Archive for the 'I-Force' Category

Steve Pavlina has issued a 30 day challenge on his blog. He is asking his readers to commit to doing a new task for 30 days. I’ve taken up the challenge by promising to post an entry on this blog for a continuous 30 days. I’m on day 5 now and I have some suggestions for those who would like to take up the challenge.

1. Make a game out of it. Set the rules, choose your teammates and set a schedule. Make sure you have some competition. I am really driven by competition and coaching. In the real world of sports it would be almost unthinkable to miss a game as a player. Treat your game the same way. Today is the only time you can do it.

2. Get a picture of what it will be like at the end of the finish line. Take the Body for Life program as an example. They have many before and after pictures of real people who have had success on the weight training program. They have you take a picture of yourself on day one and at certain milestones along the way. If you can see it you can do it.

3. Use the I-Force. Inspiration thru Information, Innovation & Imagination.

1. Get more information on what you are trying to accomplish.
2. Innovate by trying a new twist on your project
3. Use your imagination. Invent new ways of doing things
.
I find these 3 things help me keep going when things get tough.

Small goals do pay off in time. I set a goal over 4 years ago to reach the level of DTM in Toastmasters. This stands for Distinguished Toastmaster and is the highest level you can achieve in the organization. There were many times I wanted to quit. Some of the leadership positions were very demanding. This level required over 45 speeches and 2 years in a leadership position.

It was really exciting to turn in the final paperwork today and finally become a DTM.

Thank you to all of you who have helped me along the way. Your encouragement and coaching have been invaluable.

Everybody loves to “hate” McDonalds. My post yesterday about my favorite fare at the Golden Arches incited many interesting comments. Some of my co-workers could not believe I would eat there. “How could you?”, was mentioned more than once. Well in the spirit of self improvement, I would like to take on the exercise of “Building a Better Biscuit”.

I decided to put my favorite Sausage Biscuit through the I-Force. The I-Force is Information, Innovation, and Imagination. Let’s take a look.

Information:

1. Currently the Biscuit has 410 calories, 26 grams of fat, 34 grams of Carbs and 10 grams of Protein. It only has one lowly gram of fiber.

2. Analyzing the situation we see that it has too much fat and not enough fiber. We might want to increase the protein a little and make sure our carbs are low glycemic.

3. We want our finished product to taste better than the original.

Innovation:

1. Lets replace the pork sausage patty with a low fat turkey patty. Savings 20 grams of fat.

2. Lets replace the white flour hi glycemic biscuit mix with a whole wheat one. Lets add some oat bran (soluble fiber) and a little physillium (insoluble fiber) and a little protein powder to our recipe mix. Results: much lower glycemic index and more satisfying (fiber).

3. Lets add a slice of low fat cheese for added flavor. More protein and a little added fat.

Imagination:

1. We look at the results. The Biscuit now comes in at a respectable 350 calories, is 25% larger, and has only 8 grams of fat. With 8 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein, the breakfast treat will keep us satisfied all morning.

2. With the added slice of low fat cheddar cheese the new creation has a much better taste and we don’t need any added salt to raise the sodium level. Bottom line: It tastes great!

3. The biscuit can be built at home for less that 75 cents. With a little more imagination you can see how a healthy fast food chain could be built around the idea of a better biscuit! Yes… a McHealthy Treat. Substitute a veggie patty and even Steve Pavlina might eat one.

Conclusion:

While this new biscuit won’t make everyone happy, it is a great improvement over the current one. It would even work on Bert Webb’s low fat diet. Add a rich robust coffee and you have a wonderful breakfast!

There has been a lot of chatter around the net lately on new diet plans. There is the venerable low carb craze, the ongoing high carb, low fat plan and all sorts of specialty diets. The one thing that they all have in common is an enemy. Something that is bad for you, that you must restrict at all costs. Be it carbs, fat, animal protein or a combination of things, there is always an enemy.

I’ve tried most of these diets in one form or the other. I usually have some success and then fall off the wagon and gain all the weight back and more. What I have found that works the best for me is a holistic approach which includes diet, aerobics and weight training.

In all of the diets I have worked with the ultimate enemy is simple. It is the lowly McDonalds Sausage Biscuit. This little puck of carbs and fat is hated by every diet technician I have ever met. Coming in at a whopping 26 grams of fat this little jewel would blow the lid off of the fat & fiber diet of Bert Webb. With over 34 grams of carbs, Dr Atkins would roll over in his grave. And Steve Pavlina would chuck this puck as it has 10 grams of animal protein and would not fit in his vegan lifestyle. Even weight-watchers would frown on the 410 calories. Everyone hates the biscuit!

I say enough of this hatred! I love the sausage biscuit! This is my favorite food of all. I never tire of its fluffy goodness. The deliciously seasoned sausage patty melts in your mouth. This little jewel is fun to eat and with all 26 grams of satisfying fat it stays with you till lunch time.

And that’s not all. At the cost of one dollar the calories come cheap. But it is really the sausage biscuit experience that keeps me coming back. Yes it is an experience! I pull up to McDonalds in my car on the way to work. I enter the restaurant and Doloris waves from the counter “Good morning, John”.

I reply back, “Good Morning, Doloris, I’ll have my usual”. She types in a Sausage biscuit and small coffee into the key pad, smiles and replies “How’s it going today?”

“Fine”, I respond.

Soon the biscuit is in the bag, my gourmet coffee is in hand and I’m on my way to work.
As I walk out the door, Doloris yells “Have a great day”.

This is the sausage biscuit experience. Tasty food, friendly people, great experience! What a way to start the day. All for around 2 bucks!

And you know what… my dad who is 93 years old has done this same thing for over 15 years.

Success begins with a biscuit…

Well I dove in and took up the 30 day challenge put forth over on Steve Pavlina’s Blog. For the next 30 days I will post a daily message to this site. They may not be fancy but hopefully timely and of some interest to you. This is a big step for me.

I think the idea of a challenge or a game is a good one. It helps you stay focused on a goal. I am a big fan of setting up a personal “game” plan. You setup the rules, season length, players and other things you would have in a real game. It really helps to have “team” members and also some competitors.

Sarano Kelley has written a great book on the subject. It’s called “The Game, win your life in 90 days”. I find the concept of the “game” is easy to visualize. I can see myself in a baseball game. I’m at bat and the problems are being pitched at me. If I miss, the problems will strike me out. If I hit the problem head on, I’m quickly on base or maybe even coming home with a home run.

Are you up for the challenge? Go for it!

I have read many motivational authors lately and they all have techniques for helping you do things you don’t want to do. They have systems for helping with procrastination, organization, diet motivation and even slackerization. I have found most of these to be very helpful.

But what about helping you develop things that you want to do. Things that excite and motivate you. Is there something that can help you cultivate excitement and creativity?

I think so…

There are three things that may inspire you.

I call them the I-Force.

1. Inspiration thru Information

a. The what, where, why, and how

2. Inspiration thru Innovation

a. Can an existing thing be made bigger, better, faster etc.

3. Inspiration thru Imagination

a. Can you imagine the possibilities?

Over the next few weeks I’d like to explore these three areas.

I would like your feedback, experiences, and knowledge as it relates to all three.

May the force be with you…

As a pretty recent convert to blogging, I have found some really helpful sites in the area of productivity and motivation. Most of the posts have helpful tips on getting yourself to do things faster, better, or even learning the skill of delegating things to others. One of the most prevalent posts is overcoming procrastination. How to get yourself to do things you don’t want to do? How do you motivate yourself to get up in the morning?

The answers have been pretty interesting.

Bert on his Open Loops blog recently posted two articles entitled “Start your day the night before” and “Six ways to jumpstart your day”. These articles have some great tips to motivate you to get out of bed in the morning and be more productive when you do.

Steve Pavlina’s blog has many entries on productivity. One of his most eye opening posts was “How to triple your productivity”. This is definitely a must read for everyone in the working world. I was amazed when I measured my productivity. It was down in the 20-30% range. While this was much higher that the national average of 18% it still was not very good. I’ve been noting the inefficiencies and working to correct them.

Brendon Connelly on his “Slacker Manager” blog had some great tips on shining your shoes. This is definitely one of those things that gets put off. I only notice it when others are staring at my scuffed up shoes. I spent 5 minutes following his tips the other day and now have a pair of shoes I can be proud of.

Jason Womack had an interesting paradoxical quote on his site. “It’s going to take time to save time”. I agree. I’ve been implementing David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” organizational procedures in my life and I can really relate that it’s not an overnight proposition.

All of these sites have been very helpful in dealing with the stuff in our lives. How we can organize, streamline and delegate things to make our live more productive. While these are great things, most are external. Most of them make the day easier and more organized.

But not one of them makes me want to jump out of bed and start the day

That is where the I-Force comes in.

I-Force is what you had when you were a kid on Christmas Eve and you can’t sleep.

I-Force is what you have the night before going to Disneyland.

I-Force is the excitement that makes you want to jump out of bed and start the day!

Stay tuned… the force will be with you… soon…