Note:  This is a VERY LONG overdue gratitude post.  It was first written on September 14th, ten days ago.  As you all saw in a previous post, as I was writing it, the Akron, OH area had a massive power outage.  Then I had to leave for a week-long business/pleasure trip.  I am just getting back into the groove again - this is my first full fledged post in over a two weeks. (Photo Credit:  Shelly)

So, here’s the deal.

We will hold off on the Stephen Hopson Interviews for another week to give those who are on the list of upcoming guests more time to compose their replies.    Today, I’ll share with you gratitude #45 and on Friday I’ll add #46.   That way we’re caught up with my weekly gratitude posts.   Okay?

Next Wednesday, we’ll start up with the interviews again.    In between my weekly gratitude and interview posts, I’ll throw in whatever I am inspired to share with you.  How’s that?

Now, here’s what I began to write during the week the power went out:

This has been an interesting week because for one thing, the “Tim Ferris Diet” ended and a new 30 day experiment started with incredible results.  Long before I was done with the Ferris experiment, I had been investigating the idea of experimenting with “raw/living” foods.  The idea of making green smoothies for breakfast always fascinated me.

I’ve heard so much about the power of packing a ton of nutrients with nothing by raw fruit and vegetables in a top-of-the-line blender and drinking it a couple times a day.   I’ve already read two books about this lifestyle, both of which were excellent - I even bought one of them for my mother!

Today, I’m incredibly thankful to share the following:

Tim Ferris Diet Prepared Me For…..

Looking back, I began the summer at 178 lbs.  I felt lethargic throughout the day, wasn’t motivated to workout and didn’t really watch what I was eating most of the time.

I hardly had much energy to get through the afternoons, which reduced my desire to get things done.   I knew I was not taking proper care of my body, mind and spirit.   That’s when I decided to make a firm decision to alter the way I was treating my temple.   I prayed that I’d find a healthier lifestyle that would inspire me to exercise on a regular basis again (I’ve had an on-off love affair with the gym for years).

Enter Ron “Buzzoodle” McDaniel who invited me to a networking event in Akron.  That’s when I saw he had lost a lot of weight.   He eventually told me it was the “Tim Ferris Diet” that helped him lose 47 lbs. over several months.

Intrigued, I found Tim Ferris’ blog where he wrote how you could lose 20 pounds in 30 days without exercising.    I was a little skeptical about the “no exercise” claim but was impressed with the thousands of comments left at Tim’s blog about their own success with the diet.  So I decided to try it for 30 days myself.

Now that it’s over, I realize that while I had moderate success with the program, it was not meant for me to continue on a lifetime basis.  If you missed the final report (with photos and stats), you can see it by reading How I will NOT Lose 20 lbs. in 30 Days………

Looking back, I now know this experiment was training me for another 30 day trial that I believe will ultimately turn out to be a much healthier and sustainable lifestyle.   I learned how to be more disciplined, hold myself accountable (to all of you here at Adversity University), keep the focus and stay motivated.  It also made me aware of the importance of conscious eating, not to mention the way it forever changed how I looked at grocery shopping.

In other words, I was experiencing a consciousness shift to prepare me for the next phase.   Like I did with the “Tim Ferris Diet,” I will be posting updates complete with photos, stats and lessons learned.   Believe it or not, this new lifestyle change actually began two weeks ago, which means I’m way behind with the updates but I’ll get there - hang in there with me!

Humorous Speech Contest

On Wednesday, September 10, 2008 my local Toastmasters club held a humorous speech contest where contestants had between 5 to 7 minutes to tickle everybody’s funny bone.  The winner would go on to the next level, the Area Contest.

As a professional speaker, I don’t bill myself as a humorist speaker but I do have talent for “natural” humor.  What that means is I don’t purposefully crack jokes or even try to be funny.   It just comes out naturally in the stories I tell.

What you may or may not know that over 10 years ago I advanced all the way up to the Divisional Level when I was a member of Toastmasters in New York City.   I beat out Julie Morgenstern, who would eventually go on to become best-selling author of “Organizing from the Inside Out” and appear on Oprah a few times.   I don’t know if she’s still a member of Toastmasters but I am because it keeps my speaking skills sharp even though I now get paid thousands of dollars to speak.

What I love about Toastmasters is the comradeship and continuous constructive feedback.    It so happens that a handful of people in my local club are also professional speakers so I know I’m in good company.

Anyway, the topic for this contest was the James Bond Lady Fiasco.

Guess what?

I won!

And now I’m going on to represent the club at the Area Contest being held this coming Saturday, September 27, 2008.   If you’re in the Akron/Cleveland area and you want to come hear me speak, send me a message and I’ll give you the exact location, time, etc.

Come on over and help us fill up the seats and get your funny bone tickled!

Money Laundering Machine

Do you remember the Temperamental Money Laundering Machine story?

About two weeks ago, I went up to the cantankerous machine to insert money for my laundry card when it happened again.

I attempted to insert a clean, crisp $10 bill and not only did it accept it the FIRST time (it almost never does that without a fight!) but it doubled the amount on my card!

Of course, I reported the error to the apartment manager but like the last time, she gave me a high five for “being so lucky!”

I am grateful the universe continues to drop me little gifts from time to time.

Age is Only a Number

Nathalie Lussier of BillionaireWoman.com recently wrote One Number That Has the Power to Change Your Life about how age is just a number.  At the end of her inspiring article, she gave a couple of examples where age is a non-factor when you really want to achieve something extraordinary.  (Photo credit:  Morjorie Newlin–Getting Older).

Consider that Morjorie Newlin, a spunky 86 year old grandma, is a actually champion weightlifter!   She started when she was 72 after realizing she could no longer lift cat food bags.

Not only is she a champion weightlifter, competing in events all over the world (and winning!) but she’s also been on Oprah, appeared in several Barbados TV commercials and given countless motivational speeches.

What a life for a grandmother!  You can be sure she isn’t sitting on her rocking chair, living out the “golden years” on her porch!   Why don’t you read her story, Meet 86 Year Old BodyBuilder Grandma and be inspired?

I know we shouldn’t to compare ourselves but darn it, compared to Morjorie, I’m still a kid!  If she can become a weightlifting champion in her 70’s/80’s, what’s stopping me (or you) from achieving our dreams?

The next time you’re tempted to say, “Oh, I’m too old for that,” hopefully Morjorie’s story will plant a seed of possibility in your mind.

I am very grateful that there are people like this spunky grandmother aren’t letting age stop them from growing stagnant.

Thank you Morjorie!

Letter in the Mail

Every once in a while I receive a nice thank you card or letter from a fan, subscriber or a client.  They usually catch me by surprise because I never know about them until they arrive in my mailbox.

One day, I received a nondescript white envelope with my name and address handwritten on the front.  I could tell it was from Columbus, OH but there was no return address.

Puzzled, I wondered who it was from.  I pulled out a one-page handwritten letter dated September 7, 2008.  On the top left hand corner of the letter was a big red heart.

Curious, I began reading it.   The letter was from a man and woman who were at a retreat for engaged couples.  They were asked by retreat leaders to write a letter to someone who had a positive influence in their lives as a couple.  Apparently, they chose me because of my enthusiasm for life, my willingness to share myself through my talks, my blog and soon my book (Obstacle Illusions:  A Journey of Epic Proportions).

They told me that during the retreat, there was discussion about God’s Hand in their lives and how God acts through people (a concept I very much believe in).

Their letter ended with:

We are sure He introduced us to you to show us how one positive person can influence and change the lives of many.

It was signed simply with “Carl and Suzanne.”

Thank you, who ever you are, for your beautiful, uplifting letter - it really made my day!

New Raw Food Journey

Ever since I began researching into the concept of incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my life (shortly before the “Tim Ferris Diet” was over), I came across Dhrumil Purchit and Anthony Anderson, both raw foodists.

Dhrumil maintains a blog called We Like It Raw while Anthony blogs at Raw Model: The Diet for Beauty, Energy and Mental Clarity.

I am grateful to both of these guys because not only have they responded to my inquiries about the raw food lifestyle but they’ve also given me recommended books to read.   What’s interesting about them is that they aren’t “in-your-face” kind of raw foodists.  They understand that this way of eating might not be for everyone.  If you decide to go 100 percent raw, they’ll cheer you on.   On the other hand, if you decide to incorporate raw/living food into a portion of your meals, they’re cool with that too.    I found their non-judgmental philosophy to be way cool.   It’s how I would treat others coming to me for advice.

Because of their recommendations (and those of others I’ve encountered along the way), I’ve already read both The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose (twice!) and Montel Williams’s Living Well:  21 Days to Transform Your Life, Supercharge Your Health and Feel Spectacular.   I liked Natalia’s book so much I even bought one for my mother!

Natalia and Montel do not advocate going 100 percent raw, especially in the beginning.  They don’t even suggest you even be 100 percent raw for the rest of your life if you find it doesn’t suit you.

As for me, I will end up incorporating 75% - 80% of my meals in the form of raw/living foods while the rest will be carefully selected cooked foods.   I can’t wait to tell you how much weight I’ve already lost since beginning this new experiment two weeks ago!   In future posts, I’ll be sharing outrageously healthy and delicious recipes with you.   You’ll even know what kind of blender I bought!

So stay tuned!

Food for thought:  It’s good to be reconnected with all of you again! I’m grateful to be back into the groove again and even more grateful to share good news with you.  Keep an eye out on the next gratitude post where I’ll give you an update on my speaking engagement at Penn State University and my week long visit with family plus others.

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