Pursuing A Balanced Life » Family

My Decision Regarding Equipment Sales – Podcast Episode 457

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:45:45 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
My Decision Regarding Equipment Sales

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

It’s been several days since I shared David’s three words of advice. I’ve received a great deal of advice from close friends. In this episode, I share what I’ve decided as it relates to my future in equipment sales.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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Three Words That Will Change My Life? – Podcast Episode 456

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:54:43 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Three Words That Will Change My Life?

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

I started recording this episode a little after 2 o’clock in the morning. I had received some audio feedback from a client, and good friend, named David Doucette. His audio feedback was 16 minutes and 3 seconds in length. Near the beginning of his message, he mentioned that he had three words to share with me that had the potential to change my life in a positive way. Ever since I listened to that message with those three words, I’ve not been able to stop thinking about it what it would mean to me if I were to follow through with the advice provided in those three words.

This is one of those episodes that I will be pointing people to for quite some time! I hope that this will encourage and inspire you to evaluate what you are doing with your time and to make changes so that you are being efficient with the resources that God has given to you.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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More Self Discipline Needed – Podcast Episode 455

Cliff Ravenscraft — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:39:07 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
More Self Discipline Needed

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In this episode, I share some thoughts about how things have got so busy that I put off the important things. How I struggle with responding to items that come in now over top of items that have been waiting to be completed for a few days. I also talk about the pressures of how even when I’m putting new work flows in place, it seems that the amount of additional work that comes in continues to grow at an even faster pace.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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A Video That Makes You Think!

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:36:27 +0000

Please check out this amazing video:

Makes you think doesn’t it?

Is It All About The Money? – Podcast Episode 452

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:04:58 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Is It All About The Money?

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

In this episode, I share where I’ve been recently, why there hasn’t been any consistent updates released for this podcast.

I also share a frustrating story of a person who accused me by saying that I’m only interested in helping people who are willing to pay me money for my time. This is SO NOT TRUE! Also, I share audio feedback from Maggie, Erik, Brent, Richi, Frank, Mary, and Fred.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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Dreams Can Come True – Podcast Episode 450

Cliff Ravenscraft — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 02:58:56 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Dreams Can Come True

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In this episode, I finally get around to recording the long awaited story explaining the details behind a status update that I had put up on Twitter and Facebook a few weeks back. In that update, I had explained that a major dream had just come true for me. I hope that this story inspires you to dream big dreams for yourself and to share those dreams with as many people as will listen!

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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My Mom And Dad When I Was Four!

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:35:04 +0000

A few months back, my mom entered the social networking world via Facebook.

This morning I took at look at my news feed to see a strangely familiar photo as my mom’s profile picture. This photo was taken 32 years ago, when I was four years old. The strange thing is…. I remember everything about this day! How crazy is that? Funny how a photo can just take you back to earlier times.

The craziest thing about this? MY MOM SCANNED THIS PHOTO AND UPLOADED IT TO FACEBOOK!

SERIOUSLY?

I Struggle Too – Podcast Episode 449

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:34:34 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
I Struggle Too

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In this episode, I share that I don’t always have it all together. Recently I’ve come across someone who has recently found who about who I am wand what I’ve done by following my passion. Several times this person indicated that I seemed to be someone who could do no wrong. I told him that that I have certainly learned a great deal along this journey that I’ve been on. However, as this episode clearly indicates, I struggle just like anyone else.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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My VA Journey Part 01 – Podcast Episode 446

Cliff Ravenscraft — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:03:05 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
My VA Journey Part 01

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In this episode, I share the first episode of a new series of episodes related hiring a Virtual Assistant. I’ll be documenting my progress as I learn to let go of control and allow others to help me do the things they can do for me while allowing me to focus my attention on what I do best.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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Most UnBalanced Week Ever – Or Was It? – Podcast Episode 445

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:12:06 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Most UnBalanced Week Ever – Or Was It?

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

In this episode, I share some thoughts after experiencing my the busiest weeks I’ve had in 2009. It’s tempting to think that last week was the first

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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Why I Gained And What I Am Going To Do About It – Podcast Episode 442

Cliff Ravenscraft — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:48:59 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Why I Gained And What I Am Going To Do About It

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

In this episode, I share why there was no episode of this podcast last week. I also share what the scale revealed this week and last week. I explain why I gained weight for the first time since May 1st of this year and what I am going to do about it. I also share a few other things, including information about a one day trip to Kansas City and back.

Even if you never watch the Biggest Loser TV Show, I would strongly encourage you to check out this podcast. I’m actually partnering with my great friend, Father Roderick Vonhogen, a Catholic priest from the Netherlands. We use the tv show as a platform for launching conversations related to how to live a more healthy lifestyle.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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Is That Really Me?

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:44:27 +0000

Every now and then, I get a notification that someone has tagged me in a photo on facebook. The image shown in in this post was taken by my friend, Ann Lightfoot, at a recent New Media Cincinnati Meetup.

When I got the email notice, I figured I’d check it out. When the picture pulled up in my browser, I noticed that Ann had written something in the description of the photo that said… “Cliff has been very inspiring this year!”

I took a look at the photo and could hardly recognize the man in the picture. But it is me! I mean it IS me!!! I’ve changed so much since May 1st of this year. Of course I’m posting this after one of the most horrible weeks since May 1st. In fact, this is the first week where I’ve actually gained weight. (I gained 1 pound this week).

But it’s photos like this that just speak volumes to me about who I am today and how far I’ve come in my pursuit of a more balanced life. It was just about a year or so ago that I was tagged in this photo from Podcamp NYC.

It was photos like this that communicated a lot about who I was then. I didn’t like what my physical appearance said about who I was. As a husband and father, those older photos communicated that I had not made my wife and children a priority in my life because I obviously wasn’t taking care of myself so that I could live a longer life so that I would be able to provide for their needs for a much longer period of time.

Back in those days, I literally looked like I could suffer from a heart attack at any given moment. And for the past ten to 15 years of my life, these are the only types of photos I’ve ever seen of myself.

However, things have changed. Today, I see someone take a photo of me and I’m somewhat eager to see how it turns out. I mean I still have quite a ways to go to get to a place where I’m physically fit. But I’m on that journey and I’m thankful for the photos that show my progress along the way.

Managing My Relationships With HighRise – Podcast Episode 441

Cliff Ravenscraft — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:17:27 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Managing My Relationships With HighRise – Podcast Episode 441

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In this episode, I simply share what I’m most passionate about this week. I’ve found a software solution that has radically changed my life. If you a small to medium sized business owner or if you are managing relationships with hundreds or thousands of people, you have to check out HighRise. If you do decide to check it out, please use the http://gspn.tv/highrise link. If you sign up using that link, I earn a commission. I’d never recommend a product or service based up on that alone. Trust me when I say that this software product is going to cause me to earn a GREAT DEAL more money. More important than that is that it is going to help me form stronger relationships with everyone I know.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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Living Simple – More Is Not Always Better

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:08:40 +0000

I found a YouTube embedded on another blog recently. I found the video to be quite inspirational. I’m not looking to move into a smaller home like this. However, it really does help to keep things in perspective when considering the space that we currently have available to our family.

It makes me think about how much do I really need? I think about how he said that people live in 4000 square foot debtors prisons. I love the part where he says that if I want to throw a party for forty people, I can just take the money that I save in mortgage payments and rent a hotel room to throw the party.

Again, for me, it’s not that I’m looking to go to any sort of extreme here, but I do value to thoughts of simple living that flow through my mind after viewing.

Have a look at the video and let me know what your thoughts are in the comment section:

PABL Challenge Started This Week – Podcast Episode 439

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:24:42 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
PABL Challenge Started This Week – Podcast Episode 439

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The 16 week PABL Challenge on November 1st! For more information, visit the blog entry at http://gspn.tv/pablchallenge.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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Longest Run Yet – Podcast Episode 438

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:31:04 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Longest Run Yet – Podcast Episode 438

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

In this episode, share a very exciting breakthrough in my health and fitness routine.

I also shared a great website that I found for calculating how many calories you should eat in order to loose weight. The calculator can be found at http://gspn.tv/howmanycalories. Reminder: Never eat less than 1200 calories per day!

Also, I announced that we will be launching the 16 week PABL Challenge on November 1st! For more information, visit the blog entry at http://gspn.tv/pablchallenge.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Subscribe To Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast – Free Feed:

gspn.tv Plus Members Get Every Episode Using The Plus Feed Generator.

gspn.tv PABL Challenge Starts November 1st

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:34:53 +0000

Are you looking for way to start getting healthy or a fun way to continue your journey? gpsn.tv’s PABL Challenge is just what you need during these winter months.

gspn.tv’s PABL Challenge is a 16 week heath/fitness challenge for gspn.tv community members. Any and all are welcome. Inspired by the physical activity and nutritional changes in Cliff’s life, this challenge focuses on health and fitness, not weight loss; Pursuing a Balanced Life. Each player sets their own goals, monitors their progress and shares the success (and struggles) with the community.

The “Challenge” format – Points are earned in three categories on a weekly basis. Each week participants will post their weekly results to the gspn.tv’s PABL Challenge section of the Community Forum, points will be tallied and shared on a weekly basis. Challenge Points Leaders will be awarded at the end of each month; awarded with bragging rights! At the end of the 16 weeks Challenge Points Leaders will win a prize (to be determined, something slightly better than bragging rights!).

Point Categories

1. Intentional Physical Activity - Receive 1 point for each day that you meet your physical activity goal; a possible 7 points each week. The amount and type of exercise can be unique to each individual. Intentional Physical Activity is over and beyond your normal daily activity; enough to be considered a workout for your current physical condition.

2. Nutrition - Receive 1 point for each day that you meet your nutritional goal; a possible 7 points each week. Each individuals nutritional program and goals will be different. Any system can be used (Weight Watchers, Calorie Counting or otherwise), as long as their is a mechanism to set goals and measure them.

3. Personal Improvement - 3 points each week available for improvement in another area of your life. Each individual chooses their area of improvement, sets their goal and evaluates their progress. The personal improvement goals you set at that start will remain through the end of the challenge. Some examples of personal improvement are:

* Day of Rest – One day a week will be no work and all play.
* Personal Development – I will spend a minimum of two hours a week reading personal development material
* Unplug – I will unplug from technology every day at 7pm
* Organize – I will spend one evening a week organizing something in my life (closet, finances, todo list…)

4. Weight Loss (optional – no points) - As keeping a healthy weight is key to a balanced life, there are some community members working hard to lose weight. This optional category, for no points, will be modeled after The Biggest Loser. Each week each participant will email (for privacy) their current weight, and their % of weight loss will be posted with the Challenge Points. (Participants weights will not be posted, only the % of weight change.)

How to Participate

Its easy to get started, click here to get registered for the community forum if you are not already registered. Next, simply post a message in the PABL Challenge section of the Community Forum with your Intentional Physical Activity Goal, Nutritional Goal and Self Improvement Goal. If you are participating in the Weight Loss, email your starting weight to pablchallenge@gspn.tv. On a weekly basis, you will post your weekly results and points to the forum. A sample post will be available in the forum. You will have until Wednesday to post your results for the previous week. After all the posts are in, a summary for the week will be posted back to the forum.

Getting Started

The challenge will start on November 1st and end on February 20, 2010. If someone joins late, they will be given the lowest number of points, minus 1, for each week missed. The Challenge is closed for new comers after 10 weeks, January 9th, 2010.

If you have any questions, post them to the PABL Challenge FAQ section of the Community Forum.

Join today!

Seeking Margin – Podcast Episode 437

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:45:55 +0000

Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Episode 437 – Seeking Margin

Last week, I talked about the fact that I have exceeded the capacity of what I felt that I could do in a given work week. This week, I share some thoughts about my search for margin in my life.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Note: This is a premium Plus Member Only episode of Pursuing A Balanced Life. If you would like learn how you can get every episode of this podcast as well as all the other podcasts that I produce, please visit http://gspn.tv/plus.

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Capacity Exceeded – Podcast Episode 436

Cliff Ravenscraft — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:47:13 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Capacity Exceeded – Podcast Episode 436

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

In this episode, I hit the record button with absolutely no idea what I would share in advance. However, as is the case most of the time, I had plenty to say. I didn’t make any notes as I went along. So if you want to know what I shared in this episode, I’m afraid you’re going to have to hit the play button!

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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5 Months Later 44 Pounds Lighter – Podcast Episode 435

Cliff Ravenscraft — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:02:58 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Episode 435 – 5 Months Later 44 Pounds Lighter

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

This episode is pretty much full of all listener feedback. Special thanks to Maggie,
Mary, Andy, Jessica, Wayne, Pam, Frank, and Richi

There is plenty of encouragement and inspiration from others in the gspn.tv community who are also Pursuing A Balanced Life!

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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40 Pounds Lighter And Biggest Loser – Podcast Episode 434

Cliff Ravenscraft — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:49:50 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Episode 434 – 40 Pounds Lighter And Biggest Loser

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

In this episode, I share an audio recap of my previous week. It was another amazing week of enjoyable walks with my children. I also spend a great deal of time talking about the launch of our newest “Biggest Loser Fan Podcast.”

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Subscribe To Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast – Free Feed:

gspn.tv Plus Members Get Every Episode Using The Plus Feed Generator.

A Well Balanced Week – Podcast Episode 433

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:16:26 +0000

Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Episode 433 – A Well Balanced Week

In this episode, I share several mini recordings made throughout the week. It was fun for me to be able to go back and review the various elements of the week. It wasn’t until I listened to the various elements that I had recorded that I noticed that my life really is getting into a much greater balance.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Subscribe To Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast – Free Feed:

gspn.tv Plus Members Get Every Episode Using The Plus Feed Generator.

A Before & After 3 Months Photo!

Cliff Ravenscraft — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:04:46 +0000

I believe the photos above communicate a great deal. While the table may actually be hiding the physical results of my weight loss around my waist, I believe that this photo says more about how I felt about myself 3 months ago compared to how I feel today.

Just look at the expression on my face in each of these photos above.

You can do this! Seriously!

Click here to see a before and after photo that shows the physical changes!

Click here to find out how I lost my first 32 pounds in only twelve weeks.

Are you willing to make changes to your lifestyle? Tell me about in the comments section.

No More High Blood Pressure! – Podcast Episode 432

Cliff Ravenscraft — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 01:51:18 +0000

Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Episode 432 – No More High Blood Pressure!

In this episode, I talk about our family’s three day getaway. I also share about a recent trip I had to the doctor and what it felt like to have them tell me that my blood pressure was normal without the use of medication!

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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gspn.tv Plus Members Get Every Episode Using The Plus Feed Generator.

Thirty Eight Pounds Lost – Podcast Episode 430

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:09:21 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Episode 430 – Thirty Eight Pounds Lost

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

In this episode, I share this week’s results as I stepped back on the scale. I also share my goals for next week and how I plan to achieve those goals.

The two posts I mentioned in this episode:

The Shack Post
http://gspn.tv/theshack

PABL #425 Follow Your Passion And The Money Will Follow
http://gspn.tv/passion

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Subscribe To Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast – Free Feed:

gspn.tv Plus Members Get Every Episode Using The Plus Feed Generator.

What Defines Who I Am? Podcast Episode 429

Cliff Ravenscraft — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:29:57 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Episode 429 – What Defines Who I Am?

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

In this episode, We get some audio feedback from Mary. Also, we get a call from Frank regarding popcorn at movie theaters.

I also share a personal dream of mine to be featured on Net@Nite podcast on Twit and to meet Leo Leporte in person.

The main focus of this show is the topic of deciding what we allow to define who we are in our own minds.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Subscribe To Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast – Free Feed:

gspn.tv Plus Members Get Every Episode Using The Plus Feed Generator.

Momentum – Podcast Episode 428

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:49:50 +0000

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Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast
Episode 428 – Momentum

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

In this episode, I share some thoughts a week after setting myself a goal of completing my one hour of intentional physical activity by 7am each morning.

I share how how successful or unsuccessful I’ve been at achieving this goal. I also share why it is that I’ve set such a strict goal for myself.

Also, as it is Monday, I share my results from the scale for this week’s weigh in.

Finally, I shared a few #PABL posts found on Twitter and played some audio that was linked by JustJ3nn.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Subscribe To Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast – Free Feed:

gspn.tv Plus Members Get Every Episode Using The Plus Feed Generator.

Morning Workouts Are Much Better For Me – Podcast Episode 427

Cliff Ravenscraft — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:49:06 +0000

In this episode, I share how things have been going with my morning walks. I’ve finally got back to getting my intentional physical activity in during the morning hours. I still need to get out even earlier than what I did this past week, but it feels good to see some the consistency that goes with making the morning my workout time.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment here on the blog! Or you can call in your feedback on our Voice Mail Feedback Line at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. Also, don’t forget to add #PABL to all your tweets related to pursuing a more balanced life.

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Some Updated Photos To Demonstrate The Changes In My Body

Cliff Ravenscraft — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:24:53 +0000

I’ve been showing people my before and after photo from time to time only to realize that I have lost twenty more pounds since the June photo.

I find it almost impossible to believe that I’ve actually lost 34 pounds since May 1st, 2009. But the photos confirm this truth!

These photos serve to remind me that my three to five mile walks five days a week are really paying off in big ways. This is important to me because there are days when going out for a daily walk is not at the top of the list of things that I want to do for the day.

I’ve taken some time this evening to snap to new photos to go into the archives of my weight loss journey. This first photo is simply my updated before and after photo.

The following photo helps gives me an idea of just how big of a change has been made. When I first started out, I was on the very last notch on my belt. Not on the tight end, but on the other end of the belt. The end where I almost needed to get a “bigger” belt. The shorts that I’m wearing in these updated photos used to fit me without the need for the belt at all.

These days, I’ve gone to the opposite end of the belt. I’ve actually gone beyond the last notch in the belt in the other direction and just received a “smaller” belt as a gift from some very dear friends.

I’d just like to say that I have not been using any special “products” to lose weight. I’ve simply made a commitment to walk three to five miles a day, no less than five days week. In conjunction, I’ve also counted my calories every single day and I’ve really changed the types of foods that I eat to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish, nuts, and beans.

I’m here to say that if I can do it, you can too! Why not subscribe to the Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast and join me in this journey?

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A New Goal Added – Podcast Episode 426

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:12:37 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

In this episode, I share an update of what’s been going on this past week and how that’s affected this week’s weigh-in day. I share that I need to quit assuming that I’ll have the extra calories to eat before I actually do the physical activity to earn those extra calories. I also set a new goal to be done with my intentional physical activity before 7am each morning.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

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Follow Your Passion And The Money Will Follow – Podcast Episode 425

Cliff Ravenscraft — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:45:39 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Pursuing A Balanced Life
Follow Your Passion And The Money Will Follow

Right-Click Here To Download

In this episode I share my thoughts on the phrase, “Follow your passion and the money will follow.” This is exactly what I did just almost two years ago and I’ve certainly found the statement to be true.

I share some of the amazing things that have happened as a result of focusing on my core talents and abilities.

I also share that I don’t think going off and starting your own business is for everyone. Though, I do believe it would be a great fit for more people than actually realize it. On my journey, I’ve learned some things that I think are critical to consider when thinking about leaping out there on your own.

* Surround Yourself With Positive People
* Must have the support of your spouse
* Passion is required
* Some natural talent must exist as a foundation
* Determination – No escape clause.
* Self Discipline – Can be learned through accountability
* Faith

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Following My Passion Has Changed My Life!

Cliff Ravenscraft — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:56:53 +0000

I have to admit to you that there were times when I worried if leaving my career in insurance was a responsible decision for me and my family. I mean I had absolutely no idea how I was going to earn a living at the time (Sept – Dec 2007).

I simply knew that podcasting came along, over the course of a few months, any passion I had for my career as an insurance agent had dissipated. Dreams of podcasting full-time as a career became seeds that eventually took root and refused to stop growing in my heart.

I remember reading books that said things like “Pursue your passion and the money will follow.” I heard other folks talk about things like “meaningful work.” I remember just how hard it was to get over the idea that you had to “hate what your doing” for it to be considered “work.”

The truth was that spending 40 to 60 hours of my life, each week, devoted to nothing more than bringing home a paycheck was making me miserable. Listeners from the gspn.tv community had been urging me with thoughts that I could find some way of doing podcasting as a career, but honestly I had a hard time wrapping my mind around that. However, one day, my wife actually came to me and said, “You need to quit your job and do podcasting full-time.” This was the day my life changed forever!

There was little doubt that podcasting as a career would allow me to focus on my core talents and abilities. Not to mention fulfilling what I had come to understand as my core purposes in life.

I’ve learned that if I passionately believe in something, I can probably sell it to just about anyone. There’s no doubt that I have the heart of a teacher. I love to find creative ways to teach things that most people believe they’ll never be able to learn. In fact, my original major in college was going to lead me down the path as a teacher. In June of 1996, I felt a serious call to Christian ministry. Never a full-time pastor type of position, but instead, a life long ministry of encouraging and inspiring others. And then there’s the technology thing. I’ve always had this weird ability to do just about anything I’ve wanted to do with technology without the need to read a book, a help file, etc.

I want to share a little something with you. Yesterday, I had a consulting call that has been like so many other consulting calls.

It typically goes like this.

The client has either found me through a Google Search or they were referred to me by someone they know.

Usually the client has been desperately attempting to start a podcast for anywhere from a few weeks to as much as a few years with no luck in actually getting it off the ground.

They’ve usually already purchased AT LEAST ONE BOOK about how to podcast and have read countless numbers of online articles trying to explain concepts like RSS feeds, media file enclosures, audio mixers, mix-minus setups, audio editing software, bit rates, etc, etc, etc.

The outcome is usually the same… “Paralysis By Analysis” or “Information Overload.”

More confused after their research than before they started, they desperate seek someone who can help them finally get things off the ground as a last ditch effort to make it happen.

When they find me, I spend some time talking with them, learning a little about them, what it is that they want to accomplish, and finding out where the journey has taken them so far.

I then talk to them about designing a strategy for getting their podcast from concept to reality. When I share with them that they could be releasing their first podcast episode(s) within the next four to five days (sometimes the same day) they are often shocked and need to overcome a bit of unbelief.

I, of course, encourage them, letting them know that I have confidence that I can train them how to podcast and do it in a reasonably short amount of time. At times, I’ve said, if I can’t do it in “X” Number of hours, I’ll not charge you at all for the time spent.

It’s so rewarding when I am able to help them make the impossible, possible. To actually see them grasp the concepts that they thought would be impossible to grasp. There’s a great deal of accomplishment that I feel when I work with each client I deal with.

I honestly feel that most of my consulting calls become little confirmations, from God, about making the right decision to pursue my passion. A passion I undoubtedly believe today that was put but in me by Him.

I don’t know if this post will come off as seeming self absorbed or not. But I just received this testimonial from a client that I worked with yesterday and it literally made my week!

Click the Play Button To Listen:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Now, my work as a podcaster goes way beyond simply audio equipment sales and podcast consulting. The work that I do leading the gspn.tv community and providing the content that we produce is a whole story of it’s own with rewards that far exceed anything I’ve mentioned here. I’ve written a little about this in the past and I’m sure I’ll write a lot more in the future.

I sincerely pray that more people would be able to find such rewarding work that people appreciate. Life is too short to do otherwise.

Learning Along The Way – Podcast Epsiode 424

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:04:53 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

In this episode, share some thoughts after a few days of being out of my normal routine. I had enjoyed having our friends Anne and Valerie visit with us for a few days.

While they were here, we had an impromptu meet up to celebrate Anne and Valerie’s birthday. There was pizza, chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, and zucchini bread. So there was a LOT of empty calorie foods to be had by all. Unfortunately, I allowed myself to indulge a bit more than I would have like with these snacks. That being said, I did try to compensate by putting in a bit of extra effort into my daily physical activity.

When it was all said and done, I ended up on the scale yesterday with no pounds gained. I’ve definitely learned a few things from that experience and hope to even make better decisions the next time I’m in similar situations.

I also share some thoughts abut the recent additions to the gspn.tv Plus Membership Community. We actually added 8 new Plus Members in the past 7 days. This was a huge blessing and helped to confirm so many things about the direction that we are heading.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

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Think And Grow Rich Part 01 – Podcast Episode 423

Cliff Ravenscraft — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:46:08 +0000

In this episode, I my reactions to the first chapter of the book “Think And Grow Rich” by Napolian Hill.

* “Success comes to those who become success conscious”
* “…thoughts of poverty, just as quickly as it will influence us to act upon thoughts of riches.”
* Story of Steven Spielberg

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Live Show Thursday Reactions – Podcast Episode 422

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:36:59 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

In this episode, I share my Monday weigh-in results. I also share some my thoughts on how our first full day of recording content on Thursdays went. I also share some thoughts about the financial aspects of running the business and how these things are causing us to always evaluate what we do and how we do it.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

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What To Do In Uncertain Times – Podcast Episode 421

Cliff Ravenscraft — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:59:27 +0000

In this episode, I share an audio clip from Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast. The topic of his talk was “What To Do In Uncertain Times.” This has certainly been a topic that has been fresh on the minds of many people, including myself, as we have seen what has happened to our economy.

The question is how do we move forward? What can we do to keep from losing our hope? I believe that this episode helps to answer those questions.

Some points that I share in this episode are as follows:

In the beginning, all you had was an idea. From that idea, you created and moved forward. We, as leaders, need to go back to that original idea. We need to remember why we got into this in the first place. Looking back, we are able to see how much more we have now than what we had back then. Hopefully, we’ll recall that this wasn’t our idea in the first place, this was something that God called us to do.

What about the fact that we can’t predict tomorrow? We need to wise up to the fact that we’ve never been able to predict tomorrow. But when we look back, we can remember when we had nothing. We look in awe at God’s faithfulness to bring us this far.

Sometimes when things don’t seem to be going in the right direction, it’s easy question if this is a closed door or a sign that we are on the wrong path. Most of the time, this is not the case. The original vision is the right destination, but the current plans may be the wrong path. Occasionally, we need to abandon our current plans. However, we must remember that it is always possible to abandon our current plans without abandoning our original vision.

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How I lost 32 Pounds In 12 Weeks – Podcast Episode 420

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:09:59 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

In this I share some thoughts on how I’ve gone about loosing 32 pounds in only twelve weeks. In the episode, I mention the use of the Shape Up iPhone Application. There is a Health Fitness and Accountability section of the gspn.tv Community Forum that is only viewable to those who are registered users that are signed in. In it, I track my physical activity and the total net calorie intake each and every day. If you want to know more, listen to the episode.

I also shared some exciting news about the way that I’m re-structuring my work week and shifting the recording of most of our shows to Thursdays. I mention that there is more about that announcement if you CLICK THIS LINK.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

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In Pursuit of Margin – Podcast Episode 419

Cliff Ravenscraft — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:15:57 +0000

In this episode of Pursuing A Balanced Life, I share some wonderful feedback from Maggie who shared that, although she once said she “can’t” work out in the mornings, she’s actually done just that and “Loves It.” I also share some feedback from Wayne Henderson about the topic of burn out.

I also share just a little bit about what has been going through my mind as it relates to being more efficient with my time and making sure that I’m making financially responsible decisions with how I’m spending my time on different areas of my business.

I ended the show mentioned that you should CLICK HERE to check out this post to find out what I’ve been working on.

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What Am I Listening To?

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:00:14 +0000

Tonight, as I walked out the door to go for a walk, I sent out a status update saying… “Heading out the door for an evening walk. Loaded up with a few of my favorite podcasts to listen to. #PABL.”

Within minutes of my walk, I started to receive notices of facebook comments and twitter replies asking what podcasts are among my favorites. Since it would require more than 140 characters to answer this question, I figured, why not put together a short blog post to tell you the podcasts that I consume most often.

Oh, Where Shall I Begin?
The Daily Breakfast
Dan Miller’s 48 Days
This Week In Tech
Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast
GeekBrief.tv
Bagel Tech News
MacBreak Weekly
Healthy Catholic
Fitness Rocks
Jillian Michaels
The Nutrition Diva
Net@Night
North Point Ministries – Andy Stanley
The Catholics Next Door
Managing The Gray
Mosaic
Command N
Culinary Media Network
The Dave Ramsey Show
Family Life Today
Insight For Living – Chuck Swindoll
Watermark Community Church
Renewing Your Mind – R.C. Sproul
Father Bob McGuire
Praxis Podcast

And yes, I even listen to some of our own content.
Full Time Mom
Family From The Heart
Pursuing A Balanced Life
Social Media Serenity
Podcast Answer Man
And other gspn.tv shows

This is not an exhaustive list of the podcasts that I’m subscribed to. However, these are the shows that are released consistently and that I consume most often.

The Desire To Get Organized – Podcast Episode 418

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:39:00 +0000

In this episode of Pursuing A Balanced Life, I share my most recent weigh-in update. I also share the unique events that occurred this week as I had an overwhelming desire to complete an organization project that literally took hours and hours.

There is a hint of the principle of working on your business and not just in the stories that I share. There are actually several other insights that came to me as I was recording that will make this episode a worthwhile listen.

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All About Burnout – Podcast Episode 416

Cliff Ravenscraft — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:10:24 +0000

In this episode of Pursuing A Balanced Life, I share from an article titled Burnout that you can find here. In the article, the author, Scott Boms, does an excellent job of describing what burnout is, signs that you may be flirting with it, and he even touches on some thoughts to bring more balance back to your life.

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Staying On Course – Podcast Episode 415

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:56:24 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Happy Monday to you all. As most of you know, Monday is my weigh-in day. I’m very excited to announce that I have lost an additional 2 pounds this past week.

That means that I’ve lost a total of 26 pounds and my waist size as gone from 46 inches down to 41 inches since May 1st, 2009.

In this podcast episode, I share that this past week has been challenging in that I had a few days where I simply lacked motivation and drive. In spite of the way I felt, I was still able to maintain a healthy outlook and attitude toward calorie counting and staying within my minimum goal of working out an hour per day, five days per week.

It’s a shorter episode than usual. Even though the sun was shining and I was feeling better, I’ve still had quite a bit of stuff on my mind as of late. I’m trying to stay productive and moving forward with worthwhile projects and staying free from distractions at all costs. Not only that, I’m desperately trying to maintain my ability to go to bed early so that I can get that much needed early start to the day.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

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Riding The Wave of Creativity – Podcast Episode 414

Cliff Ravenscraft — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:50:53 +0000

In this episode of Pursuing A Balanced Life, I share some insight and inspiration that I received simply by reading a tweet from my friend Jason Van Orden.

I share a call from Steve Bostedor. Also, I share a conversation I recently had with David Jacobs. Of course there are quite a few other items tossed in this episode as well.

Recent #PABL Tweets

tonialiani #pabl don’t try this @ home…ate like €r@p today but swam .75 miles and still came in 350 calories under.

stephencross Inbox Zero – first time in two weeks (ouch) #PABL

Taquoriaan has walked 12,000+ steps today #pabl

tiwwh @davidjacobs David, how are you doing with the goals your doctor set for you? I’m just checking in. #pabl

queenamy83 I have had too much diet soda in the past few days…colitis is not happy! backing off for a few days!! #PABL

danieljohnsonjr back from another great walk. More than 4 miles today! Since I couldn’t climb up a tree, I opted to climb up a backstop fence instead. #PABL

tiwwh Had a few mis-steps in my #pabl , over the past few days. Decided to stop feeling guilty, & instead re-focus on moving more, eating less.

EvePhoenix Took a great walk tonight & listened to some podcasts. Came back in & drank some water instead of eating a snack. #pabl

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Some Thoughts On Setting Goals – Podcast Episode 413

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:30:20 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Happy Monday to you all. As most of you know by now, Monday is my weigh-in day. I’m very excited to announce that I have lost an additional 3 pounds this past week.

That means that I’ve lost a total of 24 pounds in the past two months! Not only that, but my waist size as gone from 46 inches down to 41.25 inches since May 1st, 2009. I can’t begin to tell you how great I feel compared to how I felt daily before.

In this podcast episode, I share some feedback that I had received in the gspn.tv community forum regarding podcast episode 412. In it, Mary M. wrote…

Hey yall! I don’t want to be rude but please hear me out and realize that I have good intentions.

Ok, so I am listening to PABL episode #412. Throughout the episode Cliff is talking about his “official” goal is to do physical activity 5 days per week.

Really Cliff??

I think you have set your “official” goal low on purpose. You have stated many times that when you don’t get your physical activity all 7 days it is a “failure” of a day, but then justify it because your “official” goal is only 5 days per week.

I believe that your “actual” goal, the one you really want, is to do physical activity all 7 days per week. I think that in the beginning you set your goal to 5 days per week for the “just in case” moments but that as time has gone by, you have proven to yourself that you can do physical activity everyday and still be productive.

I believe that your goal of physical activity 5 days per week isn’t your “GOAL”, but your “MINIMUM” that you would be comfortable with if necessary. And if you were really honest with yourself, I bet you would be very “unsatisfied” if you only did physical activity 5 days.

I believe that if you were to really search your heart, you are trying to put in physical activity every day.

Maybe it is time to set a new goal. Not meeting it all the time is fine for special occasions (like a family reunion or meeting with a friend for a movie screening).

If you are going to bed every night with the intentions of getting up the next morning and doing physical activity then THAT IS TRULY YOUR GOAL!!!!!

Please don’t take this the wrong way, cause I love ya!!

She also followed that up with this…

Ok, so I finished the episode and had some more thoughts. According to dictionary.com the definition for GOAL is:

1. the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

I guess that my problem with the episode is your use of the word. A goal should be something that you strive to achieve, not just the minimum you would be happy with. You are already past the physical activity of 5 days a week, so anyway…sorry for the rant.

A majority of this episode is my response to this this feedback. I want to post some highlights from what I shared here for the blog.

First of all, here is what I think about when I talk about setting goals:

Goal setting is the process of deciding what you want to accomplish and devising a plan to achieve the result you desire.

Goal setting is a two part process. Step one is deciding What You Want To Do. Step two is working toward the accomplishment of that Goal. Many people know what they want to do but have trouble creating a plan to get there. Goals without action plans are just words. Another way of saying that is that a goal without action plans are nothing more than desires.

When creating a plan to achieve your goals, I think it is important to evaluate your goal to make sure that it has all of the following characteristics. Your goals should be Realistic / Attainable. Your goals should be specific and detailed. You goals should be measurable. And finally, I think it is important to evaluate your goal in light of whether or not it adds to or or distracts you from your pursuit of a balanced life.

Regarding the thought of me setting my “official” goal low on purpose, I’d have to disagree. When I first set this goal, back in May, it actually seemed to be an very lofty at the time. Time came to reveal that I actually had it within me to achieve this goal on a very consistent basis which came as a great shock to me and inspired many others to set similar types of goals for themselves.

While I’ve been averaging between 6 to 7 days a week on a regular basis. The question then becomes… Should I “adjust my goal?” I’ve given this a lot of thought and the answer is no.

I feel that it would be more closely aligned with the Pursuit of a “Balanced Life” to achieve a healthier outlook on the concept of giving my body rest two days a week and not”not overdoing it.” I especially want to avoid “burn-out” which I will blog about in the future.

The truth is that there are still other areas of a Balanced Life that I’m not giving enough attention right now. I believe that as I get closer to the desired balance in each area, there will be more and more occasions where the 5 days per week goal will seem more aligned with where I should be.

I’ve been consuming a large amount of Health and Wellness content lately. Everything that I read suggests intentional physical activity at a minimum of thiry minutes per day, three to five days per week. My “official” physical activity goal is already double the amount of time and on the upper head of what is suggested for a healthy lifestyle.

I have noticed that I seem to try to justify the days that I don’t work out. However, I believe that this is more about my attempt to convince myself that this is not a failure, but it is all a part of adjusting to a more balanced approach and mindset to physical activity.

With that said, I really appreciate the feedback that has been provided on this topic. I’m even more thankful that it came in the context of a genuine relationship with someone I would call friend.

I hope that you might find this topic helpful when you are setting your own goals.

Special thanks to Maggie who called in some audio feedback for this episode. Also, here is the list of #PABL updates that I shared in this episode.

Seaturtle89 Goal: wake at 4:45 a.m. Gym 5:00 a.m. Night all must get some sleep so I can acomplish this Goal #PABL

MrsLTJ Having a good day! Didnt realize starting it off with a ride would make me feel this good! #pabl

aaronmb Rivky has learned how to ride her two wheeler! Film at 11. #pabl

panache113 (aka Jessie) Starting to day #PABL.

melindayork slept in this morning then did 10 Minute Trainer x 3. Now cooling down with a walk on the treadmill. #PABL

EvePhoenix Took a walk yesterday at the mall – and didn’t buy anything! Just took the Nano, and went for the exercise. #pabl

Lindaharderwijk (Linda From The Netherlands) And I finally got my new cross bike today yeah it’s so great used 999 kcal #pabl yeah!!! Feeling good

CaptainsCast Week4/Day3 Couch to 5K run completed. 2.29 miles, 31:01, 13:32/mile, 441 calories. I’ve now completed 12 workouts totaling 23.84 miles #pabl

GalenaG The maid of honor said it was difficult to lace the dress due to weight loss. Size 20 to 14 in a year. #pabl

ffluvssg1 Today’s healthy activities: Walking on the treadmill, health/fitness podcasts, and brought a salad for lunch. Working on time mgmt. #pabl

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

Subscribe To Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast – Free Feed:

gspn.tv Plus Members Get Every Episode Using The Plus Feed Generator.

Healthy Cooking Oils And More – Podcast Episode 412

Cliff Ravenscraft — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:00:12 +0000

In this episode of Pursuing A Balanced Life, I share how I applied the principles and values of pursuing a balanced life to what would have normally been a very highly stressful situation. Several folks had called in some great tips, suggestions, and feedback.

Also, I shared an audio clip from a podcast that I’m listening to of Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser TV Show. She does a radio talk shoe on a station in California. The podcast feed includes all the shows that they air on Sunday. So what I did was subscribe to this feed and simply deleted each episode that was not hers. If you have itunes, you can just click here.

Finally, I shared that that my shoes are showing visible signs of wear and tear from all this walking. I mentioned that I would use an image of them as the album artwork for the podcast. for those of you who don’t have a player that displays the album artwork, this image is posted her for you and it speaks volumes.

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More Than Just Health And Fitness – Podcast Episode 411

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:38:34 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Oddly enough, too much focus and attention on the Health and Fitness aspect of our lives can cause our lives to be thrown off balance. Since May 1st, I’ve been pursuing a healthier lifestyle that incorporates a generous amount of daily physical activity. I have also had a major paradigm shift in the way that I look at food and its nutritional value.

While I’ve been devoting a large portion of this blog and podcast to the topic of Health and Fitness, I’ve been just as focused on focusing more attention to the other areas of a balanced life such as Community, Work/Career, Family, Faith, Personal Development, and Recreation. It’s a balance between Health/Fitness and all of these areas of our lives that truly cause us to enjoy the abundant life that God has provided us.

In this podcast episode, I share several things that took place over this past weekend. Prior to my focused pursuit of a Balanced Life, I would not have been able to enjoy all the events things that took place. However, because of the values and principles that I’ve been learning and applying to my life, I found myself living in the moment on a more consistent basis.

By the way, I mentioned that when I posted this episode, I’d put my weigh-in day results in the show notes. I’m excited to tell you that I’ve lost another 2 pounds in the last seven days for a total of TWENTY ONE POUNDS LOST SINCE May 1st!

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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My Attempt At Running – Podcast Episode 410

Cliff Ravenscraft — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:23:56 +0000

In podcast episode 408 I compared walking on the treadmill to walking outside and explained that I’d rather walk outside any day of the week. In this episode, I share that I have found another way to look at working out on the treadmill.

I also share about come conversations that I’ve been having with Father Roderick along with the following statement he recently sent me in an email:

Thanks Cliff, I really appreciate it! I love keeping up to date with
your amazing progress in PABL. Very inspiring! Care to run a marathon
together one of these years?

I thought he was kidding at first. However, in ongoing conversations, I’ve found that he’s actually quite serious about the two of us running a marathon together. It’s really opened my eyes to the possibility of actually running. So much so that I actually have been running this week.

I am not quite at the point where I can effectively run and podcast at the same time, as demonstrated in this episode, but I’m one step closer! Actually enjoying the though of running a marathon now!

Also in this episode, I share some of my favorite quotes from this article article that Maggie Mack posted in the gspn.tv community forum. Here are my favorites:

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being,
while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. – Plato

Stupid is forever, ignorance can be fixed. – Don Wood

If you greatly desire something, have the guts to stake everything on obtaining it. – Brendan Francis

Change your thoughts and you change your world. – Norman Vincent

There is small danger of being starved in our land of plenty; but the danger of being stuffed is imminent. – Sarah Josepha Hale

Character – the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life – is the source from which self respect springs. – Joan Didion

The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions. – Confucius

It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not. – James Gordon

Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me. – Carol Burnett

Food is an important part of a balanced diet. – Fran Lebowitz

Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. – Winston Churchill

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Also mentions go out to Mary S, and Patti B. We had audio feedback from Frank C. and Wayne Henderson.

To wrap things up I shared some recent #PABL statements from Twitter:

danieljohnsonjr 4-miles walked today. Good thing, too, given what I ate today. #PABL

EvePhoenix Inboxes at zero already. Sipping my Diet Coke and not really hungry right now, when I’m usualy starving. Had a pretty healthy lunch. #pabl

Argon52 Walked 2.5 miles this morning & got freaking blisters on my foot again even with 2 socks & powder! Oh well, the walk was nice. #pabl

LeeAndrew Having done a daily walk for 1 to 2 hours the last month has made me feel very good of myself and also given me a lot of extra energy! #PABL

spicedogs OK. Made up my mind, I am going to cardiac therapy. Must follow @GSPN’s #PABL.

spicedogs Cardiac Therapy was awesome today. I just graduated to higher and more difficult levels. Fell like I am playing a video game. LOL #PABL

MrsLTJ really need to get a good pedometer to count my steps thats not too expensive. any suggesstions on brand and store to buy from? #pabl

jshaffer Just achieved inbox 0 for today. Now to take an idea from @gspn and not look at it again until I get off of work. #PABL

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PABL Round Table Discussion – Podcast Episode 409

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:52:45 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

I am very excited to release this episode of the Pursuing A Balanced Life podcast. This is the audio recording from last night’s PABL Round Table Discussion.

Those you will hear in this call are Edith Baker, Patti Bagadion, Amanda Black, Erik Fisher, Patrick Greer, Sharon M., Maggie Mack, Richard Marcotte, Cliff Ravenscraft, Stephanie Ravenscraft, Mark Tafoya, and Stephanie Weak.

The conversation was a great way to demonstrate that Pursuing A Balanced Life is a goal of people from many different walks of life. I think my favorite thing about last night’s conversation was that even though our community is made up of people who are all at different places in their life as it relates to the current balance of their lives, we are all on the same journey together. No matter where each of us are at, we can all encourage and inspire each other equally. We all add value to the conversation!

We will be doing another PABL Round Table Discussion Very Soon!

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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Holistic Approach To Community Encouragement – Podcast Episode 408

Cliff Ravenscraft — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:00:28 +0000

Yet the end of another very busy week. Looking back, it’s hard to imagine that I’ve accomplished as much as I did.

I’m extremely thankful for the three major consulting jobs that I had this week. Two of my appointments ran three hours each and the third appointment ran four hours.

In this podcast episode I share that I’m back to walking in the morning. I share why I was beginning to get concerned about how my walks seemed to be getting later and later into the day.

I also share my thoughts regarding walking on the treadmill the other day.

I also discuss the upcoming PABL Round Table Discussion. One thing that I learned only after recording this episode is that Stephanie is actually going to be joining the discussion. I’m so excited.

I share how I had completed forgotten about a previous recommendation of Jeff Roney to do a lot of what I’m doing today. Also, Toni called to update us on her status! Congratulations Toni!

Finally, I also talked about my interview on the Doctor Anonymous show. If you would like to listen to the interview that I mentioned in this show, CLICK HERE!

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Family Focused Weekend – Podcast Episode 407

Cliff Ravenscraft — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:04:53 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

I never dreamed that Monday mornings could ever become a highlight of my week. However, as many of you know now, Monday is the day of the week that I’ve set aside as my “Weigh In Day.” Yet another week has gone by where I lost exactly the amount of weight that I had set out to lose. I lost two additional pounds last week for a total of 16 pounds lost since May 1st, 2009.

In this episode of the podcast, I share some other exciting items related to balanced living. I had an amazing weekend focused on spending time with my family.

It started off by fulfilling my goal of obtaining childcare Friday night so that I could take Stephanie out for a date night.

On Saturday, I was given the opportunity to work all day and skip out on a family reunion picnic for Stephanie’s mom’s side of the family. Instead of taking her up on her offer to work through the day, I made a conscious decision to spend time with my family. I’m glad I did.

I not only had a great time with family, I also had the opportunity to go for a five mile walk. Check out some of these photos that I took while on my walk. You can click on the thumbnails below to see the larger image.

Sunday evening, we actually went to a Drive-In movie double feature. There is a great database of drive-ins if you click here. In the podcast, I shared how much we enjoyed this experience and what we saw while we were there.

Maurey sent in an excellent review of the Wii’s Active Personal Trainer Program.

My friend Frank called in to let us know how he’s been encouraged recently and his new found passion for waking up early in the morning.

I share a brief audio clip from the Fitness Rocks Podcast that supports my idea of putting your goals out there so that others know what you want to achieve with your lifestyle changes. It makes more sense when you listen to it in the episode.

Erik Fisher called in with a great suggestion! He suggested that we have a call in show for those of us who are Purusing A Balanced Life from time to time. I thought it was such a great idea that I’ve gone ahead and set up the first call for next Monday at 8:15pm Eastern Time. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER! (It’s Free!)

Finally, I share some highlights from those who are using the #PABL in their tweets

jportier 1163 steps so far today and I haven’t made it too the gym #pabl

CMSawyer No candy bars or snack cakes on breaks at work for over 3 weeks now!! #PABL

Bear1 Walked 3.37 miles and felt great. I did not stay at home at all today I got 7120 steps #pabl

erikjfisher Back from 3607 step walk. Recovering from yesterdays activity (17225 steps = 8.5 something miles!). Gonna eat light and relax today. #PABL

tonialiani #pabl 8440 step (goal 7000). Lots of firing at the university but I thankfully still have mine. Spent day w/fam & friends.

danieljohnsonjr I need to create another notch on my belt. Apparently I’ve lost another inch. #PABL

DadGetsFit Finding balance by taking my kids out individually on Saturdays. This morning is a daddy-daughter date. She likes yard sales & donuts #pabl

QueenAmy83 I just ordered mine, have you?! Are you Pursuing A Balanced Life? Why not tell the world with a PABL Sticker! http://gspn.tv/stickers #PABL

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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A Small Gift Spurs Big Ideas of The Future

Cliff Ravenscraft — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:49:06 +0000

A few weeks back, one of my great friends, Stephen Cross, had offered to send me a gift.

Stephen had seen the momentum building with the Pursuing A Balanced Life brand and how so many people were getting excited and inspired to jump on board with pursuing more balance in their own lives. His desire, with the gift, was to broaden my horizon to see the bigger picture of what this brand could become.

I’m very thankful to the people that God has placed in my life and in my community. The Bible says that “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22 NIV) It’s been people, like Stephen, that have continued to help me see things that I might have overlooked with too much focus on managing the day to day tasks associated with the administration of gspn.tv content and the gspn.tv community.

Something as simple as the gift of “stickers” communicated to me the possibilities that exist for me in fulfilling my calling in life in the area of Pursuing A Balanced Life. In fact, while I’m already starting to have big ideas about the future of where this might lead, I have a sneaking suspicion that, in five years from now, I’ll be in a place that I never would have dreamed possible.

In the mean time, these stickers are a perfect means of taking the Pursuing A Balance Life brand, that has already taken hold in the virtual world, and bringing it to the real world in a very tangible way.

If you would like your own PABL Sticker(s), I’m willing to send them to anyone with a donation of any amount to help offset the cost of shipping. A special cardboard envelope is required to keep it from bending. The total cost with postage within the United States is $3.25. I will also ship outside outside the US, so order yours today! Click Here To Order Yours!

One Month Later Fourteen Pounds Lighter – Podcast Episode 405

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:19:15 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

In this episode, I look back at the month of May to see the achievements that I’ve made. During the month of May, I lost 14 pounds and I lost 3.5 inches around my waistline!

Not only that, but since I kept a great log of my step counts, I thought it was impressive that I walked 289,800 steps which turns out to be approximately 145 miles.

I shared some thoughts from an article that my good friend, Richard Emblem, sent over to me. The article is titled How soup can help you lose weight.

Richard tells me that medical journalist Michael Mosley investigated the latest scientific breakthroughs in slimming and that he uncovered ten of the simplest ways you can shed those pounds.

1 Don’t skip meals
2 Use smaller plates
3 Count calories
4 Don’t blame your “metabolism”
5 Protein staves off hunger pangs
6 Soup keeps you feeling fuller for longer than solid food
7 The wider the choice the more you eat
8 Low-fat dairy products help excrete more fat from all your food
9 Exercise goes on burning calories when you’ve stopped – even while you sleep
10 Keep moving even in the home or at work to lose weight

I also mention the blog post titled “Eating Healthy Has A Made All The Difference” that I posted this weekend. In that post, I share the types of foods that I’ve been eating lately that have allowed me to lose so much weight and not feel like I was depriving myself.

Erik Fisher had asked if were a non iPhone calorie counting app for the non iPhone user. I did find a program called Diet Controller for Mac, Windows, or Linux users as well as a program from Calorie King for Windows users. They are expensive in comparison to the iPhone apps though.

However, a quick Google Search for “online calorie journal” turned up a few online solutions. Some are free, some have membership fees. Here are three you might want to review.
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com
http://www.myfitnesspal.com
http://www.myfooddiary.com

Jenny H. sent in an email telling me about an audio lecture titled “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers.” It’s a part of the Stanford University’s Healthy Living series on iTunes University.

I’ll let you listen for full details on all of the above and and the few other things that I’ve covered in this episode.

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Eating Healthy Foods Has Made All The Difference!

Cliff Ravenscraft — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:35:16 +0000

So I lost twelve pounds in the first three weeks of my changed lifestyle. I’m actually quite eager to weigh in for week for Monday morning.

Some might think that I’m starving myself or that I’m on some sort of “fad diet.” This could not be further from the truth. In fact, I’m eating several times during the day. I’ll often wake at 5am and have a healthy breakfast. Something like two eggs and a slice of 100% whole wheat toast. I’ll then go for a walk in the morning, usually 3.5 miles or more.

During my morning walk, I burn around 400 calories, which is more than what I had to eat before the walk. After the walk, I’ll typically have a healthy snack. Either a fresh fruit, an ounce of nuts, or a yogurt. Because I have plenty of protein in the morning, this keeps me feeling full and satisfied till around 11am. That’s when I’ll have myself a very filling lunch.

For lunch, I’ll typically either have two servings of soup (only 140 calories) or maybe a deli sandwich. A deli sandwich for me would include two slices of 100% whole wheat toast, 2 ounces of deli fresh lean turkey meat, once slice of white American cheese, and a few slivers of red onion. Such a sandwich contains LESS THAN 300 calories total! With either my sandwich or soap, I’ll have a fresh piece of fruit, an ounce of nuts, or a yogurt.

A lunch like that listed above will get me through until around 3pm which is when I’ll allow myself about 200 calories for a snack. You guessed it, it will consist of either yogurt, nuts, or fresh fruit.

For dinner, my wife has been doing a terrific job of creating very low calorie dinner items which include fresh vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats like fish and chick.

When I follow this eating pattern, I’m usually WELL UNDER my allotted calorie allowance for the day.

So how am I losing so much weight? Sure I’m walking a lot.. But that’s not it. And yes, I’m counting my calories! That’s important also! However, the key is that I’m doing both of them. Perhaps even more important is the types of foods I’m eating when I take in those calories!

Want to follow me in my pursuit of a more healthy lifestyle and balanced life all together? Why not subscribe to the Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast?

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Managing The Mornings – Podcast Episode 404

Cliff Ravenscraft — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:03:38 +0000

In this podcast episode, I play some voice mail feedback from John Portier, one of our gspn.tv Plus Members. He called to ask… “During the morning, when you get up at 5am, do you set yourself a to do list? What kind of methods do you use to get through your day?” In response, I shared what my my perfect morning routine would look like in my mind and I share my struggle to find balance with this awesome gift of extra hours in my day.

I also share some thoughts on some feelings that I’ve been having as they relate to me working for myself and the ability to choose my own schedule. In essence, I share that I’ve experienced a bit of self-inflicted guilt whenever I consider indulging in some of the freedoms that are afforded to me with the ability to set my own pace in how and when I work. I share where these feelings of guilt come from and what how I’m thinking through these feelings.

I briefly talked about my most recent blog entry titled “Why Am I Here? A Question That Leads To Success.” I mention that this is the first of what I hope will be many entries that will eventually make up the rough draft material in a book that I look forward to writing down the road. Of course I also include the comments from that post in the podcast as well.

I mention that Father Roderick, a great podcasting friend of mine, actually talked quite a bit about my pursuit of a balance life in the most recent episode of his Daily Breakfast Podcast. He even titled that episode Life In Balance.

I also mention that if you enjoy the Pursuing A Balanced Life podcast, you would definitely enjoy Episode 059 of the Family From The Heart podcast which was titled Eating Together As A Family.

I share some highlights from those who are using the #PABL in their tweets.

stephencross How many times have you said “Not right now” lately? #pabl

magestyayla Bought a pedometer…522 steps so far #PABL

danieljohnsonjr Doctor told me 3 yrs ago that walking 2 mi, 3x/wk was one of best things I could do for my back. Heading out for one of those walks. #PABL

jportier Thinking I’m going to go the Counting steps route first before I go down the Calorie counting road. I figure I already walk the steps. #pabl

theRamenNoodle Mission: Wake Up On Time: Accomplished. I feel great! #PABL

tiwwh See these? http://yfrog.com/0z5ppvj I’m not touchin’ them! #PABL No sodas for 11 days so far!

tonialiani #pabl Got 8266 steps in goal was 5000. Was 800 calories below goal. Went park with daughters. Ani got in 20231 steps. I’m jealous!

DadGetsFit 648 calories under daily goal. Tomorrow is weigh-in Wednesday. Learning visual portioning today by cup measurements. #pabl

danieljohnsonjr Thinking of spending the evening offline so I can spend time with my daughter, the youngest Dreamgirl. #PABL

jportier Woke up pretty fast this morning, already had breakfast, got dressed, checking email and listening to Piper. Love getting up early! #pabl

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Twelve Pounds Lighter! – Podcast Episode 403

Cliff Ravenscraft — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:47:14 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Monday mornings have taken on a whole new meaning for me these days. Monday is the day of the week that I’ve set aside as my “Weigh In Day.” One again, I’m excited to announce that I have continued to drop a few pounds.

In fact, in the past seven days, I’ve lost another 3 pounds. This brings my total weight loss to 12 pounds in only three weeks. I also lost an additional 1.5 inches from around my waistline. Quite literally, there is less and less of me as the weeks go by.

In this podcast episode, I share my excitement not only about my weight loss, but I also share an exciting story from this weekend. I’ll first share the story with you…

This past Tuesday evening, I took the family to the “Dollar Saver Cinema” to see the movie, “Race To Witch Mountain.” It was an enjoyable family movie that our family enjoyed very much.

I had some major client projects to complete and a podcasting webinar to prepare for this weekend that caused me to have to work late into the evening Friday and all day long on Saturday.

Since I didn’t have much time with the family on Friday and Saturday, I decided to surprise the family by treating them to lunch at Chipotle (our family’s favorite place to eat) and to a movie at the Deluxe Cinema. We saw “Night At The Museum 2.” It also was an enjoyable family movie.

The story, however, happened as a conversation that occurred during our lunch at Chipotle.

Meagan, my 11 year old daughter, asked me… “Dad, where did you get all the money to take out out to eat and to the movies twice this week?

I responded by telling her that it was the result of me focusing a lot on my work and due the blessings of picking up a few new clients recently.

Then Meagan says… “But Dad, you haven’t been working as much lately, you’ve been spending a lot more time with the family lately!”

That my friends is what this whole “Pursuing A Balanced Life” thing is all about!

Also In This Episode:

I share some highlights from those who are using the #PABL in their tweets.

stephencross: Are you making smoothies? NYT article to get you started. http://tinyurl.com/oyupkk #PABL

TIWWH: Still working on my “baby steps” of the Dave Ramsey financial plan. The going is slow, but sure. #iWant to be debt free! #PABL

stephencross: Its nice do my exercise in the AM not PM. Love the weekends #PABL

ffluvssg1: Getting on the treadmill for an hour #PABL

tonialiani: #PABL under calorie goal today by 334, steps 5021 (21 over goal) drinking water. Tomorrow’s step goal is 5500.

marcuscarey: Before it gets too hot I’m going to plant my garden.

TIWWH: Got new pedometer today. Figuring out my LiveStrong iPhone App. Armed w/ these tools, I am #PABL. Also need to balance rest, recreation, etc

jportier: Total Miles Walked Yesterday: 8.74 Miles / Total Geocaches Found: 45 Caches #PABL

I share the significance of this tweet:

nkvanhoosier: @erikjfisher what’s #pabl?

I share some thoughts on this conversation:

johnbuehler: Falling of the #pabl wagon for a day or two. Giant chipotle burrito for lunch…yummm!

GSPN: @johnbuehler Chipotle tortilla is 290 Calories. If you get a Bowl w/rice, black beans, chicken, salsa, & cheese is only 640 calories. #PABL

GSPN: @johnbuehler Walking “fast” for 60 minutes would burn off 400 of those calories. #PABL

I also read a bit from a blog that was found in this tweet:

DadGetsFit: I’m just a bloke who eats less, moves more and lives to blog about it. #pabl – Link: http://dadgetsfit.wordpress.com

I finish off the podcast by sharing and responding to two awesome bits of audio feedback from Erik & Toni!

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to feedback@gspn.tv.

Don’t forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

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Striking The Balance Part 2 – Podcast Episode 402

Cliff Ravenscraft — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:19:35 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

This is part 2 of 2 of the podcast where I ask the question… Is there enough time in the day to really live a balanced life?

In this episode, I pick up where I left off in podcast episode 401. I review the areas of my life that I desire to achieve balance in. These ares are Faith, Family, Work/Career, Health/Fitness, Community, Personal Development, and Recreation. You may notice that I accidentally left out community when I was recording.

I also share my reaction to Family From The Heart podcast episode 058 where, after three weeks of daily consistency, Stephanie says that she is not yet convinced that I can sustain this lifestyle for the long haul.

Also included in this episode are your stories! That’s right, I’ve included many of the things that you have posted on twitter using the “#PABL” hashtag. It’s been remarkable to see how many people are being inspired and encouraged through our joined effort in Pursuing A Balanced Life.

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Striking The Balance Part 1 – Podcast Episode 401

Cliff Ravenscraft — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:10:44 +0000

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

In this episode of the podcast, I ask the question… Is there enough time in the day to really live a balanced life?

I also share the areas of my life that I desire to achieve balance in. These ares are Faith, Family, Work/Career, Health/Fitness, Community, Personal Development, and Recreation. You may notice that I accidentally left out community when I was recording.

This is part one of the discussion of Striking The Balance as I had noticed that the show was running long and I needed to make a phone call to one of my consulting clients. At the end of the episode, I asked if you would please take a moment and leave a Five-Start review of the podcast in iTunes. For ease of use, you can go directly to the appropriate page simply by going to http://gspn.tv/itunespabl. Thank you in advance!

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What is #PABL?

Cliff Ravenscraft — Sun, 17 May 2009 00:31:29 +0000

I recently blogged about My Journey of Physical Fitness To Date. In that post, I mentioned that I had turned to the gspn.tv community for encouragement and accountability as it relates to the goals that I had shared with them.

Today, I would like to share a glimpse of the type of encouragement that I have been receiving from the community. In this post, I’m also going to propose a way that we can all inspire each other.

One thing that I’ve been doing through this journal has been to post regular updates regarding the number of steps/miles I’m walking and the amount of calories consumed during meals or a total at the end of the day. I’ve been posting these both my Facebook and Twitter profiles.

Here are just a few examples of the things I’ve shared online and the type of interaction that I have had with the community related to these updates.

Of course, I’m not only sharing my triumphs. I have also shared when things were not going so well. To show you just how valuable this sort of encouragement and accountability is, just take a look at this exchange…

What you don’t see in the exchange above is a Twitter Direct Message that I had received from my friend, Stephen Cross. I usually delete direct messages after I’ve responded to them. However, he said something about how he was wavering in his decision to walk on the treadmill that evening. He suggested that if I would resolve to not cheat and drink a bottled water instead, he’d resolve to get on the treadmill. Keep that in mind and look at the last post on the image above.

All the updates that I’ve been posting the Facebook have also been posted to Twitter. Something happened yesterday that I certainly didn’t expect at all! Have a look at this:

Now, as many of your know, I’m a total geek! However, I realize that not everyone in the gspn.tv Community is a geek like myself. That doesn’t keep me from sharing my love for all things geeky! And that is why I want to explain the significance of the Twitter post from my friend John Buehler. Where you see pound sign “#” in front of a phrase such as “#keepupwithcliff” that is called “creating a hashtag.”

Hashtags are a community-driven convention for adding additional context and metadata to your tweets. They’re like tags to you photos on Flickr, only added inline to your post. You create a hashtag simply by prefixing a word with a hash symbol: #hashtag

The best part about hashtags is that it is a very easy way to create a “group” of sorts on Twitter. For example, I had got a huge chuckle out of John’s “#keepupwithcliff” hash tag, so I tweeted about it. Then, immediately, a few others in the community jumped on board by using it, simply to carry on the humor just a little bit further.

However, the nice thing about #hashtags is that you can search for them on your Twitter Home Page and on Twitter Search. Do me a favor, CLICK HERE and read the pop-up image from the bottom-up, in reverse chronological order.

The image you just clicked showed the exchange with the #keepupwithcliff hash tag that John had created. Now I know that John had meant this as a joke, or maybe not. My friend, Daniel, posted that the #keepupwithcliff hashtag “…could be for any Cliff-inspired aspirations! Like leaving our full-time jobs in insurance?” That exchange gave me a great idea that I believe could be a great, additional, way for the gspn.tv community to encourage each other to live more balanced lives.

I would like to propose the use of a new #PABL hash tag. That #PABL would stand for “Pursuing A Balance Life.” Basically, the concept is that whenever you post a status update that is related to your pursuit of a more balanced life, simply add #PABL to the end of the update. These posts don’t have to be limited to heath/fitness. Here’s another example of a #PABL post….

What will happen if you do this? First off, you can search for #PABL on twitter at any time to see what others are doing in their pursuit of a more balanced life! This could encourage you and is an easy way to find posts from other community members where you can encourage them!

If you wanted to, you could add this search to your home page on Twitter. To do so, simply follow these steps.

1. Log into Twitter & go to your Home Screen.
2. Type in “#PABL” into the search box on the right & click the search button.

3. Click the “Save This Search” link at the top of the results:

4. Now you will see #PABL as a saved search on your home screen.

I don’t think I need to go into great detail on how I think this could be beneficial. I think what I will do is simply publish this blog entry and make an announcement about it and see how it goes!

If anyone ever asks you what the #PABL stands for, you can simply sent them to http://gspn.tv/pabl and it will forward them to this post.

So that’s it. Why not leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this idea?

Pursuing A Balanced Life – The Lauch of A New Brand!

Cliff Ravenscraft — Sun, 10 May 2009 03:15:58 +0000

Just this past week, I released episode number 396 of the My Crazy Life Podcast. In it, I made the announcement that after 400 episodes of “My Crazy Life,” I’ve made a decision to re-brand this podcast. Renaming a show that you have been producing for more than three years is not a decision you make over night. Those who have been subscribed from the very beginning know that I’ve been struggling with the desire to re-brand this podcast for a very long time. Now, more than ever, I’m certain that this is the right decision.

I started the My Crazy Life podcast, on March 16th, 2006, with the intent on it being a very general podcast. As time went on, several shows had been launched as the result of topics and/or formats originally introduced in the My Crazy Life Podcast. Examples of this would be the Podcast Answer Man Podcast, the Help I Got A Mac Podcast, the Almost Daily Devotional Podcast, the Stephanie Unplugged Podcast, the Family From The Heart Podcast, the Community Voice Podcast, as well as many others.

I have found, through experience, that podcasts seem to gain more traction when they are focused at a niche topic and/or a target audience. In fact, in every case where I dedicated a podcast focused solely to a niche topic that I had been covering for a while within the My Crazy Life Podcast, the number of subscribers for that newly launched podcast would double or triple the number of subscribers to the My Crazy Life Podcast within just a few months.

A while back, it became clear to me that the main emphasis of the My Crazy Life Podcast was to share my journey in the pursuit of a more balanced life. Over the past two years, I’ve been using My Crazy Life to chronicle all the things that I’m thinking through as it relates to trying to be the best husband and father I can be, while at the same time, focusing the right amount of time and energy on what it takes to provide for my family through my work/career. In the show, I would share my struggle with focusing on one area of my life only to throw off the delicate balance of all the other areas of life.

Those who have been listening to the My Crazy Life Podcast have shared with me that they have found a great deal of educational value, encouragement, and even inspiration from the My Crazy Life Podcast and the podcasts that had been launched from it. I never imagined that, what I had considered to my little daily journal podcast, would have such a profound impact on the lives of so many of it’s listeners. To give you an idea of the type of feedback I’ve received, have a listen to these audio clips from a few of those who have benefited so much that they have become premium subscribers to our content.

Jenny from Rochester New York:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Christine from New York, NY
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Richi from Germany
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Anne from Germany
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

The My Crazy Life podcast is no longer a “general” podcast with me discussing random interests. Instead it has become a podcast that is focused on my journey in the pursuit of a balanced life. It is time to give the show a name that is more descriptive of the content. That new name is “Pursuing A Balanced Life.” As a part of the re-branding, I’ve decided to combine this show with my personal blog (formerly Ravenscraft.org). It it just make sense that my personal blog would reflect one of my greater purposes in life, to share my life online as I pursue a balanced life.

As most of you know, creating podcast content is my full-time career. The Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast will continue to be a premium content show offered to gspn.tv Plus Members. I plan to keep the blog open and accessible to everyone, with an occasional episode of the audio podcast playable from the website, whereas Plus Members will be able to subscribe to every episode using iTunes or the podcatching software of their choice.

The new name clearly identifies the content that has has become the focus of this podcast. More importantly, I believe more people will consider a show titled “Pursuing A Balanced Life” more applicable to them than a show called “My Crazy Life.”

With that, I want to thank each of you who have encourage me and inspired me over the past few years. I’m looking forward to the continuation of my sharing what I’m learning in the pursuit of a more balanced life.