Dreams Can Come True – Podcast Episode 450
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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!
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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The Importance of A Daily Health Journal
I am so thankful that I made the decision to keep a daily journal of my health journey. Each week, when I weigh in, I’m able to look back at all the data that I have tracked to see what I had done the previous seven days to get whatever results that have shown up on the scale for the current week.
Each day, I track the number of steps that I walk. I do this by wearing a pedometer at all times. I track the number of “Net Calories” consumed each day. Basically, I’ve calculated that to lose two pounds a week, I need to keep my net calorie intake down to 1,326. I can eat more calories than this as long as I burn off any calories over this amount. This is why I also calculate the number of calories burned with (IPA) which stands for Intentional Physical Activity.
Here’s what my journal looks like for this past week.
10/19 5,421 Steps Walked 1,251 Net Calories Consumed 400 IPA Calories Burned
10/20 10,006 Steps Walked 1,342 Net Calories Consumed 533 IPA Calories Burned
10/21 12,568 Steps Walked 1,370 Net Calories Consumed 549 IPA Calories Burned
10/22 12,679 Steps Walked 1,363 Net Calories Consumed 564 IPA Calories Burned
10/23 3,616 Steps Walked 1,406 Net Calories Consumed 000 IPA Calories Burned
10/24 4,325 Steps Walked 1,468 Net Calories Consumed 267 IPA Calories Burned
10/25 4.022 Steps Walked 2,826 Net Calories Consumed 084 IPA Calories Burned
Today is Monday! For those who have been following my progress, Mondays are my weigh in day. This morning, when I stepped on the scale, I was not shocked to learn that I had not lost any weight. In fact, while slightly disappointed, I was at least happy to not have gained any weight since last week.
This is why I find it so valuable to track this information every day. My goal is to have no less than 5 days of Intentional Physical Activity (Burning at least 400 calories) and this past week, I only accomplished that four out of the past seven days.
My calorie budget each day is 1,326 and, as you can see, I had gone over that budget six of those seven days. With that said, I was within 100 calories of that budget four days this week. However, if this were money in my checking account, I’d be bouncing checks all day long!
Then there was yesterday. I was doing AWESOME until we went to this Halloween Bash at church last night. I ended up losing all self control. I was already very hungry for dinner and I had several Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, A Kit Kat, and a few other things here and there. And did I track those calories? I hate to even admit it, but I did not! I simply had to guesstimate just how overboard I went. More than anything, this is what I regret most.
I felt so defeated. It reminded me of the days back when money was really tight, we already had significant debt but I had a strong desire for a new electronics gadget. It was not uncommon, back then, for me to go ahead and fulfill that urge by buying the gadget on credit, only to feel immediate buyer’s remorse for doing so.
You see, through this process, I have come to understand that the intake and spending of calories works just like my finances. And well, if you look at the way that I spent my allotted calories this past week, you’ll understand why Stephanie and I have made a vow to stay away from credit cards! It’s very tempting to spend more than the resources we currently have.
A few years back, Stephanie and I had paid off all our credit card debt, and vowed to never again own credit cards for our personal finances. Since then, we only spend money that we currently have. We DO NOT write checks with the expectation that money will be deposited before the person to whom the check is written to will cash it. We understand the danger that is involved there and have learned discipline in this area of our lives.
However, as you can see, there are days where I am eating more calories that have been allotted to me for my budget. In fact, last night, I still needed some real food for dinner so that I wouldn’t experience a major sugar crash.
The only shocking thing about today’s results on the scale was that I didn’t actually gain weight this week. Though, honestly, I think I did. Had I burned the 400 calories in IPA five days days this past week and didn’t have such a lack of self control yesterday, I feel that I would have seen a two pound drop this week.
Again, I am so thankful to keep a daily food journal to point out where I make these mistakes. I am going to take what I learned here and move forward.
Do you keep a food journal? Do you find this blog post helpful? It is my desire to share my journey with you in hopes that you can learn as I am learning.
Please tell me what you’re thinking in the comments section.
Follow Your Passion And The Money Will Follow – Podcast Episode 425
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Pursuing A Balanced Life
Follow Your Passion And The Money Will Follow
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
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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Following My Passion Has Changed My Life!
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!
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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.
Some Thoughts On Setting Goals – Podcast Episode 413
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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 todayyeah it’s so great
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.
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