Earl was an elephant. He loved the fruit from the trees! He would spend much of his time looking for and reaching up to get the best fruit he could see. But there were fruits that were too high for Earl to reach.
Earl would watch the monkeys screaming and playing in the trees. They would eat the fruits that were high up in the trees. Earl wished his trunk was long enough to reach those fruits, but it was only long enough to reach the low hanging fruits. Earl would eat those low hanging fruits, but in his heart he longed for the fruits up high in the tree. They looked bigger and more colorful, and he could imagine the sweet, sweet taste that was just out of his reach.
One day, Earl called to the monkeys, “Hey! I want some fruit! Can you drop one to me please?”
Mindi the monkey replied, “Why? You have fruit right in front of you. Just reach up and grab it!”
Earl shouted back, “But I want the high fruit! I’m sure it tastes much better than the fruit I can reach!”
Mindi shrugged her shoulders and said, “Okay Earl. Here you go!” And she dropped a fruit to Earl.
Finally! Earl had what he had longed for! He looked at the fruit and thought of all the times he ate that low hanging fruit while dreaming of the high fruit! Now he was going to taste the good fruit and finally see what he had been missing out on.
He took a bite and the fruit hit his tongue. He closed his eyes and tasted the sweetness. He chewed and ate the fruit.
Earl was confused. “This fruit isn’t any sweeter than the fruit I’ve been eating! I was so sure it would be better, but it’s exactly the same!”
Mindi climbed down the tree and looked at Earl. “I was wondering why you so wanted the high fruit!”
Earl asked, “Why do you eat the high fruit Mindi? Why do you climb so high to get them when there are fruits that are low?”
Mindi replied, “The high fruit is easiest for me to get, because I live high in the trees. Why would I travel so far to get the low hanging fruit when I can simply reach out and eat the fruit that is within my reach?”
Earl thought about all the time he had wasted dreaming of the high fruit and not enjoying the fruit he had right within the reach of his trunk!
“Never again will I long for something without enjoying what I have. I will dream, but not at the cost of the moment. I’m going to enjoy the fruit I can eat – the low hanging fruit – and truly savor what I have within the reach of my own trunk!”
In your life, what are you dreaming of? Dreams are great, but if you are only able to see the dream, what are you doing with the moment – with right now? Don’t spend your life running so fast toward your goal that you pass by the life you have now. Sometimes the greatest joy can come from the low hanging fruit, so look for that first – and enjoy it – and keep reaching high for the stars as you do! If you are a steward with what you have, more will surely follow!
‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.’ (Matthew 25:21 NIV)
In the Journey Training, I often use the phrase “choose and move.” I love this statement, and so I use this all the time. When I am driving, if you’re a passenger in my car, you would possibly hear me yell, “C’mon buddy, choose and move!” How about when this happens at the mall? It is December at the mall, walking down the corridor, hundreds of people around me. Everything is moving along at a good pace, kind of like a herd of cattle, until someone stops right in front of you. You come to a screeching halt to avoid running into them, and then everyone behind you is doing the same. Not choosing and moving caused a 9 person holiday pileup.
Even if I don’t know exactly what to do, I choose and move. I may not have all the facts, but I will make a choice and act on it. Sometimes I will move without all the facts, and it ends up messing things up, and other times I may wait, producing an outcome that is not what I wanted.
I have 6 kids, and one thing I have learned is when to tell your kid is sick. I remember my son Casey once came in to me, about 18 months old and had a certain look. As a parent, you just know! I knew what this look was, but I knelt down and started trying to over-analyze it. He was whining, and kind of crying. “How are you feeling Casey, does your head hurt?”
“No”, he whined. I had him breathe in and out, then I put my hand on his stomach, and I felt it turn…HOLY POOPY! I knew what was about to happen.
I yelled “NOELL,” grabbed Casey, threw him on my shoulder and bolted to the bathroom, which was on the other side of the house. We made it half way there before he exploded, puking everywhere; since we were running to the bathroom it was like crop dusting. I got him to the toilet, and we got him all situated. Then, once the adrenaline stopped, I assessed the situation. He started throwing up down the hall, so it was at head height on the west side wall, for about 17 feet. When we tried to set him down by the toilet, in the adjustment, he belched out another, and that took care of most of the restroom. It was in my ear, on my glasses, and right into my mouth. By the time Noell got there, I looked like I just got out of battle, and stood in my suit, dripping, spitting, and wiping whatever Casey had for breakfast and lunch off my glasses.
If I hadn’t made a choice and moved, the situation could have been significantly worse.
When I know I need to move on something, here is why I am passionate:
- The window of opportunity may not be open long.
- I may lose the passion if I delay
- Once I get it done, I can move on to other things.
What do you need to move on today?
You can learn tools such as these fromThrive15.com an online 24-hour a day “edutainment” “edutainment” platform that helps people learn from Millionaires, Moguls and everyday success stories like me. You can use my access code 2inspire and get a FREE 30 day membership.
Have you ever heard someone say, “That was a defining moment?” Have you ever stopped to think about what that really means?
We all know the obvious “life changers” like getting married, having children, or graduating from college. They could even be negative such as the loss of a loved one, an automobile accident, or a divorce. But what about the other ones?
You may be wondering which ones I am meaning. I’m talking about those defining moments that make up who you are. Have you ever wondered why you do the things you do? And on the other hand, why you don’t do the things you should do?
We are a product of our experiences. We don’t always remember our experiences. For example, we learn at an early age that when we cry, help would come. Perhaps I began to associate my feeling with food, because my mother probably fed me to make me stop crying. Could that be a small part of the reason I grew to 460 pounds – and continue to struggle with food, especially when I am lonely, in pain, or angry? Who knows? But I want to find out! You can read about some of my defining moments at TheDannyCahill.com
The truth is when we are born, our incredible brain starts recording every experience we have, along with the outcome, and we form beliefs – beliefs that serve us and beliefs that don’t serve us. We are a product of our beliefs. Most of the decisions we make are not made by us – they are made by our beliefs. And most of our beliefs were created by memories we may not even remember.
This simple knowledge can help us to change our behaviors. If you chop the weed off at the surface, it will grow back. But if you dig up the root, you can remove it for good. The same thing goes with our behavior. If you want to change the behavior you must get to the belief – the root – of why you do what you do.
Change is an inside-out transformation; not outside-in. Want to change your behavior – and in turn your results? Then find out where your beliefs may be missing the mark. The bible verse, “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” (Romans 7:20 NIV)
The good thing is that you can change. Each month in The Journey Training, we watch people find some of those beliefs that produce behaviors they don’t want anymore. They can deal with that “weed” and pull it up for good! If you’d like to learn more about The Journey Training, just go the www.thejourneytraining.com.
Have you ever noticed that not every person is wired for achieving goals?
Many successful people each year pull away and write out their goals. If I was telling you to do that here is what I would say:
Use the “Lower Level Doofus Method.” Keep it simple – especially if you have not done this before, or if you have done it over and over and it has not worked. At The Journey Training we call this the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and wondering why it does not work. Even Albert Einstein agrees with me on that.
In some cases it is more important that you actually achieve your goal than what the goal itself is.
Make it measurable
Example: I want to lose weight
Well, having a great BM would certainly take care of that, right? However, I am certain that’s not what you’re looking for. So let’s break it down.
Lower Level Doofus Method
- What? I want to lose 10 lbs.
- When? over the next 2 month.
- How? This is where people get crazy. They say “I will walk 1 hour a day every day.” Come on, lets be realistic. You get winded going up the stairs on your back porch, and now you’re saying tomorrow your going to do this? Dumb it down a little…
- How? Change how I eat.
- How? Eat healthier.
- How? Have better food in the house.
- How? Empty the refrigerator and pantry of all junk food. Here it is! These are the simple goals you should set.
Lets try this again.
My goal is to lose 10 lbs over the next 2 months.
- Step one. Empty the refrigerator by friday of this week.
- Step two. Go to the store and get healthy food. (assuming you know what that is)
- Step three. Cook healthy food.
It looks simple, but many of us make it too complicated. HERE is the secret sauce:
Who is holding you accountable?
You? Seriously, if that is the case, how come you did not hit this goal 5 years ago?
You want to hit your goal? Then shout it, SHOUT IT! SHARE IT! This is why hiring a trainer works. We feel like we have to go see him because were paying him, and then we don’t want to share how we did not hit our goal.
Our number one need is acceptance.
Because of that, we naturally don’t want to share that we are trying something, just in case we don’t hit it. So if you really want to hit your goal, share it. Tell as many people as you can about it. You will find that we will do whatever it takes to not be embarrassed. We will do whatever we need to in order to feel accepted. There is a site called Thrive15.com and one of the mentors, Dr. Z, says when it comes to breakfast, be the pig – not the chicken. You see, if you’re having bacon and eggs, the pig is committed, while the chicken is just a participant.
Here are the 3 things you need to do to achieve your goals.
- Use the Lower Level Doofus Method on your goals.
- Get an accountability partner.
- Be the pig, not the chicken.
Well, now you’ve probably set some New Year’s resolutions for yourself. That is great! We all need goals to aim for! Now I ask the question, how are you going to reach those goals?
A goal is great, but you also need a plan to get there. Here are some tips I suggest for your success in 2015.
Write it down
A goal that is not written down is merely a thought. Thoughts get lost. I have written songs that were incredible, only to not write it down and forget about it the next day. Something that could have been great was merely a moment; a moment that could never be shared again.
We need to remind ourselves of our goal. The first step is to write it down; make it something you can see every day so you won’t forget it.
Make a plan
A goal without a plan is merely a wish. I’ve rarely wished something into existence. It could happen, but the odds are against you! If you want to make your goal an intention instead of a wish, make a plan.
You’ll first need to break your goal up into smaller goals. My goal is to lose 40 pounds in 90 days. So I am going to make some lofty goals for the first month. I’ll bite off 15 pounds for the first month. That’s roughly ½ pound per day, or a 1750 calorie deficit. I’ll plan to burn at least 1250 calories per day in workouts and decrease my meal plan by 500 calories to 1500 calories per day to create that deficit. Now I know the numbers, which is step 1 of planning.
Step 2 is to make the plan by actually planning the month. I will get a calendar and write down my workouts, who the workouts are with and what time/place the workouts will be. I’ve learned that if it doesn’t get on the calendar, it usually doesn’t get done.
Step 3 is planning my meals. I will use my Simply Lose it™ Meal Plan and write down each week’s meals along with a grocery list. I’ll pre-prepare what I can on Sunday, and know exactly what I’m going to eat, including snacks. Now that my plan is in place, it’s time to make that intention more clear.
Find your why
Now it’s time to clarify why you want to achieve this goal. My why is my career. My career as a health coach will be much better if I am at and maintain my goal weight. Sure, I’m still 200 pounds down from my heaviest point of my life, but I don’t want to give my clients an excuse to settle for less than the best. My goal isn’t to look like a muscle man, just a healthy man at a healthy weight. So my why is my studio, my Simply Lose It™ Plan, and to feel extremely confident about myself again. I am going to visualize my own fitness studio, my QVC deal on television, and the tens of thousands of people I’ll be helping through both! When I want to quit or I have an opportunity to skip a workout or eat a burger, I’ll close my eyes and see those things in my head.
A plan without action is just a dream
Dreams are great. They help you visualize your why and the life you want. But without action, those dreams will remain unrealized. So take the first step. For many, resolutions, action will never materialize. Don’t let that be your resolution. Be the one who realizes your goal, and in turn your dream and the life you truly want.
Want more help? Then take action and look into signing up for The Journey Training, which can help you learn about yourself, and in turn help remove many of the roadblocks that get in the way of your goals and dreams. Go to www.thejourneytraining.com and check it out! And I hope to see you in the very next Threshold class!
I’ve been thinking and praying for several days about how to share my thoughts on what I’ve been witnessing on Facebook. I love it when God sends the perfect message to help me focus my thoughts and get things started. I received this today, found in James3:9-10.
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praising and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” NIV (New International Version)
Unfortunately, what I’m seeing the most on Facebook these days is more cursing than praising. Many people are joining in what I’ll call the “virtual riot” of the moment about abusive police officers, racist white people, protesting black people, our president, republicans, democrats, Muslims, Christians, etc. People are commenting on and sharing things based on anger and hatred that are only meant to humiliate, denigrate, demean, or condemn another person, race, or religion.
These posts have nothing to do with actual solutions. They only add fuel to the fire and encourage others to join in the virtual riot. That place where anyone can sit safely behind a little screen and never actually participate in a real discussion with those that they are so bravely cursing at. And when others join in, it justifies their feelings and comments and makes them feel so right!
I’m a very proud American citizen! I believe in our right to free speech and I served in our military for 20 years to protect it. I’m not saying that we don’t have the right to speak what’s on our minds. I’m asking us all to make the choice to really think about what we say before we say it! Is what we have to say constructive or destructive? Would God want us to post and share these things?
I know in my heart that we can all do better on this!
In The Journey Training we believe EVERY person is a child of God who has value beyond measure and deserves to be loved as God loves them.
As Christians, we are called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Jesus gives all Christians these words as part of the great commandment. He does not say “please do this”, or “please think about this”. He commands us to do this!
The easiest thing to do is to follow the crowd, join the anger and hatred, and go along with the rioting mob. The hardest thing to do is something different from the crowd – to choose to love someone, as a person created in the image of God – even if that person has done something that we think is wrong or hurtful.
Loving our neighbor doesn’t mean they get a free pass to do whatever they want. Loving our neighbor means that we are willing to help them see when they are not being who they were created to be and that there is another choice or choices they could make.
Loving them means we do this with honesty and grace, without humiliating them, condemning them, or crushing their spirit. It means we do the hard work to build them up to be the man or woman that God created them to be, not what the world has told them to be or told them that they are. Loving them means we do this with dignity and respect while we may disagree.
As we head into 2015, I challenge all of us to make the CHOICE to look at things from another PERSPECTIVE and do something DIFFERENT!
Stop doing the easy thing by participating in the virtual riots that are based in anger and hatred!
Make the harder choice. Have the courage to live your life from a foundation of LOVE. Look for ways to build people up to be the best they can be instead of tearing them down.
If you can’t imagine how to do this or you don’t think it’s possible, check out The Journey Training. Come join us in 2015!
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