Blanks...

(Say this out loud with a Scottish brogue)
I believe God made me for a purpose. 
But he also made me fast. 
And when I run I feel his pleasure. (Eric Liddel, Chariots of Fire)

That line has haunted me since the last post. The challenge is to fill in two very significant blanks. Wait, that's weak, how about life-altering... destiny-directing blanks? And here's the epiphany: it is probably easier to live with significant blanks; never daring to fill them in. It is possible in our busyness, stress and chaos to never notice the empty, open spaces silently screaming to be filled. Easy but sad.

In the song Beautiful Boy, John Lennon wrote "...life is just what happens to you while you're busy making other plans..." That sounds very philosophical. But it's not very purposeful; and I don't want to live that way!

To be clear, I'm not talking about self-actualization for the sake of feeling better about myself, or you, yourself. I'm not making a case for just being more fulfilled (only). I believe it is in those aforementioned blanks that PURPOSE happens. It is in those blanks that IMPACT happens. It is in those blanks that JOY happens. It is in those blanks that LIFE happens. Sure, we can sometimes stumble into these; but remember... TMTITKTMTTMT! (see 9/17/14)

Fit50! is about empowerment. I have been empowered by first taking control of my physical well-being. I have been empowered by reigniting some creative fires that had been reduced to barely glowing embers. I am a work in progress. Truly, we all are. It's funny, as I write this I'm watching Kansas City route the Patriots on Monday Night Football. John Gruden just said, "Success, it's the best motivator I know." Sound familiar? Motivation... Movement... Momentum... It builds and builds!

Q: What if I fill in the blanks with the wrong thing(s)?
A: Don't worry about it! I'll defer to Teddy Roosevelt, who said:

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, 

the next best thing is the wrong thing, 

and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

Q: What if I give it my best and fail; i.e. look stupid?
A: Help me here Teddy:

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, 

even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits 

who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray 

twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. 

Here are a few questions to consider as we fill in our blanks.
     - When do I feel most alive?
     - What is it that brings me the greatest pleasure (keep it clean!)?
     - What am I good at? (Other than ending sentences with prepositions).
     - How do I bring the most value to others?
     - How would my three closest friends answer those questions for me?

I believe we all have soul mates. That is probably a subject for a different blog and a different author (for now). I also think we need goal mates. We are strongest in community. We are pushed, challenged, encouraged and stretched via relationships. I have begun to work through these questions with my goal mates. I challenge you to do the same.

I believe God made me for a purpose. 
     But he also made me _______. 
          And when I _______ I feel his pleasure.

For now...
D

Bloukrans...

I know I've overused the picture in my short time on social media. But it expresses more from my gut than I can put into words. Heights, you see, have never really bothered me. But edges, and the thought of jumping... falling, makes me clinch parts of my body I shouldn't discuss. I vividly remember once in my teens being frozen on top of a railroad bridge truss at night. The tracks were thirty feet below to my right and the shallow muddy South Canadian River was seventy feet below to my left. My friends were walking on top of the arches that I clung to with a death grip. One even walked in between the trusses on a four inch wide beam. Why I joined them, I have no idea. Again, this was at night! And no, no alcohol or illegal substances were involved. Just sheer stupidity, testosterone and terror! 

I had heard about Bloukrans Bridge when my daughter and I committed to going to South Africa on mission several years back. Because of Bloukrans Bridge I almost didn't make the trip. I knew that to go meant to face my fear. Somehow or another, we would end up at Bloukrans Bridge, home of the Guinness Book of World Records highest commercial bungee jump at 708 feet. I almost didn't go, I thank God I did.

That's a person in the red circle!

On the plane from Washington Dulles to Johannesburg, RSA one of our group was sporting a shirt from his previous Bloukrans experience. On the back in bold letters it read, FEAR IS TEMPORARY, REGRET IS FOREVER. That's sobering and challenging. The front of the shirt reads, FACE YOUR FEARS. (I now have one!)

As I scooted out to the edge of the platform overlooking the gorge dividing the Eastern and Western Capes of South Africa the mantra banged around in my spinning head... fear is temporary, regret is forever. I was there because I knew when I left Kansas City it meant facing my fear at Bloukrans. "Three... Two... One... Bungee!" yelled the dudes that strapped me up (and they were truly dudes). The swan dive you see in the picture was on purpose. I knew there were cameras. But I didn't know how much that picture would mean to me later; or what it does inside every time I see it. 

LEAP! ...fear is temporary, regret is forever...

I crossed the Fit50! starting line yesterday. (And no, I wasn't... "indisposed" (see last post) when the starter's pistol was fired). I was out of town on business. After dinner - during which I was forced to wear a chicken hat and do a chicken dance as punishment for being born on that day - I hit the hotel elliptical and treadmill. (Fit50! after all). Afterward, as I sat in my hotel room contemplating fifty, I flipped on the TV. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was on. There is a scene where Walter long boards down a winding Icelandic road toward a volcano. It is a beautiful picture of the freedom that comes from taking a LEAP. 

So I don't want to do it often, but tonight I'm reflecting just a little on the starting line. Fifty is a little surreal. I don't feel it... I'm told I don't look it - but really, what are people supposed to say? The fitness goals I'd hoped to attain by the Fit50! starting line... I'm there! (I'm actually going to have to go buy pants that fit this weekend). 

What do I hope to accomplish in this Fit50! year? Some of my goals are a little too personal for public consumption and some are still being formulated. In Chariots of Fire Eric Liddel says... "I believe God made me for a purpose. But he also made me fast. And when I run I feel his pleasure."

So, here are the two blanks I'm working to fill in, and I'm laying down the same challenge to you... I believe God made me for a purpose. But he also made me ___________. And when I ________, I feel his pleasure!!!

For now...

D

A couple thoughts the night before 50...

I've run one marathon... my first, and probably my only. To ensure the degree of difficulty, it was a trail marathon; complete with hills and valleys, and lots of rocks and roots to stumble on. (As a matter of fact, I full-on face planted twice). But the thing I remember most? The start.

I was extremely nervous and stressed leading up to the beginning of the run. I hadn't trained as I should and had never run an endurance race prior. OK, this is humbling, but the truth is when the starting gun went off... I was in the porta-john. Yep, nerves got the best of me. There I was when I heard the starting gun fire! When I emerged everyone was gone. I mean ghost town! The back of the pack had already rounded a corner and was out of site.

So there I was, nervous, not properly trained, unsure of myself, and now completely alone and a quarter mile behind the last person in the pack. Now, I was not running the marathon to win. I didn't have a goal time in mind. Truth be told, I walked as much as I ran, and my only goal was to finish standing up. And finish I did. I passed many people on my way and nearly sprinted the final three miles; finally stopping to walk the last 20 yards because our CEO (an avid ultra marathoner) said no one walks across the finish. Yes I'm a smart-ass.

And yet, it's not the finish line that sticks out in my memory. It was the beginning - being in the john at the starting gun. That is no way to start.

In a couple hours I'm 50. You can say, "It's just a number." OK, but it's a significant number. Who knows where the finish line is - for any of us. Sure, I thought some things would be different and others more settled by this point. But I'm looking at 50 as a NEW STARTING LINE. And this time I've trained! This time I'm ready. And I'm not in the metaphorical porta-john!!!

So hold the pistol high. Pull the trigger. My shoes are tied, I have my too-short little running shorts on. I'm ready to run. And this time I'm running to win!

For now...
D

p = m • v (mutnemoMomentum)

mo·men·tum

 noun \mō-ˈmen-təm, mə-\

: the strength or force that something has when it is moving

: the strength or force that allows something to continue or     to grow stronger or faster as time passes

:  strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events

Momentum... 

That is a great word. It seems to me a powerful word. There are components of momentum that lie beneath the surface and are fundamentally necessary. Without movement, there is no momentum. And without motivation, there is no movement. So, motivation produces movement and movement produces momentum. I hate letting the twists out of the bag too early, but here's one... Momentum can go either way! We can be motivated to movement in a negative or positive direction., and thus pick up momentum that destroys or builds... mutnemoMomentum! (Get it?). Oh, by the way... IT'S YOUR CHOICE!

I wrote a little about locker room speeches a while back. I didn't mean to diminish the importance of a moving get-fired-up speech, just to put them in context. I've heard both good and bad ones. Who can forget Bluto's (John Belushi) rousing pep-talk to his Delta brothers? "What? Over? Did you say, 'over'? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!..." (As a leader and Senior Pastor, I delivered many fiery "Bluto" speeches, only to lead the charge out the door with no one coming behind! If you are not tracking with me right now, you REALLY need to get to Redbox immediately and rent Animal House!!!)

As locker room speeches go, Kurt Russell's rendition of Herb Brooks' speech to Team USA in the movie Miracle takes the cake. 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid, NY; Team USA is about to take the ice in a monumental David and Goliath battle with the juggernaut Soviet team, The Soviets hadn't been beaten in a decade and only once in 20 years. (Please read that last line again!). Team USA is made up of a bunch of college kids with very little to no international experience, and the weight of a hurting and hopeful nation sits heavily on their backs. Oh yeah... Team USA is phenomenally talented and beginning to believe it! Team USA is gaining momentum.

Coach Brooks walks into the dead silent locker room. The air is syrupy-thick with nerves, tension and excitement. He begins: "Great moments... are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here tonight boys. That's what you've earned here tonight... Tonight, WE are the greatest hockey team in the world! You were born to be hockey players; every on of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time... this is your time... NOW GO OUT THERE AND TAKE IT! (If I could skate and if it weren't 90 degrees in OKC right now, I'd be body-checking some little figure skater into the boards before this posts!)

In the cycle of Motivation... Movement... Momentum... each component is crucial and needs to be continually addressed, evaluated and empowered. Am I Focused on the right things? Am I headed in the direction of my MAIN THING(s)? Am I picking up steam, or am I, for some reason, slowing? Evaluate, adjust, move.

(Coming up in future posts: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation - and some powerful stuff from Daniel Pink and Tony Robbins)

I am not a good boat driver. It freaks me out when I have factors like current, waves, wind and other boats; especially when trying to idle up to a dock or slip. At speed, I'm fine. We've all heard it said that you cannot steer a ship that is not moving. I read a couple theories on what could have been done to keep the Titanic from sinking; and thus avoid the catastrophic loss of life. First Officer William Murdoch apparently did two things that worked against one another. He reversed the engines and tried to steer away from the iceberg. I read that if he had reversed the engines and hit the iceberg head on, the collision would have been more violent, but the ship would have survived the impact. I like the second theory even better because it self-servingly fits my theme. If Murdoch had kept the forward momentum - the titanic was at near max speed at the time - and turned hard away, then back and around (hard to port then starboard) the iceberg may have been avoided all together. (Two notes: (1) To the nautically challenged: Port = left; Starboard = right; I had to look it up! and; (2) The famous "Hard-a-starboard" order from Titanic's helm was based on the fact that at the time steering orders referred to the direction of the stern and not the bow. Again, Google is my friend).

OK... enough with the history lesson, what about Jack and Rose? Whoops, different subject all together. Here's the point... MOMENTUM ACCENTUATES THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADJUSTMENT!  

At times I can sit motionless... stagnant, worrying about potential future course adjustments; all the while allowing the winds of circumstance to blow me ever closer to the jagged rocks!

So here's my challenge (to me - you can join if you'd like): MOVE! Incredible things can happen!!!

For now,
D

A word about... um, what was I saying?... oh yeah, FOCUS!

TMTITKTMTTMT

A very successful man once wrote: "... not that I have already obtained (perfection), or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on... one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal..."  Some of you are ahead of me. That's a partial quote of the Apostle Paul in a very personal letter he wrote to a church. But you don't have to be religious, Christian or whatever to extract meaning from those words. (I do believe the true meaning however, is deeply spiritual).

Catch the momentum: I'm not there yet...but my focus is intense... nothing will distract me - good, bad or indifferent - MY EYES ARE ON THE PRIZE... And I'm moving that way! That is FOCUS! That is the power of a compelling vision. And remember it is this kind of Focused Compelling Vision (see what I did there?) that empowers us to live out of our imagination instead of our memory. 

Focus sets Direction... and Direction determines Destination. More on this later as we talk about the Principle of the Path (something I borrowed from a preacher named Andy Stanley).

I learned to snowboard after skiing for many years. Feet claustrophobically bound together on this plank, standing at the top of the (very small) hill. The instructor told us that when we want to turn, first look where we want to go. Then point where we want to go. And Commit to it. "You will go there," he said. It sounded too simple... look, point, commit. The bruises proved that although it was simple in concept, it was painfully difficult in execution!

But isn't that the point? Isn't that why we need to continually focus on a compelling vision that radically motivates? Each of us has been bruised up. Ego bruises. Heart bruises. Career bruises. Relationship bruises. Dead and dying dreams get shelved away in some dank corner only to be pulled out and unwrapped for the sake of reminiscing and a renewed sense of self-doubt. Wow, depressing... I need to right a country song about that! But pretty true - right? Or am I alone?

So what does it take to keep a dream alive? First, and here's a "duh" moment, it takes the right dream. This is the clear and compelling (inner) vision. It is more than a want, more than a "wouldn't it be nice if..."  This is that thing that captures the mind and captivates the heart. There can be many facets, many streams, but they must all run in the same direction and tie in to the current of THE VISION. Only you can determine what it is for you. A parent can't, an education can't, a religion can't. It must burst up within; or, if you are like me, it slowly nags it's way into your consciousness and just won't go away. This vision must be identified, articulated, embraced, questioned and fostered.

As I've written in previous posts, Fit50! began as a fitness target for my 50th birthday. And I will be updating the fitness aspect of my journey shortly. However Fit50! quickly morphed into more... into something bigger. It has and is becoming a Compelling Vision that encompasses every area of my life and will drive through this 50th year and beyond. In other words, what began as a challenge with next Tuesday (YEP!) being the finish line has changed. I now view 50 as my new STARTING LINE! And I'm freaking excited about it!

Next time: Motivation... Movement... Momentum...     

TMTITKTMTTMT = The Main Thing Is To Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing!

For now...
D

Saturday... (Life is Good!)

To Do List:

• Morning coffee with a great friend: (check)
• Hit the gym on a non-lifting day:
• 10 minutes and 2000 meters on the rower (check)
• 10 minutes interval sprints on elliptical (check)
• 10 minutes interval sprints on treadmill (check)
• Core work (check)
• Tailgate with my son, Boomer Sooner daughter and friends in Norman (check)
• Settle in at home to watch football with my son (check)
• Call my USC Trojan to say, "Dad loves you." (check)

Life is good!

D

The Notebook

Your Inner Movie...

(you wanted deep? this is as deep as I go)

I have a lot of wishes; a bunch of wants. I'm fairly in tune with many of them. Others linger below the surface to pop up due to any given circumstance or emotion; for example, when personal demands are high, or resources are low, or when a relationship stings. But wishes and wants don't drive us. They don't propel us to anything meaningful, long-lasting or impactful. Only a compelling vision can do that. A compelling vision is a picture or better, a movie played deep in the mind, in the heart, in the soul. A compelling vision gives us, as Stephen Covey puts it, "... capacity to live out of our imagination instead of our memory." (Let that one sink in - it's powerful).

However, the theater is already dark and another film is showing. This internal movie defines how we view ourselves, how we act and react, who we are and who we are becoming. It has been in production deep within for a long time. And frankly, it can be as bad as From Justin to Kelly (IMDB rated the 21st worst movie of all time).  Good news: It can (and must) be changed. Bad news: We really like to watch reruns. A fresh example: I recently read a post on a site where a woman shared a struggle. This woman, who has lost a staggering amount of weight, begun a healthy lifestyle and changed her life for the better, closed with, "... I am a chronic emotional over-eater..." NO SHE'S NOT! I normally don't do it, but I responded to her: "You have rewritten the script of your life, you've changed the movie, you've altered the ending..." Some things had come up, difficulties; life smacked her in the face and she began reading from the old script. The other projector fired up with the old film reels still queued up.

The Apostle Paul put it this way, "If a person is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. The old things have passed away, and all things are new" (my paraphrase). TRANSFORMATION! This is speaking of spiritual transformation, but the principle applies to all of life. We can be transformed little by little in every area of our lives daily. Religious or not, we can rewrite our inner movie.

These concepts are especially pertinent for me... right now! I am in the midst of rewriting my movie - I have been for a while. I refuse to live by the script that others or circumstances are trying to write for me. But there are those damn reruns that keep popping up like old Brady Bunch or Gilligan's Island episodes. I'm not talking about PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) alone. I don't want to be Stuart Smalley staring into a mirror, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and, doggonit, people like me!" Daily affirmations alone won't rewrite the script. I'm going to come back to this with something POWERFUL I saw from Tony Robbins in a later post. And I'm going to return to this concept of rewriting our movie, but for now my typing fingers are getting tired. (Those who heard hundreds of my sermons know I don't get tired in voice!) For now I'm going to leave it hanging there...

So why the title? Back to what Covey said, "... to live out of our imagination instead of our memory." Until very recently, I'd never seen The Notebook. If we were talking - instead of me writing right now - I would have air-quoted the word seen. The Notebook was on TV the other day, and it was fantastic! But it was better the first time. The first time I listened to the movie while it played on the car DVD system; so I didn't see it with my eyes. I saw it with my imagination - and I was Ryan Gosling/James Garner! (For the testosterone-filled reader, make no mistake, I am also William Wallace and Maximus Decimus Meridius). And though watching moved me - and yes I teared-up - it was more powerful when it was internal... in my imagination.

"...to live out of our imagination instead of our memory..."

For now...

D