ever since graduating from college I've wanted to own and run my own business. I've flirted with it a few times... as a real estate agent in the late 80's-early 90's and part time with a couple web businesses... but I never had the gump-shin (spelling?) to quit a "perfectly good job" and do whatever it takes to make my own business a success.

Setting a new standard...

Things are different now. I am finding ways to create a business and learning more about real-life business than I ever did in graduate business school. It is still not easy... but the standards are rising and, along with them, my prospects for the future.

Where else can this idea be applied?

Health... I've started running nearly every day. A run is part of my standard routine. I've also begun to pick up fresh vegetables and fruits on a more regular basis so that I have them in the house and can eat healthy.

Socially... I have made a decision to be more open to people and engage them more fully. I've made a boat-load of friends through my experiences with Toastmasters and I'm not done yet. I'm constantly working to stretch my comfort zone ... and make other people comfortable at the same time. It is amazing the connections that can be made if you just reach out !

What standards do you have in your life?

Are you respecting your own values on a daily basis?

Thank you Penelope for bringing this to our attention. You have my respect !

Races on the Calendar...

2009-11-10T21:27:00.002-05:00

... are closer than they appear !

I have signed up for the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving day in Manchester, CT. It is a 4.75 mile race which should be a challenge ... and the fact that the first half of the course is uphill will add just that little extra flavor to the challenge!

Exercise-wise...

I have been pretty good about working out. I've started going to the YMCA and playing basketball (one of my favorite activities) at lunchtime on Fridays. I should not have been surprised but ... my vertical leap is not what it used to be ! Thank goodness I can rely on my natural height and years of skill development.

The group of people who play (mostly guys with one lady) all have great attitudes which makes the games much more enjoyable. We are all about the same level of play and no one takes it too seriously. It is quickly turning into one of the highlights of my week.

Food?

I've felt like the "Cookie Monster" recently. Every time I turn around, I'm scarfing down something that is not healthy. Pizza is probably the biggest culprit (although I've kept the portions down to a "small" one which is probably helping). Other obstacles include fast food (due to a busy or poorly planned schedule) or sweets (leftovers from Halloween).

I will begin to focus more on keeping my refridgerator stocked with good, healthy vegetables since I know that when I don't, I resort to other options which are not as good for me.

Next... The Power of Words

The Value of Over-stretching

2009-11-09T10:59:00.003-05:00

The past couple weeks have seen very few posts on this blog and I finally have time to reveal everything that has happened (and was distracting me from this blog).

Cha-Ching....

First, I've been working on getting some new real estate investment projects "off the ground" and in the past couple weeks I've gotten a large chunk of investment capital. Of course "large" is a relative term but let's just say that it is large enough to give my investment business a significant boost.

Stagetime, Stagetime, Stagetime...

Secondly, I am involved in Toastmasters as the Lt.Gov.-Education & Training for District 53 which covers all of CT, Western MA and Eastern NY (north of Westchester County). There have been a bunch of activity in this role over the past few weeks ... culminating in the D53 Fall Conference last Saturday.

In my role, I, 1) gave a "First Timer Session",

2) presented the "High Performance Leadership" Workshop,

3) participated in the Keynote speaker's exercises (as a volunteer),

4) gave a "Roast" for the immediate past district governor,

5) gave my LGET report at the business meeting,

6) brought the First Timers onto the big stage (for recognition) and

7) introduced a reduced price offer for the Spring Conference in May 2010.

All that "stage time" in one day. Thank goodness the conference co-chairs did such an incredible job of organizing everything ... and were flexible enough to try some new things (First Timer's on stage).

Now things should be a little less hectic in the Toastmasters department so I can concentrate more on making millions !

Where is that comfort zone?

I also feel like my comfort zone has been stretched and as Marshall Sylver says, "Once you stretch beyond your comfort zone, it never returns to the same size!". I'm excited to try new things and accomplish much more than I have in the past.

Next post... Food / Exercise update!

A friend's progress...

2009-10-19T10:46:00.005-04:00

I had dinner on Saturday evening with an old friend from high school and his family. We ate lots of barbecued (unhealthy, but very tasty) food and caught up on old times.

The difference from the last time we got together is that this friend has lost almost 30 pounds over the past Summer !

How?

He started on Weight Watchers and showed me all the latest tools that they have including online resources so you can figure out how many "points" each meal contains. He was given "40 points per day" and he typically could only use about 20 or so. His biggest dietary switches were the reduction (or elimination) of bread, more vegetables (on the grill too) and, it seemed, a better plan for his meals throughout the day. He would take a handful of almonds for an afternoon snack and an apple for his drive home from work (it is about an hour).

He also started going to the local high school track and walking about 2 miles every day. I think this gave him time to unwind and reduce the stress of a busy job, 3 kids (with lots of activities) and the current economic situation. Sort of like meditation ... with sneakers.

The best news?

His father died much younger than he should have (from a heart attack, I believe) and for a while my friend had been making comments that seemed to indicate that he felt he shared the same fate. "When I'm gone..." or "I need to get things in order in case..." and at dinner there was no such comments. In fact, it appeared that the rest of his family were behind his efforts 100%. His wife had a salad (while he and I had barbecue) and his kids seemed to know what foods were good and which were "special occasion foods". All their kids are into athletics so they don't have any problems with weight... but this type of food knowledge will be invaluable to them when they get older. (Ask me how I know!)

Show, don't Tell !

He is also setting an excellent example for his kids and demonstrating how much he cares for his family by the way he takes care of himself. I am very proud to be his friend and I hope that I'm able to inspire others in a similar way !

I'm sure he would agree that he is not "done" and that a healthy lifestyle is an ongoing effort. I am confident that he will be around for a good many years ... which is great to see since it means my friend will be there for his family, other friends ... and me!

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

The next big challenge...???

2009-10-11T09:36:00.004-04:00

Boston Qualifying times...

QUALIFYING TIMES for the Boston Marathon
AGE GROUP MEN WOMEN

40-44	3hrs 20min	3hrs 50min
45-49	3hrs 30min	4hrs 00min
50-54	3hrs 35min	4hrs 05min

For me, that would work out to about a 8 minute mile... for 26.2 miles!

Since I used to run marathons at around a 12-13 minute mile pace, that would be a big challenge... and one worthy of pursuit !

It would also support my goal to complete an Ironman Triathlon by 2012 !

What do you think?

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

S.A.D. vs. H.A.P.P.Y. diet ... the "New Vegetarian"

2009-10-08T09:38:00.006-04:00

A recent post by author Croix Sather (click here) got me thinking about what to call the diet that I'm [slowly] adapting into.

You may have heard the Standard American Diet of processed [fast] food is sometimes referred to by the acronym, "SAD", so how about a "HAPPY" diet...

H..healthy
A..american
P..plant-based
P..protein-limited*
Y..youth-retaining

* could also be "processed-food-limited".

The Wheeler HAPPY diet?

Do I get credit for creating a new diet? I should give credit to Croix Sather since it was his blog article that got me thinking... maybe the Wheeler-Sather Diet? If nothing else it could certainly be branded as the "New Vegetarian" diet !

Croix's diet is similar to the one that I am striving to achieve. It is not exactly Vegetarian or Vegan and those titles, unfortunately, bring with them a lot of baggage in terms of stereotypes and preconceptions. That was one of the points of Croix's recent article and the reason that a new name is needed.

Philosophy vs. Health Choice

I would also like a term that moves away from the preconceived notions of being a vegetarian. While I am all for animal rights and the "ethical treatment of animals", it is not something that is the primary focus of my diet.

I am deciding to change primarily because it will benefit my own health. If there are side benefits to the planet and our fellow inhabitants, that's great. It may sound selfish to put yourself first, but if you don't, how can you be around to help others? And, to be honest, don't we all think about "What's in it for me?" at some point? Especially when going through the change process of new eating habits?

The Shape of the Diet ... or "Lifestyle"...

The food I am striving to eat is largely plant-based ... with the occasional meat or other protein source. As my taste buds adapt to the new selection of foods, I'm sure I will eat less and less meat as well as less dairy products. Currently, I am in transition ... so I won't say that I'm perfect (who would believe it even if I said I was) and I certainly don't have all the answers.

I just try to make more good decisions than bad ones. - d.Mark Wheeler

The Wheeler diet, or "lifestyle" if you will, includes as much raw fruits & vegetables as possible and from what I've read recently, it can make a serious impact on both your lifespan and quality of life.

Tune in regularly to this blog to see how the transition goes !

(And leave your comment below to tell us what you think about the HAPPY diet too!)

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Can you tell what the difference is between the two photo's below?

Before (2009) After (also 2009)

Another (minor) Exercise milestone...

2009-10-04T19:02:00.003-04:00

I made it through my complete running route without stopping once !

It may not be a long distance... but it is showing progress !

(and the first big hill is a killer). I was breathing REALLY hard which tells me that my aerobic capacity is not yet where it needs to be (or I am carrying too much weight up the hills).

And as long as you are moving forward, you are improving!

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Minor (?) Workout Milestone

2009-09-21T09:41:00.010-04:00

It may not seem like much to those of you who are regular runners, but ....

My workout this morning included a minor milestone...

I was able to run (jog actually) for 3/4 of my running route without walking. The first 1/4 of the workout is straight uphill, so I don't feel bad about walking a little there and, to put it into perspective, since I started in early August, I have been doing quite a bit of walking on my "runs", especially on the other hills on the course (slight inclines, actually).

"Progress, no matter how small, is a strong indicator of eventual success."
- d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler (tweeted this today)

The strange thing is ...

Today follows a day where I felt like the "Least Productive Man on Earth." (Is there a contest that I can enter for that?) All day yesterday, I procrastinated, postponed, doddled and "dilly-dallied" until it was time to go to bed.

This is my Least Productive Day...

I watched parts of 4-5 NFL football games (something I rarely do), took a nap and even worked out (rather than do some of the things on my to-do list). I painted a bit on the artwork I have in process (the results of which are on my blog for my art site, NoteWordy.com) and stayed up later than I knew I should.

In other words, I was "building up a strong motivational base for the work week" !

(Yeah, that's the ticket!)

So far today, I've been fairly productive... I've generated $540 worth of income, completed my aforementioned workout, planned my errands for midday, wrote this blog post, called my Dad and arranged for lunch with a former colleague. I can hardly wait to see what I get accomplished in the afternoon !

Slingshot effect

It kind of makes me wonder if this "Rest/Recovery... Progress" cycle can be applied to other endeavors. I know that weight lifters often say that rest is as important as their workouts since that is when their body is repairing the damage done by the workout and building new muscle for the next workout. [That reminds me, I need to set up my weight training program too.]

Guilt / Obsessive-Compulsive?

On the other hand, it could just be that I built up some guilt and have turned it into some obsessive-compulsive action today. I have to admit... it feels like that could be a part of it.

On the other hand, perhaps this cycle is part of the transition from a 9-to-5 worker bee to an entrepreneurial self-motivated millionaire and I will become more and more focused on achieving my personal and business goals. It certainly seems to be stretching my comfort zone in a number of directions!

I think I will go with the "more focused" transition-to-wealth-entrepreneur theory !

How about you?

Do you have a "Slug Mode" followed by bursts of productivity? (Rocket mode?)

How do you motivate yourself on a daily basis?

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

check me out on Twitter and Facebook too!

www.NoteWordy.com (along with WriteOn! blog)

www.TheWorldsMostCreativePerson.com

Diet & Exercise Update...

2009-09-19T10:27:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks have been tough...

Food-wise, the novelty of trying healthy foods is wearing off. Luckily, I have found some foods that I like and are relatively healthy. I say "relatively" because while they are plant-based, they are also fairly high in fat. And I am not dropping weight as quickly as I would like.

On the other hand, I know that I should focus on the habits and actions ... and the results will follow. The good news is that I have eliminated nearly all of the "bad food" from my refrigerator and continue to purchase good stuff. In fact, this week I threw out some packages of bacon and sausage that had been in there forever (the expiration date wasn't even the same year). I know ... TMI !

Exercise-wise, I've been pretty good. I did a 5K "race" earlier this month and my time was 6 minutes faster than the (only) 5K race I did last year. No world records... just continuous progress. I even added an extra half mile to one of my daily workouts (and was amazed at how much it wiped me out). Of course the extra half mile was completely made up of a very steep uphill and then a steep downhill (both of which take it out of your legs).

What's next?

I can use your help. Do you have any great plant-based recipes? What has worked for your conversion to healthy eating? How can I speed up my progress and take it to a new level?

Please leave a comment below...

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Great quote...

2009-09-17T21:44:00.001-04:00

I got this quote (slightly paraphrased) from an article by Niurka, a former corporate trainer for Tony Robbins and now a speaker, author, trainer in her own right...

A great Zen proverb ...
... when you squeeze an orange, you get orange juice.
You do not get apple juice.
You get what is inside.
When you are squeezed by life's pressures, what comes out of you?

It is often said (by motivational speakers) that diamonds are formed under pressure... but I like the idea of squeezing the best out of yourself.

What comes out of you when you are squeezed?

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

The Power of Habits

2009-09-17T12:28:00.006-04:00

This morning I read an interesting article by Margaret Greenberg and Senia Maymin called "Habits Can Beat Goals for Improving Performance". This got me thinking about the habits that I am developing on my way to being thinner (shrinking) and a millionaire (growing).

Of course what originally caught my eye in the article was the picture of me... or was it Arnold Schwarzenegger?

But seriously...

Here are some great points about Timing and Environment in the article ...

Habits = Less Thinking, Less Stress
Wood and two other colleagues studied habits in everyday life and found that people who perform habits use less of their conscious thinking and have less stress when engaging in the habit compared to those who engage in a conscious, deliberate goal. Using exercise as an example this means that people who view exercise as a habit do so automatically – they don’t even really think about it; they “Just Do It” as Nike proclaims.

Wood and her colleague David Neal at Duke University have identified a theory of habit-goal interface. They propose three principles:
Habits respond to environmental cues (same place, same time)
Habits arise when people use a particular behavior to pursue a goal, and habits will remain even after people stop having that goal as a pursuit (the habit of running every morning can aim towards the goal of losing weight; running will be habitual even when the ideal weight is reached)
Habits do not change to meet current goals; they remain linked to the environment in which they were created (running outside in the summer may not be transferable to running inside in the winter)

My (relatively) new habits...

I've been using the Time/Place Habit* (TPH*) theory to boost the likelihood that I will be consistent with my workout schedule. Currently, the first thing I do each morning when I roll out of bed is to check my computer while I begin putting on my workout clothes. Depending on how inspired I am by the challenges presented to me via email and how long it takes to finish them, I usually find a good place to take a break after an hour or so and go out for a run. So far, this habit has worked pretty well... it has been about 6 weeks and I am exercising at least 5 days a week on a regular basis.

* I needed my acronym fix today so I created "TPH" !

Since I work in my home office, I am able to "hit the kitchen" for healthy food more easily than "swinging by McDonalds" on the way to work. I can definitely see that my location (home) is helping me nail down my habit of eating better. (And I will need to be aware of the challenges when I leave the house for an early AM appointment.)

Mental & Emotional Simplicity...

The best part of the TPH Theory is that I don't even have to think about exercise or eating healthy anymore. Actually, I should rephrase that... I have much less to think about since I've committed to exercising and eating healthy. It is like other habits... I just do it (and I don't waste time thinking about (or stressing over) whether "I feel like it" or "is it too cold").

Speaking of cold...

The "environment" here in Connecticut (the "Place" in the Time/Place Habit theory) is starting to get colder. I am finding that I do have to think about what to wear on my runs ... but thanks to Senia & Margaret's article, I know that I will continue to develop / evolve my "exercise habit" as I get "in the groove" for the Fall / Winter and adapt to my changing environment.

Special Thanks...
to Margaret and Senia for their article. Look for their upcoming book "Profit from the Positive: What Every Business Leader Needs to Know From the New Science of Positive Psychology".

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

My other [mostly business] sites include...

www.TheWorldsMostCreativePerson.com (consulting / blog)

www.NoteWordy.com (art / notecards / blog)

www.NewStartHomeBuyers.com (real estate)

Original (Source) Images:

Arnold Schwarzenegger Abs courtesy of d_vdm

The Challenges of Success

2009-09-16T06:20:00.004-04:00

The biggest myth about success today is that there is an "easy way". The second most common myth is that "Success is hard and only special people can do it". The answer lies in understanding how success can be easy & hard and anyone can have it.

"If I win the lottery, I won't have any problems."

That's obviously WRONG. Problems don't go away when you pour money on them. Some problems, like hunger, might be reduced in severity (temporarily), but they don't go away if you don't solve the underlying cause that created the problem in the first place. We have all heard the stories about people who won a large lump sum of money through a lottery and went on to end up bankrupt (or worse).

Are we destined to be poor if we start out poor?

What we rarely hear about are the people who won the lottery and were responsible with their money.

A study of 576 lottery winners from 12 states included winners of sums ranging from $50,000 to millions. The data indicated that winners did not engage in lavish spending sprees and instead gave large amounts of their winnings to their children and their churches. The most common expenditures were for houses, automobiles and trips. It was found that overall, winners were well-adjusterd, secure and generally happy from the experience. [The study by H.Roy Kaplan was funded by a grant from the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies in White Plains, New York and report in The Journal of Gambling Studies].

Clearly a good number of lottery winners were able to overcome the problems associated with the added wealth. (This is good news for those of us who are working towards becoming a millionaire.)

It has been said (and I agree) that if all the wealth in the world was taken away from the current owners and distributed evenly to all the people of the world, it would be back in the hands of the same people in less than 5 years (certainly in less than 1 generation).

Why is that?

"Success", if you define it as more wealth or power or status, does not mean fewer problems... it just means dealing with different problems. Do you think Donald Trump does not have problems? Of course he does. He has had properties go bankrupt, he is on his third (?) marriage as I write this and I'm sure he is not an easy person to get along with if your ideas run counter to his (or at least that is my perception based on his TV show). And this isn't even counting the problems he must face on a daily basis as he runs his real estate empire. Most of us can only imagine how he handles those problems.

Imagine the problems you will face on the road to wealth....

If you can begin to think about the problems (or challenges, as I like to call them) you will face on the road to wealth, you can begin to solve them now, rather than later when they could be much harder to solve.

For example, I knew that I would need to own my own company if I was going to get to the levels of income and wealth that I wanted. [If you don't believe that the people who OWN the companies make substantially more than the people who WORK in the companies, send me an email explaining why at theshot92 [at] gmail [dot] com ... it would make for another whole blog article.]

What are you tackling dummy?

So far, these are the problems / challenges that I have run into or expect to tackle on my road to wealth...

How do I create an LLC or Corporation?
[Researched online. NewStartHomeBuyers LLC and Investanium, Inc. created 2009]
Where will I get the funding I need for my real estate investments?
[Joined CTREIA, found seminars about real estate, discovered "hard money lenders" in addition to the ability to tap into 401K funds.]
What do I need to do regarding taxes? Accounting?
[In the process of getting referrals for a business accountant and tax attorney. Purchased legal structure home study course at a real estate seminar.]
How do I generate business for my real estate investments?
[Attended seminars and multi-day bootcamps to gather proven systems from experienced investors.]

What challenges do you foresee on your road to success? How are you going to prepare to deal with them?

The challenges don't get smaller.

If anything, they get bigger and you must grow to meet them. You must step up emotionally and get out of your comfort zone. You must be coachable and seek out the knowledge that will allow you to overcome any obstacle placed in your path.

As the Star Trek saying goes...

Seek out [your] new life... Boldly go where no one [that you know] has gone before !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Steve Pavlina interview ... Raw Food transition, Wealth Mindset

2009-09-15T12:13:00.002-04:00

The Power of Connection

2009-09-13T09:18:00.010-04:00

I just read an article on Wired.com and NYTimes.com that mentioned "new" research showing that obesity and happiness can be tied to your social network. Researchers used the Framingham Heart Study (a famous study about diet, health and weight control) and built a model of the social connections within the group of study subjects.

What did they find?

From the NYTimes article...

By analyzing the Framingham data, Christakis and Fowler say, they have for the first time found some solid basis for a potentially powerful theory in epidemiology: that good behaviors — like quitting smoking or staying slender or being happy — pass from friend to friend almost as if they were contagious viruses. The Framingham participants, the data suggested, influenced one another’s health just by socializing. And the same was true of bad behaviors — clusters of friends appeared to “infect” each other with obesity, unhappiness and smoking. Staying healthy isn’t just a matter of your genes and your diet, it seems. Good health is also a product, in part, of your sheer proximity to other healthy people.

Christakis and Fowler have also written a book that I am looking forward to reading (or listening to on audio CD if available)....Connected... the book

Bottom Line...

You are influenced by the people you are connected to and if you want to change your outlook, you may want to consider changing your environment.

How can you use this information in your life?

What if you consciously thought about who you hang out with and chose to put yourself in new settings based on the people involved? That is one reason why I enjoy being a part of Toastmasters (a public speaking and leadership development organization). The people that join Toastmasters are the type of people who want to improve, are willing to try new things and regularly stretch their comfort zone. If hanging around these people helps a little of those qualities rub off on me... that's a good thing !

Where else can you apply this?

Athletic events... these are usually attended by people who have a focus on physical health.
Real Estate Investment Associations... I'm a member of one in Connecticut and have found it worthwhile to be around people who want to make money in real estate.
Churches... if your spiritual growth is important to you, church events could be for you. I would suggest ones where there is interaction between attendees so that you can make stronger connections within the group.
Civic organizations... Toastmasters is just one example of like-minded people gathering together. Others include Lions Club (my grandfather was part of Lions for many years), Kiwanis club or others.
Schools... I lost an incredible amount of weight when I was in graduate school and I'm sure a good amount of that was due to the fact that I was around thin, athletic people all the time. Schools or continuing education are also good places to connect with people with an interest in personal development or a particular lifestyle that interests you.
Online groups... Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking sites might not offer as much interaction as face-to-face groups but they can definitely help you identify possible groups to join. Meetup.com is another great place where you can find groups online and then attend the meetings in person.

How has the "Connection concept" impacted my life?

First, it got me thinking about who is in my life now and who has been in the past. In terms of weight, some of my closest friends from as far back as high school are as overweight as I am while a surprisingly large number of my friends from Toastmasters and business interactions are much thinner than I am. I guess that means that I am going in the right direction. My ex-wife was thinner than I am and when we were together (and often eating the same diet), I was much thinner than I am today. The people I communicate with the most now are also in pretty good shape which means that either they are influencing me to be thinner (thanks!) or I'm influencing them to be heavier (sorry!).

I have begun to apply the concept to my business dealings as well. I am a member of the Connecticut Real Estate Investors Association (CT REIA) and have met a bunch of like-minded individuals (along with heard some excellent speakers). It is hard to say when or how this will pay off... I'm just convinced that it will.

What ideas do you have?

Please leave a comment below with ideas that might help our readers apply the "network effect" to their lives !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

A Million is not what it used to be...

2009-09-10T09:27:00.004-04:00

When I did a Yahoo Search for "Incredible Shrinking Millionaire", the top listing (as of today, 10Sept09) is a post by Johannes Ernharth on his Vigilante Investor blog.

Here is a brief excerpt...

... In other words, when you watch a classic film from the 1930s or 40s in which the characters are all abuzz over someone being the local “millionaire” of the story, they were talking about someone with a whole heck of a lot more wealth than a comparatively measly $68,000-$81,000. They were talking about someone with 12 to 14 times what a million dollars means today. ...

I guess that means that a million dollars per year cash flow is a better definition for "millionaire" than the old definition of someone with a million dollars worth of assets (although I am still working on the million in assets too).

The difference is that the "million in assets" is now only a milestone on the way to "a million in cash flow" !

Think Cash Flow !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

New Food Mindset... Live to Eat vs. Eat to Live

2009-09-08T12:58:00.008-04:00

I've started to notice that I am no longer "living to eat" and have begun to switch over to "eating to live".

Even though I am still "in transition", I can feel my "food focus" shifting.

Let me explain...

Back when I was overweight* (and getting fatter every day), food was one of the most important parts of my life. It was something pleasurable that I looked forward to and counted on as the best part of my day. Looking back, I can see how food had become a higher priority for me than many other parts of my life.

For example, if I had a choice between eating a nice big meal or working out, I would always choose food. Even though I knew that I would feel better after working out, I would eat something tasty and inevitably end up sitting on the couch. Exercise always seemed to get pushed to "tomorrow"... and we all know that "tomorrow" never comes.

Don't get me wrong... I still love good food. I'm just making better decisions on a day-by-day, meal-by-meal basis and focusing on eating good food on a regular basis so that the times when I go out for something special, it will be really special !

More food at home...

I am also finding that I have more [highly nutritious] food in my home than I used to. This may seem like a "no-brainer" for households where there are multiple people in the home. With more people, I assume, a greater volume of food is regularly consumed and, consequently, more is available on a regular basis. For a single person like myself, though, I would eat out at least once a day, sometimes 3-4 times per day since almost all of the "good food" I brought home went bad before I ate it. Or more precisely, I was hooked on eating out and did not find the "good food" attractive. It seemed like I did not have anything worth eating in the house.

Now I'm less worried about throwing out spoiled food since 1) that is the price I sometimes have to pay for eating healthy and 2) it is much less likely since I eat at home more often.

What kind of things do you have?

I have fresh corn (6 ears) that I picked up at a roadside farmer's market this weekend which I will probably have for dinner tonight... probably roasted in the oven. I have a bunch of pre-packaged vegetable dishes from CostCo in my refrigerator now... taboule, red pepper hummus and an Orzo & Artichoke salad with Fresh & Sun-Dried tomatoes... so I can quickly have a healthy meal. I have a tomato and some whole wheat panini bread so I can make a tomato sandwich with a small amount of mayo (one of my weaknesses) along with some hummus or Edamame Hummus (from Whole Foods... it contains soy beans) in place of some of the mayo. For dessert, I have sliced golden pineapple (from Costco again) or a green apple sprinkled with cinnamon & raw sugar.

Half-back Option Left on Three...

I know that I still need to try new healthy foods (i.e. vegetable-based) and recipes so I don't get bored and go back to my old ways of eating. What surprises me is, now that I'm looking for them, how easy it is to pick up some good food options. I highly recommend this approach... change your mind to eat better and the food will follow!

Now, I have more life since food is not the centerpiece of my existence... and I look forward to seeing what the future brings as I shrink to my new size (and increase the size of my wallet to compensate).

What's your food focus doing for you? Have you decided to eat healthy?

d.Mark Wheeler

* Notice the mindshift here? I am starting to think like I'm a thin person (or at least someone who is heading in that direction).

Old Video from the Archive Vault

2009-09-02T08:45:00.004-04:00

Some readers have asked me to post a picture (aside from the Photoshopped one in the banner on the top of this page). They also suggested, and I agreed, that it would be good to have an actual "before" picture instead of the simulated picture shown in a previous post.

I dug the video below out of the archives and it shows a presentation I gave on the floor of Pack Expo - Las Vegas in 2007.

Full disclosure: Between the time this video was shot and when I started "shrinking", I probably gained 5-10 pounds.

One more disclaimer: It is not the best presentation I've ever given. I really should have had a remote "clicker" to advance the slides and there is not as much audience interaction as I usually have. At least the people in attendance liked it and the presentation supported the sales efforts of my customer at the time (FoxJet Industrial Inkjet).

Trident Ink Jet Printing Demonstration from Foremost Media on Vimeo.

Weight / Fat update

2009-09-01T12:07:00.003-04:00

Just weighed myself and compared it to my measurements about two weeks ago (prior to the "driveway challenge") and I have lost 6 lbs.!

[If you know where the weight went ... don't tell me. I don't want it back. Personally, I think it is either with the socks that are lost in the dryer or the Bermuda triangle.]

Even better news is that my percent body fat has gone down by 5%. Combining both data points and it turns out I gained about 11 lbs. of muscle while losing 17 lbs. of fat!

Of course I still have a long way to go...

... It sure is nice to see some progress!

Cross-Training Update

2009-08-27T07:51:00.005-04:00

The past few days have been Incredible!

I've been working nearly 100% on reconstructing / fixing my driveway and while I have not gone for a run in while, I have gotten an excellent workout by "playing with gravel".

Newest Cross-training tool in the garage...

Did you know that there are at least 3 different ways to shovel a pile of gravel? There are ... and each one works slightly different muscles while giving an incredible workout.

Paddle Faster....

First there is the "canoe paddle" motion which works well for moving the side of a big pile about 3-6 feet in one direction. The key is to keep the shovel vertical and move the blade past your foot (to the right or left).

Tom Sawyer/WhiteWashing the Fence...

If anyone wants to improve their paddling strength and technique, I would be happy to let you know when the next pile of gravel arrives in my driveway!

Let's Twist Again ....

The second motion is used with a tall pile of gravel. You start by facing the top of the pile and extending your arms horizontally (holding the shovel with both hands, one near the blade of the shovel and the other on the top of the handle) . The general shoveling motion is done with a sweeping/scooping motion from left to right (or right to left when you get tired of the other way). Using this motion, you can get a turning/twisting in your full upper body and use the momentum more than your arm strength.

This motion is also good for filling a wheelbarrow since the gravel starts out high and can easily be placed in the wheelbarrow. It can also be done (with a little more vigorous action) to throw gravel 6-10 feet.

For some reason, I find this one the most satisfying... probably because you can quickly knock down the top of a pile and have a good sense of accomplishment.

Schwing...

Finally, the last motion is one that I call "The Pendulum". It is similar to the Twist, but you are digging at knee height or lower. I've found that the key to this one is not to take too large of a shovel full and to keep the shovel moving through the full arc of the motion. This can be used for filling a wheelbarrow or, with a faster motion, launching gravel up to 10 feet.

Combining "Bob The Builder" with P90X....

This explanation of a "gravel shoveling workout" may sound kind of weird but I can assure you that I definitely worked up a sweat. What surprised me was how aerobic the activity was, especially if I took time to catch my breath occasionally and did not try to rely simply on the strength of my arms. I definitely got a good workout and it got me wondering if there might be other "opportunities" like this in my future....

Mr.Miagi says "Wax On, Wax Off"

Rebuilding my driveway was an interesting challenge and, when approached with the right mental attitude, I would even say that it can be called "fun" !

.... and, no, I won't come over to your house to shovel gravel for you !

d.Mark "Dave" "The Big Shovel" Wheeler

What's your next workout tool?

Challenges vs. Obstacles

2009-08-23T13:47:00.007-04:00

The picture here is one of my favorites. I found it somewhere on the internet* and, to me, it represents a classic "obstacle".

In life, we are all given obstacles. (I like to call them challenges.) And our response to these obstacles defines what we get out of life.

If you are faced with a challenge, you can do one of three things...

You can overcome it
You can try to overcome it, fail and learn from it, or,
You can give up and go back to something easier.

My philosophy is that life gives you challenges to see how capable you are.

The challenge of ... women

For example, I was challenged by my ex-wife to figure out a way to salvage our relationship... and, unfortunately for both of us, we got divorced. As part of that experience, I learned alot about myself and how I relate to people ... and I'm still learning. (I'm not sure that anyone fully understands women ... but they definitely are worth it.)

The "Shrinking" challenge

Another challenge I am currently working on is my diet and exercise habits. Yesterday I went for a short run prior to going to Marist College for the Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) event that I was organizing. The weather was not great. The forecast was for rain but I got in a short run just the same. I also packed up my car, throwing a folding table on the roof rack and hit the shower. It felt good to stick to my exercise plan and overcome the challenge of "laziness" (or "snooze-bar-itis".

Organizationally Challenged

The day before had been stressful as I scrambled to get all the loose ends wrapped up for the TLI event so I was probably not as organized I could have been. I realized this when I was halfway to the event (about 1 hr. from home) and I noticed that I had forgotten my laptop (with presentation files for 3 other presenters). I had also forgotten the player for the lead-in music. It was too late to go back so I figured ... Toastmasters are good at adapting to changing conditions.

And I was right. The TLI event went off much better than I expected and even though there were fewer attendees than we had last year, they all seemed to enjoy themselves and they definitely took home lots of great information.

Driveway challenged...

Speaking of "going home", the picture to the right is what I saw when I arrived home. The small creek that goes under my driveway had overflowed due to a sudden, heavy downpour and I would later find out (after the water had receded a little) that a number of fallen trees had washed downstream and clogged the pipes that go under my driveway.

I still had the folding table on top of my car (and it was getting wetter by the minute) so I called a nearby friend ... but his yard was flooded along with his garage. Eventually the water slowed down and I was able to assess the damage to my driveway. (See videos below.)

What am I going to do?

As I said, my philosophy is that life gives us challenges to see how capable we are. I was overcoming some challenges (exercise, organization) and now I have a new challenge... a driveway project.

The big question is ...

What is the opportunity here?

Answer(s): I will figure out a way to rebuild it so that this does not happen again... which will increase the value to the property. I will certainly make some contacts with contractors ... which should benefit my real estate investment business. I may even involve the local government since they built the bridge structure and the water (and dead trees that clogged the pipes) came from town property.

What challenges are you facing? How well are you doing?

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

* (I would love to give credit to the photographer of the first picture... just let me know by sending a link to theshot92[at] gmail.com)

WHEN are you going to change? Do you HAVE to change?

2009-08-21T21:54:00.005-04:00

I've been thinking alot about why I'm not doing everything that I know I should to move myself forward to my goals and as they say, "when the student is ready, the teacher appears".

Check out the video by Tony Robbins and see if it does not get you moving ....

http://tonyrobbinstraining.com/320/interview-with-frank-kern-and-john-reese/

Warning:

The video is about 38 minutes long ... but worthwhile if you are not getting the results you want!

Inspirational Video

2009-08-17T10:08:00.004-04:00

From Bill Phillip's new website... Transformation.com... is a video showing the transformation of Shane Anderson from Montana. If the video does not show up below, you can find it by clicking here.

Milestone HULW # 1 ... "Have you lost weight?"

2009-08-17T09:42:00.007-04:00

This important milestone kind of snuck up on me. I have been running and eating healthy for a while, but I really do not see any substantial change in my body. (I also do not have a full length mirror in my house which might be part of the reason too.)

Every time I have lost weight and gotten into shape, there always seems to be a milestone where you run into someone, who maybe has not seen you in a while, and they ask "Have you lost weight?". Let's mark this down as milestone "HULW#1" !

Here's how it happened...

At the Toastmasters Convention last week, one of my dear friends commented "Have you lost weight?". They became even "dearer" thanks to the HULW question... is "dearer" is a word?

My (honest) reply at the time was "I do not think so but thank you for the compliment."

Hmmm.....

The comment got me wondering if I had lost weight... so this morning I weighed myself and ... yes, I have lost a little weight. Not a significant percentage (1%?), but at least it is enough so that I can weigh myself on my home scale and not the truck scale at the recycling facility. ;)

The Boost of Achievement:
It is amazing how this little achievement can boost my motivation and determination. Before I stepped on the scale, all my diet and exercise plans were "in theory"... now that my body is changing, they are "in practice".

"You achieve big visions by doing the little things every day and looking at them in a positive focus. "The closer you get to your goal, the more it draws you in; success feeds on success." - Shawn Phillips

(Shawn pictured to the right... in case you thought that it was me!)

Hitting this [relatively minor] milestone has inspired me to make my plans more concrete and more ambitious. A little step forward allows me to believe that I can create a new direction !

How about you? What does your future hold?

Exercise update...

2009-08-16T11:24:00.008-04:00

Since starting this blog, I've been pretty consistent about my exercise. I figure consistency is the key right now (since I am so far out of shape that actual "performance" won't happen for a while).

Acronyms = consistency...?

My Standard Daily Workout (SDW) right now is a simple, 1 mile, walk / run / jog near my house. The neighborhood where I live is set up perfectly so that one loop = one mile. "The Loop" also includes a steep uphill, some gradual up/down hills and a final steep downhill. For a one mile course, it has a nice variety of challenges.

From the beginning...

Up until Wed. of this week, I had worked out 10 of the past 11 days and would occasionally see some slight improvements. Some runs would feel easier than others and I've moved towards more jogging and less walking. Occasionally I would be able to push myself to jog to a farther milestone... "I'll go to the black mailbox." or "I'll push up this hill to that driveway."

The fact that I have my own business helps make it easier to stick to a workout schedule since I can get up and go for a run any time I need a break... usually in the late morning after tackling emails. Of course I better get my business "off the ground" soon so that I will be able to continue this lifestyle !

Life Interrupted...

On Wednesday, 8/12, I went to the Toastmasters International Convention at MGM/Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT. It was my first TM Intl. convention and a very interesting experience. (I will be posting more about it on my Toastmasters blog, www.areaA4.blogspot.com.)

Unfortunately, the convention schedule ran from early morning to late at night which left no time for exercise. In addition, most of the convention was either standing around talking to people or sitting and listening to speakers. I must have been standing quite a bit because I was very tired at the end of each day.... I wonder if walking around the convention might count as a workout?

I also wonder if listening to all the motivational speakers will boost my workouts?

I'm BAAACK !

It is now Sunday morning and I'm finally home. A good night's sleep in my own bed and I'm ready for a workout. The weather is getting hot so I better head out for my run...

Results...?

I went for my first run in 4 days. The sensation was a little like when I did triathlons (years ago). In triathlons, there is a transition from the biking portion to the running portion of the race and since you use substantially different muscles to bike vs. running, there is usually about 5-10 minutes at the beginning of the run where your legs are saying "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING???". My workout today was a little like that ... which may indicate that all the walking around the convention might have actually helped my fitness ! Gotta love "Stealth Micro-Exercise"!

How is your workout schedule going? What challenges are you facing?

Leave a comment below and share it with the rest of the readers !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

What's your Vice?

2009-08-11T12:30:00.003-04:00

As my new diet/exercise program is taking shape and I'm learning new recipes, I am becoming convinced that everyone should have one Primary Vice.

I'm not saying that you should commit crimes worthy of your local police station' "Vice Squad". I'm talking about some food, or an indulgent activity, that may (or may not) be healthy, but it just makes you feel good.

Mine, right now, is Pizza.

I REALLY enjoy a good pizza. For me, it is the ultimate comfort food and if I allow myself to have pizza once in a while (not on a regular basis), I feel like I am a "normal" person. Not perfect, just normal.

I also find that having this vice actually motivates me to stick to my dietary guidelines more regularly. I know that I can have a pizza when I want it... I just don't want it all the time and that means that I am in control (which is a good feeling).

The Starbucks Connection

The best example of a "lesser vice" that I've ever seen is one from my ex-wife. She replaced wine drinking & a smoking habit with Starbucks coffee as her primary vice when she saw the damage that the former was doing in her life. You have to respect someone who can make those types of significant changes in their life ... and I think having one primary vice is a good trade-off.

Disclaimer:

Eventually, I would like to say that I've eliminated all other vices from my life but for now... I'm making progress !

What's your Vice?

How does it help you put things in perspective?

What do you want to believe about Exercise?

2009-08-11T07:15:00.013-04:00

A recent TIME article, titled "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" was picked up by a TON of different media outlets ranging from the LA Times (with a good counter-point article) and CNN.com to BioSingularity (a blog), LifeHacker (blog) and even the creator of Dilbert, Scott Adams, on his blog.

Unfortunately, the TIME article by John Cloud is a classic example of people believing that they want to believe and finding information around them that meets their view of the world. It is much easier to live with convenient misconceptions instead of dealing with the truth and developing the strength of character required to get the results that you truly want.

The article states...

One of the most widely accepted, commonly repeated assumptions in our culture is that if you exercise, you will lose weight. But I exercise all the time, and since I ended that relationship and cut most of those desserts, my weight has returned to the same 163 lb. it has been most of my adult life. I still have gut fat that hangs over my belt when I sit. Why isn't all the exercise wiping it out?

[Answer: You are not exercising enough or at a high enough level to increase your metabolism AND your eating contains foods that work against you. In short, you are not "in shape".]

The rest of the article goes on to say that when you work out, you are more likely to be hungry and make bad food choices which means you won't lose weight.

Duh !

If you eat poorly, you won't lose weight. Today's processed foods are designed to be extra sweet, e.g. check to see how many things contain high fructose corn syrup, and this is like running your body on jet fuel. It burns brightly for a few seconds but you need more and more to get any motion at all.

We are diesel engines.

We need slower release foods... complex carbs, fruits & vegetables with built-in fiber. The problem is that most processed foods combat the "jet fuel problem" by adding fat which burns more slowly... but also ends up on our hips and stomachs when we become addicted to the sweet rush of "jet fuel". Do you see the downward spiral of processed foods?

Back to the article....

Could pushing people to exercise more actually be contributing to our obesity problem?
In some respects, yes. Because exercise depletes not just the body's muscles but the brain's self-control "muscle" as well, many of us will feel greater entitlement to eat a bag of chips during that lazy time after we get back from the gym.
This explains why exercise could make you heavier - or at least why even my wretched four hours of exercise a week aren't eliminating all my fat. It's likely that I am more sedentary during my nonexercise hours than I would be if I didn't exercise with such Puritan fury. If I exercised less, I might feel like walking more instead of hopping into a cab; I might have enough energy to shop for food, cook and then clean instead of ordering a satisfyingly greasy burrito.

Insert sarcastic comments here...

"Exercise depletes ...the brain's self-control 'muscle' ".... WOW, that is an excellent excuse and I wish I had thought of it. It is almost like a "get out of jail free" card ! "I don't have to eat healthy since I exercised ... a little... today." [can you sense the sarcasm in my voice?]

Clearly, the author does not understand that willpower and self discipline are things that can be cultivated and developed. If he saw his workouts as an opportunity to exercise not just his body but also expand his personal control, he would be less likely to splurge on a muffin after the workout.

It is called "self-regulation"...

Senia Maymin, Editor of Positive Psychology News Daily, adds "Self-regulation is a really important discipline to develop, and the best way to develop it is by doing small incremental things. If you want to start exercising, start by doing something small each day at the same time, same place. For example, when you wake up, walk for three minutes away from your house, and then three minutes back to your house. Voila! Exercise." Senia also has a blog about positive psychology at Senia.com and her article on self-regulation (click here) is worth reading.

Now, let's get to the "good" part of the TIME article....

The problem ultimately is about not exercise itself but the way we've come to define it. Many obesity researchers now believe that very frequent, low-level physical activity - the kind humans did for tens of thousands of years before the leaf blower was invented - may actually work better for us than the occasional bouts of exercise you get as a gym rat.

"You cannot sit still all day long and then have 30 minutes of exercise without producing stress on the muscles," says Hans-Rudolf Berthoud, a neurobiologist at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center who has studied nutrition for 20 years. "The muscles will ache, and you may not want to move after. But to burn calories, the muscle movements don't have to be extreme. It would be better to distribute the movements throughout the day."

A good example ....

Recently I drove about 9 hours to New Brunswick Canada for a Toastmasters conference and expected that my fitness would get worse after days of driving followed by days of sitting in a conference. To counteract this, I made a conscious effort to ride an exercise bike for 5-10 minutes each morning and take the stairs whenever possible. My meetings were on the sixth floor and I was staying on the 3rd floor so I had a good amount to stair climbing during the 2 days that I was there. [Of course most of the stairs were downward since I didn't want to climb up 6 floors and arrive all sweaty for a meeting. ]

After the conference, I "vacationed" by driving around Nova Scotia for a couple more days and continued the morning bike exercise (with no stairs... they weren't any where I stayed on these days). Finally, I drove the 9 hours back home and the next day, when I went for my first run in many days, I was amazed at the energy that I had as well as my fitness level. It had actually increased ... even with the long trip!

Micro-Exercising...

What this means is that we all have opportunities for "micro exercise" sessions throughout our day and these can add up to significant improvements over the long haul. It also should be noted that "micro exercise" is part of the "thin person mentality" or "thinking like a thin person". Fat people avoid these opportunities and thin people don't even hesitate to take them.

What do you believe?

Does exercise improve your life? How do you react when you are given small opportunities to move your body? Are you using exercise as an excuse to eat poorly?

These are certainly things that every overweight person should think about. Let's just hope that they don't jump to the conclusion that exercise isn't an important part of the weight loss formula because they would lose an important tool in their quest for a better life.

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

New Recipe... Grilled S-PB & J

2009-08-07T11:55:00.004-04:00

Original recipe found on Vegfamily.com...

http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-recipes/sandwiches/raspberries-and-peanut-butter-sandwich.htm

This recipe is a new spin on the old
Peanut Butter & Jelly (PB&J), a classic "comfort food" for many people.

I call my variation of the original recipe a Grilled Super-PB&J (the S could also stand for Strawberries, but I like "Super" better.) My variations are in red text in the recipe below.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup smooth, peanut butter
2 tablespoons raspberry jam,100% pure fruit
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, 100% pure
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raspberries, fresh or 3-4 large strawberries (sliced)

Method:

Mix together peanut butter, syrup, vanilla and raspberry jam until well blended.
Spread nut butter mixture on both top and bottom pieces of bread.
Grill each half of the sandwich (mixture side up) until underside is lightly grilled.
Press fresh sliced Strawberries (or raspberries) into spread.
Flip half without strawberries over onto the strawberry one and press sandwich gently together (this will keep berries from falling out).
Makes about 1.5 sandwiches (maybe two if you spread it on thinner)

More Ideas..
This recipe could also be done with bananas (a favorite of my ex-wife). I'm not saying she was bananas... maybe she was just a carrier since she drove me bananas at times!

Taste & Texture
I’m not sure if it is the grilling of the sandwiches or the mixing of the peanut butter with the jelly before putting it on the sandwich, but I found that the texture of the sandwich was not as “sticky” as it usually is with PB&J. Perhaps the mixing along with the heat of the grilling softened up the peanut butter … in either case, it tasted pretty good. The fresh fruit really perked up the sandwich and set it apart from a [boring?] PB&J. I did not taste the vanilla and maple syrup. I’m sure it added to the sweetness of the sandwich and the liquids helped make the mixing process easier.

What do you think? Is this something that you might try?

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Day 4/5 ... Diet Confusion

2009-08-06T10:04:00.005-04:00

A while back (in June, I think), I listened to "The 4 Day Win" book on CD and learned some interesting concepts about the Psychology of Dieting that I was able to apply to my dietary challenges on Days 4 & 5.

What is a "4 day win"?

The author, Martha Beck, suggested that by using a series of "4 day wins", i.e. "doing something that is outside your comfort zone for 4 days", we can change our habits and develop a healthier lifestyle. The idea is that if you can do it for 4 days, you are over the hardest part and can probably keep going for 30, 60, 90 days ... or the rest of your life.

She also pointed out that it is important to recognize the different parts of your personality as it relates to changes in dieting (or changing any habit).

Your mind has two parts and, according to Ms.Beck, there is the logical, intelligent part and the emotional, "animal" part. The analogy she uses for the emotional brain is your "horse brain", probably since she has experiences with horses and it worked well with her "horse whisperer" story.

My Little [scared] Pony...

In short, your animal brain will react to a reduction in food with fear and drive actions that the logical brain knows are not in the best interests of your body. The key is to make friends with your animal brain and recognize which part of your brain is driving your actions ... especially your eating habits.

Did I win on Day 4?

Day 4 and 5 were definitely "horse brain" days. I have been eating pretty good the past few days and was wondering when I would develop cravings for old familar foods. The answer... NOW!

The good news is that I recognized them for what they were... my Horse-brain. I was also prepared with plenty of salad fixin's and fruit. I also had some fresh summer corn and watermelon... very good stuff (even though I probably used a little more butter on the corn than I should have). I also picked up some rolled oats (oatmeal)... to keep my horse-brain happy. Day 4 was in the books and a success !

On Day 5, I had a strong desire for something cooked for some reason. I ended up eating a small casserole that my Mom had made for me and put in the freezer the last time she visited. It was a type of lasagna (with a little meat and plenty of cheese)... which I justified with the fact that calorie-wise I was still in good shape. Dessert was a large plate of watermelon (mmm... delicious).

Diet Confusion...

Around this time, I realized that I need to learn to prepare more healthy alternatives so that my "palette of choices" provides the variety and satisfaction that I need to make these changes successful in the long run.

Next step...

I have begun to investigate "vegan" recipes (since that is what a diet of primarily fruits & vegetables is called) and will post the results of my experiments. I am also finding that much of the "vegan" information on the web is mixed with a heavy amount of political, ethical and even religious overtones. I just want to eat healthy.

Disclaimer du Jour...

I don't have anything against beef or the industrial food complex ... except that their business model is flawed. Eventually everyone will come around to the fact that we need to eat primarily vegetables & fruits.

This means that there will be less demand for meat and other "lazy nutrition" (e.g. over processed, usually with high fructose corn syrup, but well packaged for ease of consumption). Healthy eating may not become mainstream in my generation (late baby boomer)... although it might as we begin to age and look for new ways to stay healthy.

Food Goal for August...

My near-term goal is to make sure I have a number of foods available that I enjoy eating and which are healthy for me. No more McDonald's Big Mac's, Quarter Pounders or French Fries... sell your stock in McDonald's if you have it !

Do you have any great, tasty, easy-to-make vegan recipes?

Please leave a comment below.

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

What activities are YOU doing today?

2009-08-05T09:07:00.007-04:00

I found a very interesting graph of How Americans spend their time from the New York Times (via Neatorama blog) and it got me thinking....

"What activities am I doing today?

... and, more importantly, are they moving me towards my goals?"

The graph from the NYTimes.com seems to be a good starting point... but what if it was divided a little differently?

Perhaps into the following categories...

Required activities - cannot be delegated and must be done as part of life
Delegate-able - someone else could do these tasks, perhaps more efficiently
Productive / Advancement - tasks that move you towards your goals / output
Reduce-able - activities that may be done more efficiently or eliminated
Aspiration - activities of the "leisure class"
Sleeping - required... but not often examined as a change-able activity.

Here is what the graph would look like...

(Click on the graph to the right to see it full size)

Unfortunately, without access to the raw numbers from NYTimes.com, I was not able to group the color coded activities. Even so, you are able to see that there are plenty of activities in the Delegate-able and Reduce-able categories !

Another nice feature of the graph from the NYTimes.com is the fact that you can look at different variations of the graph .... unemployed, employed, by age group, by race, by education level... which is mildly interesting except that we need to remember that the study is based on a (presumably) large number of people and "your results will vary".

In fact, I hope my results vary since I aim to be one of the top 1% of the country which earns a million dollars per year. Does the graph have any answers that will help me move in that direction? I think so. Here are some ideas / recommendations that I came up with ... primarily for myself ... but you are happy to see if they make sense to you too.

Recommendation # 1 - Reduce or eliminate television viewing.

This is going to be a hard one for me... but there is no way around it. TV takes time away from my life and very rarely do I get something of value in return. Usually I turn off my brain when I turn on the television. I have to ask myself, "What side of the looking glass do I want to be on?" The side where things are happening or the side where the zombies sit.

Recommendation # 2 - Delegation is critical.

If I am going to become a millionaire, I will need to be doing "millionaire activities". If I plan on earning a million dollars per year, that works out to $500 per hour (assuming 40 hours per week over 50 weeks per year). While I should not spend money without getting a good value... I need to keep focused on activities that will yield the highest payback and delegate all other tasks to someone else.

The added bonus of this is that often the people who you delegate to are even better at the task than you are. For example, if I hired someone to landscape my yard who does it every day they would probably have better tools and be more organized to accomplish the tasks in a much short time. Even when their profit margin is figured in, it still is worthwhile for me to have them do it.

Quick note about the Scarcity vs. Abundance mentality... There are people out there who would argue that they can save a few dollars by doing things themselves. It took me a while to learn that there is no way you are going to save your way to a million dollars ... unless you already have $2 million dollars. I've seen too many people (and businesses) fall into the trap of trying to preserve the few dollars they have instead of reaching and stretching their capabilities to bring in many more dollars. The money is out there... you just need to figure out how it gets into your account. I recognize that it is not easy to let go and learn how to think & act like a millionaire... but I am committed to doing it. Otherwise, what do you have to look forward to?

Recommendation # 3 - Health is non-negotiable.

I have to take care of my own health. No one else can do that for me ... which means that I need to be more involved in what I eat to make sure it is the right stuff. Right now I am learning about vegetables and finding healthy recipes that I can quickly prepare for myself. Eventually, once I am more knowledgeable and making more money, I may be able to hire someone to cook for me. Until then, it is up to me... and I am OK with that !

I also need to exercise on a regular basis. You will see that I listed "Sports" as a "Required" activity on the revised graph. This means that not all exercise has to be boring. I like basketball and by getting into shape, I will be able to join a local "over 40" basketball league. I would really enjoy that and would get the added boost of physical activity !

Final thoughts...

I'm sure there are plenty more ideas that could come out of a graph of your daily activities ... including the possibility of an additional 5 hours per day through conversion to a polyphasic sleep pattern, but I will save that for another discussion.

What ideas do you have to improve your productivity and start "thinking like a millionaire"?

My Goal Physique...

2009-08-03T12:34:00.003-04:00

Here is how I visualize my body in 2012 when I complete an Ironman Triathlon...

There are many steps between where I am now and my mountain biking model physique... and it will happen !

The picture to the right does not show...

That the bike is a top-of-line composite (very lightweight and expensive) model and I have just won my age group in the local Xterra triathlon.

I will be selling my CCM Full suspension mountain bike on eBay very soon... to free up cash for my next million dollar idea ! No Reserve !

My trophy must have been cropped out of the picture so you could better see my ripped abs !

Photo Credit:

The picture will surely be taken by my super-model girlfriend(s) at the time.

A guy can dream, can't he?

Disclaimer:
My apologies to the magazine model whose body got used to support my face. Just know that your sacrifice was for a good cause! You are an inspiration to all of us who are battling the bulge !

In case you are interested...

Here is a video from Diet.com about the use of PhotoShop for more mainstream models...

Day 3 ... How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

2009-08-03T09:08:00.004-04:00

How many days does it take before I fall off my diet?
The answer, according to the wise Mr.Owl, is "Three".

Day 3 ...

I started off in good shape... I got in a morning run (before the rain started) and my first meal was a fruit smoothie (recipe below). So far, so good.

d.Mark Fruit Smoothie Recipe:
Two bananas
Small container of fat-free yogurt (peach flavored, I think)
Frozen Mixed Fruit (from Costco)
Fresh Blueberries (since they were available... thanks Mom! )
Orange Juice about a cup or two (halfway up after adding previous ingredients)
Water (to thin out the mixture a little bit)
Blend until not chunky.

As I write this, I realize that the yogurt has milk in it... oh well, it goes along with the rest of the story ...although I did not notice it when I made the smoothie.

I had a couple glasses of the smoothie and put the rest in the fridge for later. While I was there, I cleaned out some old food in the fridge that was well past its prime... dried out baby spinach, expired yogurt, roast beef & cheese deli slices from Mom's visit last week...

"I think I will hold onto the cold cuts... I'm not one of those militant super-strict dieters, right? Everything in moderation, right?"

Now for something completely different...

I needed to go shopping for food and I wanted to try something different to go with my salads. I searched online for a new salad dressing, found one for Ginger Dressing (more on that in a future post), made a list of ingredients and headed off to Costco for salad-making supplies.

At Costco, I knew that the dark aisles of Costco held untold dangers (to my diet) so I was prepared as I made my way into the mass of humanity. "No chicken sausage for me thanks!" "No cheesecake samples, Thanks." "What the heck is that? I don't think I'm eating whatever-that-is... even if you did heat it up !".

Beware of Trolls bearing gifts...

As I approached the back of the store to pick up my "booty", a case of water and a box of tomatoes, I spied a seemingly harmless little old lady waiting behind the tower of toilet paper... ready to pounce on my diet and kill it with free samples.

She was so sweet and nice. "It is only organic hummus on Naan bread" she said as she lightly toasted the bread to make it even more inviting. How fiendish!

It seemed healthy ... so I reached out, picked up the bread and took a bite ... but little did I know the consequences of my actions.

It was delicious. I wiped my lips, tossed the napkin into the garbage can and proceeded to pick up my case of water & tomatoes. I made my way to the checkout area (and the lines stretching to infinity ... and beyond). I waited patiently ... hmmm... perhaps hummus makes you more patient. I don't know.

The effects kick in ...

What I did know was ... the Appetizer Effect was kicking in! It had been hours since I last ate and that one little piece of hummus-covered Naan bread had shifted my stomach into overdrive. As I waited for my purchases to be scanned, my hunger grew. I finally made it through the register, packed my purchases into my Escape and headed out.

But I still needed to go to a regular grocery store for the dressing components that were not at Costco. I knew that shopping while hungry was a bad idea, I needed a plan!

The Force is Strong in This One...

That was when I did it ... I went over to the dark side... I went through the drive-through at McDonald's !

It was convenient and surprisingly, given my history of Fast-food-itis, I controlled myself pretty well. I declined the McCafe Latte from the automatic recorded greeting (don't you hate that) and ordered a side salad (Caesar dressing, one of my favorites) with a bottle of water. I pulled into the nearest parking spot and immediately scarfed down the salad.

One more stop...

I felt a little better as I made my way to the A&P grocery store. I grabbed a cart and picked up everything on my list ... peanut oil, soy sauce, radishes, ginger. As I pushed past the bakery aisle the smell of fresh baked rolls and bread drew me near.

"I guess I should get a few rolls ... I could use them for a healthy tomato & lettuce sandwich or something."

Again, as I'm in line to check out at the register, the lady ahead of me has a coupon that confuses the cashier... requiring a manager's attention (twice) and then she pays by check! I amused myself by imagining the Ponzi scheme she was using to get a free bottle of green tea extract pills. Thank goodness for the patience-inducing hummus & Naan bread I had earlier.

Finally, I got home, unpacked the groceries and then it hit... THE URGE was BACK !

Oh, The Humanity of it all...

I never stood a chance.... I grabbed the roast beef and cheese from the fridge. Scooped up the jar of mayonnaise and ripped open the bag of rolls. The smell of the whole-wheat bread was scintillating as I cut the roll in two and placed it in the toaster oven. I remembered that I had purchased tomatoes so I grabbed a small one and sliced it as the roll was toasting. Finally, the roll emerged from the oven ... crispy and warm ... to receive a layer of mayonnaise, a heaping portion of roast beef and cheese and, yes, even some healthy tomato slices.

A single sandwich might have been enough... but it was so good that I ended up making TWO !

The diet was BLOWN...

... or was it?

The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow ...

There is always tomorrow ....

And I now have healthy salad fixings to last at least a couple more days...

And the makings for an interesting ginger dressing to try...

So, I guess I'm doing OK... and, if I look on the positive side, there isn't anymore roast beef and cheese slices in my house !

Tomorrow is a brighter day !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Readers...

Have you been tempted with food? What is your weakness and how are you going to overcome it? Share a comment below !

Eat Your Salad...Art & Recipes

2009-08-02T14:49:00.009-04:00

It has only been a few days and already it seems like this is turning into "The Salad Blog".

Of course there are already "Salad Blogs"... like this one... Chicago Salad Daze (which even has ratings for salads).

Here is the recipe for Ginger Dressing similar to the great dressing served at Benihana Japanese restaurants. (I found it here)

Benihana Ginger Dressing

1/2 cup minced Onion

1/2 cup Peanut Oil
1/3 cup Rice Vinegar
2 tablespoons Water
2 tablespoons minced Fresh Ginger
2 tablespoons minced Celery
2 tablespoons Ketchup
4 teaspoons Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon minced Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

Art: "Eat Your Salad" by Wheels

First featured at Write On! the blog for NoteWordy.com (another one of my websites ... that we all hope will add to my millionaire aspirations!)

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

The Incredible Shrinking Millionaire

Do you have any incredible salad or salad dressing recipes?

Leave them in the comments below !

A little history...

2009-08-02T09:58:00.010-04:00

When I look back on my personal history, I was in the best shape of my life when I went back to graduate school at the University of Connecticut - Storrs.

(The picture to the right is from when I was in one of my friend's wedding.)

It is hard to believe that it was 1993... 16 years ago... Wow, has it been that long?

How did I get here...

You may be wondering how I went from the person in the picture (graduate school 1993) to my current [large] size. In a few words... life, love, divorce and procrastination.

In multiple sentences... The hole I dug for myself after graduate school (currently overweight and under-wealth) was merely a symptom of everything else in my life. I settled for and stayed in a job that had lost its challenge and had no room for advancement or growth. I knew I should leave but could not bring myself to do it.

I also failed to rise to the challenges of my marriage and, in many ways, I gave up. From 2003-2009 I must have gained at least 50 lbs. (probably closer to 60-70) due to bad habits that I developed. I blamed it on many things but the bottom line was that I was no closer to my dream of owning my own successful business than I had been back when I got out of graduate school.

Let's get right to the excuses...

First, when I initially got married in Sept.2003, I was commuting about an hour each way to work (2003-07), working long hours and exercising less and less. Somewhere along the line, I stopped running in races on the weekends ... probably because I was so out of shape... or maybe because I felt that I did not have enough "extra money" to pay the entry fees. Triathlons were even more expensive and had stopped long ago. I was on the downward spiral to couch potatoe* !

*In case you are wondering... I checked the spelling with Dan Quayle.

Marriage / Food connection ...

Even before I got married, my [then future] wife and I shared a similar diet. When we met, we were both on a version of the Atkins Diet (which included "pizza top"... an incredible delicacy if you have not tried it).

Life, back then, was good ... and I still consider my wedding day the best day of my life (so far) since I was marrying someone I respected and loved. After we got married, we tried the South Beach Diet (which is similar to Atkins... but slightly different) and we both lost weight. I felt pretty good and I think this was about the time I did my last triathlon.

Months later, my wife decided that she would join Weight Watchers so that she could really enjoy the Thanksgiving feast in a couple months. Having been through Weight Watchers years ago (without success), I explained to my wife that I did not feel comfortable with the environment there. It seems geared more toward women... so I decided to "do my own thing".

In hindsight, this might have been one of those "forks in the road"...

Yes, I've been Forked ....

My wife lost weight, started running on the weekends at her health club and I did "none of the above". Picture a tub full of water ... and the plug is pulled from the drain... that's how it felt as I slowly spiraled down.... becoming less motivated to workout.

I don't want to skim over the challenges in my marriage... suffice it to say, "things got worse" and in 2007 we separated and sold our beautiful 5BR house in Rowayton, CT. I moved all my stuff into storage, lived in a motel for a month or two and eventually purchased a house in need of work (my specialty). In January 2008, the divorce paperwork was finalized.

Swirling.... Swirling .... Swirling...

... did I mention that I eventually got a big screen TV and HD cable service for my new house? The couch potatoe was starting to grow sprouts in all directions.

Shouldn't the good stuff be starting now?

Since I was on my own, I figured I would bounce back and get everything in order. I would get a dog, start the business of my dreams (while working full time at "the job") and begin running / swimming / biking to get back in shape.... (who needs to worry about dieting, right?)

The house got fixed up (enough so it was livable) but I was still not .... really living.

It took another event to finally kick me out of my rut and into a new life...

Stay tuned to this blog to learn about "The Job" and "The Driveway"!

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

(comments welcome... even from an ex-wife.)

Day 2 ... Salads, Salads, everywhere

2009-08-02T08:21:00.000-04:00

Quote from Angela Stokes-Monarch's blog...

“It is a mistake for anyone to think he has lived too long in his old, unsatisfactory ways to make the great change. If you switch on the light in a dark room, it makes no difference how long it was dark because the light will still shine. Be teachable. That is the whole secret.”
~ Vernon Howard

Angela is the author of the book, "Raw Emotions", which, I am told, is about her incredible weight loss and the path that she followed to becoming a raw foodist. (She only eats raw foods now.)

Day 2 ... Rise and Shine

The sun came out and the birds were celebrating. My new ritual of rising at 5:30-6:00am continued and I was able to turn on my creativity quickly. I've found that if I 1) get my feet on the floor, 2) take care of bodily functions and, most importantly, 3) move to a room other than my bedroom, e.g. office or kitchen, the sleep tends to fade from my brain. I'm sure there will be days in the future when this simple method won't be 100% effective due to late nights or other indulgences... it's working now and that's all that counts !

Is it over yet?

As anyone who has tried to change a habit or start a new diet knows, the first few days are the hardest ... and Day 2 was no exception ... sort of. My "run" was about 1 mile and is in quotation marks because I am still walking at least a third of the way. To my credit... there are some steep hills (on about a third of the route).

Work it out...

I felt good after running and before taking a shower, I decided to work on my deck a little. I had started to power-wash it a few days ago and figured I was already sweaty and needed a shower so a little labor could not hurt. I set up the equipment, turned on the water and proceeded to enjoy the mindless activity of slowly, inch by inch, spraying the grime off the deck.

Sort of like a form of meditation .... OMMMMM... got to get that spot.... OMMMMM... don't forget the green stuff on the railing.... OMMMMM... I wonder if I could sleep standing up?

With about 3/4 of the deck done, I decided to call it quits for the day, removed my soaking wet socks and took a shower to remove all the splattered grime that I had accumulated. After a refreshing shower.... it hit.

The URGE...

My body demanded .... something. "A pizza would be ideal." "We would settle for fast food if you don't have much time." "That commercial on TV looked delicio.us don't you think?"

I countered with a salad of chopped lettuce (two types), radishes, cucumbers with d.Mark dressing.

Recipe for d.Mark dressing...
Olive oil (lightly drizzled)
Rice vinegar (other vinegars possible... e.g. malt, balsamic,apple)
Fresh ground pepper
Sea Salt
Fresh shaved parmesan cheese
All ingredients added "to taste" (go light on the vinegar the first time)

The bowl of salad was surprisingly filling and it allowed me to work for 3-4 hours on my "millionaire status". While I'm waiting for my real estate business to ramp up, I'm creating a product for my consulting / speaking business... Value Discovery Cards ! (look for them later this year on www.TheWorldsMostCreativePerson.com)

Revenge of the URGE ....

The real challenge came at dinner time. The urges were stronger (from my stomach... I know what you were thinking... keep your mind out of the gutter).

I had let myself get really hungry ... which I've learned is when I usually make my poorest food choices. Thoughts of pizza and McDonalds crossed my mind ... and echoed in the cavern of my stomach.

Escape... Save Yourself... It is on the loose...

I decided to get out of the house and go to Chili's Restaurant for some of their chips & salsa along with a simple salad. I am a bit of "salsa conessoir" and I've found that Chili's is one of the better ones offered by a chain restaurant. The meal was a good choice ... I felt full and enjoyed being out "in public". I guess I needed a change of scenery after staring at my computer and dancing with the powerwasher all day.

Overall... there were a few challenges today ... and* I am one step closer to a health lifestyle.

How are you doing?

(comments welcome)

* I'm also following Marshall Sylver's advice to remove "wimpy" words like "but" and "try" from my vocabulary and replace them with "and" or "will". The words we use influence the programming in our heads so I need to be more conscious of which words I'm using.... look for more about this in a future post.

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

Day 1 ... a Good (rainy) Day

2009-08-01T12:59:00.000-04:00

Day 1 started in China...

Have you ever heard of a book called "The China Study"? I have started to listen to it on CD and it has some really interesting information. (I've had it on my iPod for quite a while now but the title didn't sound very inviting.)

The China Study results show (in a nutshell ... no pun intended) how animal products in our diet (meat, eggs, milk, etc.) contribute to cancer as well as a bunch of other "degenerative diseases" such as prostrate problems, heart disease, and more. It is pretty amazing information and I'm definitely not giving you the same impact that the book does... perhaps I will expand on the China Study in another blog entry... and it got me thinking.

The Salad Revelation...

The last time I was in OUTSTANDING shape was back in graduate school. Back then, I was working out at least once (often twice or even three times) per day, and more imporantly, I ate a salad for lunch every day and as many dinners as possible. Now, I have quite a way to go... but it still sounds like a good plan.

So today I got up at 5:30am (another new habit I'm developing), drank a bottle or two of water, worked on my computer a while (since it was raining at the time) and went running when the rain slowed down. When I got back, I drank more water and had a large (primarily veggie) salad* for lunch. It was so nice that I took a picture of it.

What's for Dinner?

For dinner, I would ordinarily eat something pretty unhealthy... pizza being my drug of choice. Tonight, though, I had 3/4 of a watermelon. I was very surprised by how filling and tasty it was.

That, plus some more water, was it for the day !

I went to bed early (10am... another habit I'm building) and avoided sitting mindlessly in front of the television for hours on end.

Day 1 is "in the books" !

d.Mark "Dave" Wheeler

*If you are interested in the recipe for the salad (it took less than 10 minutes to make)... leave a comment and let me know.

Why "Incredible Shrinking Millionaire"?

2009-08-01T11:18:00.002-04:00

I know it sounds like a weird title for a blog ....

and it does not have to do with the state of the economy and shrinking wealth...

and it certainly does not have to do with any Sienfeld-esque shrinkage...

What does it mean?

Let me start with the "millionaire" part first. I am not yet a millionaire (and I don't even play one on TV). I picked up the "title", if you will, last month when I attended two Marshall Sylver seminars, Turning Point* and Total Prosperity, where he talked about the millionaire mindset and how to "think like a millionaire".

I highly recommend the Turning Point seminar and I can get you highly discounted tickets. If you are interested, email me at theshot92 [at] gmail.com for more info.

At one of the seminars, Marshall, with a smile on his face, said that he is a "multi-billionaire"... but "the money has not yet been deposited into his account." In other words, he is training his brain to think like a billionaire (he is already a millionaire) by working on the assumption that he already is one ! To me, that seems like a great approach ... and that is why the title of this blog includes "millionaire".

Please do not forward me emails explaining that [my money] is in a Nigerian account and I am the sole heir. I prefer to take the John Houseman approach and "earrrrrn it".

I should also add that my definition of a millionaire was also upgraded at Marshall's seminars. I now consider a millionaire someone who is "joyfully earning at least one million dollars per year". Besides, a million dollars in the bank is not what it used to be !

Where does the Shrinking come in?

The shrinking relates to my body. NO, not that part. I told you... no "Sienfeld shrinkage".

It relates to my overall body and my weight loss goals. Right now I weigh more than I have ever weighed in the past (and that is saying something). I am too embarrassed to say what my scale reads right now... maybe I will reveal the starting weight once I lose a few inches.

Wonder what my body looks like now?

Do you have a strong stomach? Luckily, thanks to our friends at Lands End, their "Virtual Model" program has created a much more palatable image of what I might look like in "tighty whities". (You could not handle "commando mode"... get your mind out of the gutter.)

You should REALLY thank Lands End for providing this software ... you don't want to see my hairy body in an actual photograph !

I will be posting some pictures soon with my goal weight / physique.

What about the "Incredible" part of the title?
This is the most important part of this blog. Life is made to be incredible. If your life is not incredible, you are asleep and need to wake up. Don't worry... I've been there and this blog will be part of my process of "waking up" to all that life has to offer.

As I decided in January of this year, my goal for 2009 is to "Get my mojo back!" ... and the Incredible Shrinking Millionaire is part of that plan !

Leave a comment and tell me what you think !

(Encouragement appreciated)