Keep it in Perspective

October 29, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Keep things in perspective.

We’ve had a rough couple of days at our house. It seems like the fates are conspiring to cost us money.

We’ve had to hire someone to do some painting on the exterior of our house where the wood was starting to show through.
We have some windows where the framing is leaking and causing some rot. That’ll set up back some coin.
Our bathroom is leaking. We heed a new shower head, some plumbing repairs, and – because of the leak – we’ll probably need some floor repairs
As November approaches, we’re finally ready to put on the heater. Guess what? It’s not working! I’m sure that will cost us something.
On top of all that, a few family members have hit some rough patches. When you’re family (in whatever definition you choose that to be), you step in. So we have.

I was getting a little nervous about all the out-pouring of money.

And then, I realized that at least i don’t have a hurricane barreling down on my neighborhood and I remembered after Hurricane Katrina, we lost contact with a friend who was in its path. We were scared that something had happened to her. Several days later, she contacted us. She was okay. However, the roof of her house was gone. She said she was really blessed.

“Blessed,” I asked? “You just lost your house.”

“But I’m still here to tell you. And everyone is fine. I’m really lucky.”

It was a great lesson.

Sometimes, we’re better off than we realize – especially when we have others who watch over us.

(To our friends in the path of Hurricane Sandy – we’re thinking about you, sending our best wishes, and praying for you. Be well. Take care of yourselves.)
[Read more…]

How to Motivate Yourself to Do “Something”

July 27, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

by guest author Alesha Wilson

How many times have you promised yourself that you will do something but ended up postponing it and doing something less productive? How many times have you promised to go to the gym to lose some weight but have backed out of the plan when the day arrived? Having cold feet is normal, but sometimes you have to brave the waters and do what has to be done–in this case, exercising to avoid being obese is a priority.

The statistics are overwhelming.

Take a look around you and you will see that many people are turning obese. But you do not have to be one of them. As long as you set your mind to that necessary change, you can save yourself. So how do you motivate yourself to change your ways? Apart from exercising, you can also use the steps listed below in other tasks that you might be having problems doing.

Find a partner. It’s easy to be discouraged when you are going to the gym alone. Instead of being intimidated by the stares given to you by other people at the gym, ask your best friend to go with you. It will be just like your bonding sessions, except this time you are not dining out but burning unwanted fats. Anyone will do–your sister, your officemate, your neighbor–as long as you have a good relationship with that person. It’s even better if you make new friends at the gym so that you will look forward to seeing them every time you visit.
Set a goal each week. You don’t have to lose all those unnecessary pounds in a few days. Go for a slow, but sure process. Set your mind to target at least five pounds a week. If you see that you are losing bigger than this, you can set your target a little higher. This way, you won’t be pressured to lose an unachievable number.
Give yourself a reward. Make yourself work for something. What’s the use of following your exercise routine religiously if you don’t have something to look forward to, right? Tell yourself that you will buy that dress in size 0 when you achieve that weight. Thinking about the reward you will get after losing weight will surely make you want to work even harder.
Keep tabs of your progress. If you are already losing weight, you need to know when to stop. By listing down the number of pounds you lost in one week, you will have an idea of when you can graduate from the gym. After that, your next move is to make sure that you still have enough exercise to avoid all the fat from returning.
Prepare nutritious foods that taste great. To make sure that fats are lost, you should avoid eating meals that are rich in them. But you also do not have to punish yourself by eating foods that do not taste great at all. Rather, find easy to follow recipes of great-tasting meals with reduced calories. These are all over the internet these days, and they do taste great!

After reading the tips listed above, you hopefully are more motivated in getting “something” done. Just make sure that you enjoy the process and the outcome will be worth it.

About The Author: Alesha Wilson writes for various online publications including RockwellNutrition.com – leading online supplier of Whey Cool.

Weight Watchers PowerStart Works Well: Lessons on Productivity

December 6, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Weight Watchers just introduced PointsPlus 2012.

The program has not changed a great deal. They’ve made some minor Points Plus target changes, giving some people the ability to go to a Points Plus Value as low as 26 (it used to be 29). They’ve instituted a range. In effect, they’ve made a flexible program even more flexible, which I think is good.

However, the biggest change (at least in my opinion) is how it’s explained to the new members (as well as returning members who would like to have it refreshed). It’s called PowerStart.

What is PowerStart?

Previously, new members would stay for a single “Getting Started Session,” where the concept of points (or points plus values) were explained. The weekly points plus allowance and activity points were also outlined, as well as the concept behind the Weight Watchers program in general. It took about 30 minutes, but was necessary if you wanted to be successful – as I’m sure people do when they join. However, one thing they found out is that in trying to take in that much information, especially while being a bit emotional at the time, people were overwhelmed.

Why emotional?

Think about it. Most people who join Weight Watchers – or any diet plan – are not in a good mood when they begin. They tend to be sad, feel guilty for putting on that much weight, or scared. After all, no one wakes up one morning and says,

“Yay! I finally put on enough weight that I can go to Weight Watchers!”

By the time they show up, they’ve tried everything; nothing has worked; so they broke through the veil of denial and decided to do something about their weight. But let’s face it, when you finally admit to yourself that you’ve “let yourself go,” you don’t feel so good about yourself. Therefore, when somebody starts a diet program, she usually feels bad about herself. Add to that feeling that they’re absorbing a lot of information and, well, what happens is they get distracted; they don’t learn it, and their heads explode.

What to do?

Weight Watchers has changed the game, so instead of one” getting started session,” they have introduced three PowerStart sessions; each one focuses on the basics of the program for just a few minutes but spends a lot of the time focusing on three different skills that will help the members actually make some helpful and healthy changes – and begin without delay.

[Read more…]

The Importance of Live Conversations

June 9, 2011 by Featured Author Leave a Comment

Note: This piece was written by Mike Robbins; one of the best speakers (and nicest guys) you’ll ever meet. I’m honored to be able to use it. If you would like to know more about him, you can find his information at the end of this post. Enjoy.

Have you ever had a conversation, disagreement, or conflict escalate over email?

Do you sometimes find yourself engaging in difficult or emotional conversations electronically because it seems “easier,” only to regret it later on? If you’re anything like me and most of the people I know and work with, you can probably answer “yes” to both of these questions. [Read more…]

Building Supportive Relationships While Taking Care of Yourself

May 11, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

In the end, we are remembered via the relationships we leave behind.

I stand five-eight, no one’s depiction of “towering giant.” Someone of my stature is supposed to tip the scales at no more than 165 pounds. When I was 39 years old, I weighed 250. More frightening was that at such an early age, I experienced chest pains with regularity. As a father for two young sons, I was a ghost. My career was in free fall; my 12-year marriage was in tatters. (When your marriage counselor suggests divorce lawyers, the odds for regaining your long-lost marital bliss are slim.)

Change is born of fear, force, or pain. No one wakes up one fine day and says, “Wow! I really love my life; how am I going to change it?” Rather, unhappy, dissatisfied, and overwhelmed, we resolve to do virtually anything to alter our circumstances; anywhere is better than here.

For me, that conclusion came late one night, sitting alone yet again, pondering sorrowfully the source of my life’s despair. Out of that sadness came the painful realization that the common bond among all my troubles was ME. It was ME who relinquished the reins of my life, it was ME who helped build a dysfunctional marriage, and it was ME who chose to stuff myself, medicating the hurt by eating instead of fixing it. Therefore, if anyone was going to transform my life, it too must be ME. [Read more…]

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