This Time I Mean It

Getting Past What Holds You Back with Baby Boomer Weight Loss Expert Scott 'Q' Marcus

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Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life

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As I remember the broad strokes, college students – the guinea pigs of most psychology experiments – were divided into two sections.

Both groups were given monologues that they were to earnestly perform for an audience. One group was well compensated for their involvement; the other was not.

The content of the scripts was what sensible, civilized, average people would find distasteful, even abhorrent. As illustration, the Jewish people should have been exterminated in World War II, or slavery was actually positive for African Americans and should be reinstated.

Using a psychological evaluation prior to their performances, each actor was rated on a one-to-five scale as to how much their beliefs were in alignment what they were about to perform. Upon completion, they were again assessed as to their level of agreement. The purpose of these measurements was to understand if the students’ beliefs moved in the direction of what was espoused in their scripts after they performed them.

The results were striking.

[Read more…]

Twenty Two Years – One Step at a Time

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In September 1993, the thing for men was silk long-sleeve shirts hiked to the elbow, and bold, brightly colored ties.

Radio stations played The River of Dreams by Billy Joel, Runaway Train by Soul Asylum, and Reason to Believe by Rod Stewart. True Romance, A Bronx Tale and The Joy Luck Club flickered on movie screens. Television’s offerings included Murphy Brown, Roseanne, and Seinfeld. The Internet – as we know it now – didn’t exist. Email was in its infancy (but I’m sure there was spam). Our president was Bill Clinton with Tom Foley as the Speaker of the House. Finally, news stories included PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shaking hands; and the continued legal fallout from the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco.

fat me

The biggest news story in my world was my 39th birthday on September 28 and that my life was careening out of control.

I suffered from severe back and chest pains; my finances were a mess; my marriage was hanging by a thread — and I topped the scales at 250 pounds. Taking self-inventory, I came to the shocking realization that what was in common among all these difficulties was me; I had become my own enemy.

From past experience, I knew that my canary in the coalmine was my eating.

When I got that under control, everything else fell in place. But if you added up all the weight I had lost (and then regained) over the course of my not-quite-forty-years, I’m sure it would have been in the thousands. I had even helped others lose weight. Yet, I always regained it, reverted to old habits over time.

Defeated, overwhelmed, and hopeless – but seeing no alternatives — I opted to try “one last time,” promising myself that by September 28, 1994, I’d be “fit, fun, and fiscally sound.”

It was that despair that led me to action. I went to a meeting; I reached out.

A small step, yes, but still it was movement. When I entered the room, I wanted to fall through a hole in the floor. It took every ounce of will I could muster to prevent from turning and running to the nearest bakery.

Yet I stayed; one more small step.

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Ten Ways You Know You’re Prosperous

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need to give money on corner

I don’t know whether it’s an age thing or not but I am now finding myself at a stage in life where I’m actually, honest-to-goodness, really, truly working on my prosperity.

No longer am I just “talking the talk;” I’m “walking the walk.” I signed up for a class about prosperity consciousness. I even joined an investment club where we take real dollars, do actual research, and make genuine investments. We’re like grown ups!

Don’t misunderstand; I have no interest in gaudy bling, driving a Lamborghini Veneno, using $100 bills to ignite “King of Denmark” cigars, and vacationing at the Mantangi Private Island Resort in Fiji. It’s not like that at all.

Actually, according to Eric Butterworth, author of the popular book, Spiritual Economics, “prosperity” is derived from the Latin root, which translates: “according to hope” or “to go forward hopefully.” Therefore, instead of assuming the dark cloud will push its way out from behind the silver lining, I’m changing my expectations from those of lack to beliefs that everything is going to turn out the way I need it when I do.

This is not like switching on a light.

One doesn’t go from Winnie the Pooh’s Eeyore to Inside Out’s Joy overnight. Years of trudging down a worried road have left well-defined ruts in my consciousness. I must actively work it; especially when things don’t seem to be heading in what I would describe as a “hopeful” direction. You know, the roof leaks. (Ka-ching!) You need to take out a second mortgage just to buy groceries. (Ka-ching!) One of your largest, more regular clients decides to go in “another direction.” (Ka-ching!) Each time I get hit, it can throw me back on my heels. After all, it’s hard to feel “prosperous” when you’re robbing Peter to pay Paul.

So, I’m learning to expand my definition of what actually is prosperity.

For example, you have more money than a Sheik, but if your health is preventing you from enjoying life, your personality is a toxic waste dump, and you come home to an empty — albeit well furnished — home at days end, I think we’d all put down money saying you’re not prosperous. Like so much in life, it’s not about what you have, but about your attitude about what you have.

Therefore, in the interest of lightening attitudes, and reminding us that prosperity comes in many forms — including humor — I put forth Ten Ways You Didn’t Even Know You Were Already Prosperous.

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No Longer in my Twenties

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Recently, I had a revelation: I am no longer in my twenties.

grumpy-old-man-with-cane

There were obvious signs prior to this new dawning.

For example, of late, in order to read small print, I must either remove my glasses or post the document across the room. Conversely, I must also use the “zoom” feature on my computer monitor to increase font size for virtually everything on screen.

I also must admit a tinge of guilt in continuing to list “brown” as my hair color on driver’s license applications. Rather, “gray with a small bit of brown remaining” is more appropriate. (Since there is not enough space to use this accurate description, I rationalize “brown” as being as honest as possible.)

Oh yes, one other indicator that I am no longer in my twenties is that I am the biological father of a 31-year-old. Even the most forward thinking and mature twenty-something would be hard pressed to have 31-year-old offspring.

Alas, despite this ever-growing chorus of facts, the dawning of my age did not fully appear until I weighed myself last week.

[Read more…]

How will Your Future Self Differ from Your Current Self?

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Warning! This is going to get a bit heady.

We exist in three times:

  • Past Self
  • Present Self
  • Future Self

Obviously, we can do nothing about our Past Self. Our Future Self is not yet here. The only Self we control is our Present Self.

If we want our Future Self to be whatever we tern as “successful,” we have to start directing our Present Self to become that person.

To do that, we need to ask ourselves  questions. [Read more…]

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Scott "Q" Marcus 707 442 6243 scottq@scottqmarcus.com

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